Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!ucla-cs!skaron@eagle.wesleyan.edu
From: skaron@eagle.wesleyan.edu
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Re: Get tested
Message-ID: <28083@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 13 Oct 89 09:14:38 GMT
References: <27888@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <27972@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> <28075@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
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Archive-number: 1348

> In article <27972@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> uvm-gen!jay@banzai.PCC.COM (Jay Schuster
> writes:
>>Wounded.Bird@f38.n135.z1.fidonet.org (Wounded Bird) writes:
>>>YOU CAN BE INFECTED WITH HIV FOR MANY YEARS AND NOT KNOW IT! GET
>>>A CONFIDENTIAL TEST. The life you save may be your best friend!
>>
>>Better yet, don't get tested, and change your behavior as if you
>>had tested positive.
> 
  It seems that these two opinions are to direct. (I know in the letters each 
expressed part of their reasoning, but there is still more).

  There are many pros and cons to getting tested. Below are some reasons you
may or may not want to get tested, the choice has to be an individual one
depending on which reasons seem to describe you best.

  Possible reasons for not getting tested.
  1) You would not change your sexual behavior no matter the result of the
     test.

  2) If it came out positive, you might get depressed enough that:
      a) You would not be able to enjoy life as much as you want to
      b) You might attempt/commit suicide.

  3) If your business,school found out about the test (including the idea of
      simply taking it regardless of the result), there might be unwanted
      tension and/or discrimination.

  4) You wouldn't be able to talk to anyone if it came out positive.

  5) If it came out positive your family would not accept you.

  Possible reasons for getting tested.
  1) You want to know what's going on inside your body.

  2) If it comes out positive, you would want to be able to:
     a) possibly get on an experimental treatment program.
     b) find out how to avoid getting opportunistic diseases.

  3) A negative result would mean a new staring point of safer sex/needle use
     activity.

  Of course there are other reasons, depending on how you view the HIV virus.

  Also when getting tested consider CONFIDENTIAL Vs. ANONYMOUS testing. Each
one has its pluses and minuses.

  Also make sure the test site has PRE and POSTconsuling for the test.
  Precons. is just as important as Postcons. and vicaversa.

  My suggestion for the original poster is to by one of the many AIDS books on
the market that has a reasonable amount about HIV antibody testing.

  After all, no matter how many opinions you here, the choice has to be your
own and no one elses.

  Hope this helps greatly, and hope you come to the decision you feel
comfortable with.

                                               SKARON@eagle.wes.edu
                                           or  SKARON@wesleyan.bitnet

                                              (Steven L. Karon)