sharing a room with someone HIV+ Posted: 06-01-08 16:10pm
Hi,
I am a 23 years old male.
I have been sharing a room with an HIV+
person for the past one month.
We have a double bed and he sleeps on one
half of it and I sleep on the other half
of it.
Now, I have a few questions:
I am a little worried as to should I
continue sharing the room with him?
Am I at a risk of contracting the disease
if I sleep in the same bed as him?
Though we sleep on a double-bed I have
noticed that some of the times at night I
have a tendency to drift over and reach
the other person's side of the bed.
Sometimes when I wake up in the morning I
realize that I have my hand on top of that
person or my leg on top of him... or
something like that.
I usually wear a short T-shirt and shorts
leaving a lot of the body bare, which can
be scratched by nails etc..
We also share a common steel almirah, and
sometimes I'm worried that I may hurt
myself from some edge of the almirah and
contract the disease.
I need your advice on this issue as to
what should I do. I need to get some
perspective.
So far, I have not shared any toothbrushes
or razors with this person. Nor as far as
I remember have I knowingly come in
contact with blood/semen.
We share the same bathroom though.
Should I get tested? Please advice me.
This person is my friend and I do want to
help him, but I can do that only with a
clear mind.
I would also like to ask about a scare
that I had a few days ago. I woke up one
morning and noticed a small cut on the
side of my abdomen just above the waist.
It was a very small cut, say 1 mm wide and
half a cm long. I scratched the upper
layer of it and the dead skin came off
revealing healthy skin beneath which
indicated that I must have got that cut a
few days ago.
Now I do not know how I got that cut...
and this is worrying me.
Since it was a small cut, I do not think
that it would have pained a lot when I got
it and hence I did not notice it. I could
have been that I may have brushed against
something and I may have got that cut, or
maybe during sleeping somehow I got that
cut, or maybe something else.
How much risk is there of contracting the
disease like this. Should I get tested for
this?
Please help me with this, I need to get a
few things sorted out before I can get on
with my life.
Thanks
|
Muthoni
Supporter
Joined: 05 Feb 2008 Posts: 841 Location: From Kenya, Now in Canada
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Adviceneeded Posted: 06-01-08 17:34pm
Thank you for coming here to seek help.
For HIV to occur, there has to be a fluid
HIGH in HIV. The only fluids that qualify
are blood, semen, vaginal fluids and
breast milk. All other fluids like sweat,
urine, vomit etc do not have enough HIV to
cause infection. There is no way you can
get HIV mbae sleeping on the same bed with
a HIV+ person.
What is a steel almirah?
Good for you for not sharing personal
effects. Those should not be shared for
many reasons including hygiene. Having
said that, HIV dies 30 seconds seconds to
a minute after it leaves the body.
Only get tested for your own peace of mind
but from the way you wrote it I see no
risk but I need to know what an almirah
is.
Which country are you? The reason I ask
is because of the sleeping conditions
where you have to sleep with somebody else
in the same bed. It was common in Kenya
but here I know it is almost unheard of
here. Unless one is married or in a
relationship.
An almirah is another name for a
cupboard.
As I said the cut was really small, say 1
mm thick and half a cm long. I do not know
how I got that cut. I do not think it
would have pained or bled much coz, I
think I would have noticed if that was the
case.
Is it possible to contract the disease by
a small cut that is not very deep enough.
I can get tested but only if it is
necessary. If there is no risk then I
would rather not get tested.
The only thing that is worrying me is that
I do not know how I got this cut.
I'm not in a relationship with this
person, it's just that we are friends and
share a common room, in which we have a
double bed.
I really want to help this person, but I
can only do so once I myself sort some
things out.
|
Users who thank adviceneeded for this post:
homerx
homerx
Moderator
Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 3266 Location: , USA
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Posted: 06-02-08 15:38pm
You ask "Is it possible to contract the
disease by a small cut that is not very
deep?" The answer is yes. It is highly
unlikely but it is possible.
Like Mson has already stated, HIV dies 30
seconds to a minute after it leaves the
body. Was it more than a minute...more
than 60 seconds? if so then don't worry.
If you cant let this go then get tested
for peace of mind.
Please keep your friend. Your friend needs
you and friends are precious...
|
Users who thank homerx for this post:
adviceneeded
adviceneeded
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 4
Thanks: 4
Thanked:2
Posted: 06-02-08 16:33pm
"Please keep your friend. Your friend
needs you and friends are precious..."
I have no intentions of letting him go. I
just have to overcome my fear.
He is going through a really tough time
and I want to be there for him, and
support him in any way possible.
"Was it more than a minute...more than 60
seconds?"
I just don't know... I may have got it
while sleeping... or maybe not even at
home... maybe at the workplace.
I can indeed get tested for this, but it
was a very small cut (more like a
scratch). When I noticed it, it was
healed.
What if I get tested for it and then
sometime later I notice something else...
this is what is getting me worried.
Thanks a lot for the help.
|
Users who thank adviceneeded for this post:
homerx
homerx
Moderator
Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 3266 Location: , USA
Thanks: 377
Thanked:1138
Posted: 06-02-08 17:40pm
Dear adviceneeded, I totally understand
what you are saying. If you wait 3 months
after the incident and then get tested and
it comes back negative then you can let it
go...you are safe. I think you are safe
anyway, 1 in a million chance or less from
what i have heard from you. The choice to
get tested is a personal one so do what
you must. But I think your fine and HIV
negative, I really do.
Peace and Love and Friendship!!!
Homer
P.S. I think you are a great friend! God
Bless You! We need people like you on this
planet!
|
Muthoni
Supporter
Joined: 05 Feb 2008 Posts: 841 Location: From Kenya, Now in Canada
Thanks: 338
Thanked:213
Adviceneeded Posted: 06-02-08 19:00pm
The fluid coming out of your friend like
sweat do not have enough HIV to cause
infection.
If you are very worried, wait three months
from the point of supposed infection and
get tested.
P.S. If your friend needs other HIV/AIDS
folks to talk to tell him he can always
talk to us. We are here for education and
also as friends...for him and for you...
|
adviceneeded
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 4
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Thanked:2
Posted: 06-04-08 16:03pm
Hi Homerx, Muthonig
Thanks a lot for the help (and sorry for
replying so late)
I have been regularly talking to my
friend. You can maybe expect him hear once
he gets his hold back on life.
Thanks again for just being who you
are.... you may not even know but you
affect the lives of so many people in so
beautiful ways...
|
Users who thank adviceneeded for this post:
homerxMuthoni
homerx
Moderator
Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 3266 Location: , USA
Thanks: 377
Thanked:1138
Posted: 06-04-08 17:19pm
Thank you...your
awesome, you know that? Come talk any
time.
