Blog 11-really

Hello all! I guess this is the last blog post of the semester. I hope all of you have enjoyed reading my posts as I have enjoyed reading all of yours. I know some of you are getting ready for graduation in a few weeks. All I can say is that I wish I was in your shoes! It’s my entire fault though; I should have been on top of the credits that I was missing. August is not that far away though. I hope that all of you have had a good semester and I know that we all have expressed our feelings on how we learned so much in this class. As I was finishing up my blog log I realized exactly how far I had come. I could tell by reading my first post that I was only somewhat prepared for what was to come in this class. I wrote about the M&M simulation and the panels. Now that I have experienced all of that I can really say that I am glad I took this class and even thought it was difficult at times, it was a great learning experience.

The last question of the week was interesting. I had to do some research about PEP and express my feelings about taking it if I was stuck with a needle. I was interested in the research because I plan to work in health care so this could very well be my own situation, or someone that I know. I decided that I would choose to take the medication despite the side effects. Some of those included vomiting, fatigue and diarrhea. I felt as though I could deal with these for a month, or less if needed. When I read that if you were stuck with a large bore needle you would need to take the triple drug combination, as oppose to the double, I found that the triple can cause more severe side effects. These included gastrointestinal and liver problems. I think I would still choose to use the medicine despite this because testing positive would be more detrimental. As I read some of our classmate’s posts I saw most of them would choose to take the medication. I’m glad that I was asked this question because it pertains to my actual life.

Did You Know?

In 2007 a college in Delaware was very afraid of an HIV scare. A woman prostitute was caught by police after running naked through the dorms. She told police that she was HIV positive and had sex with about 10 men on campus for money. She was unsure if condoms were used or not. Cheyney University urged students to go get tested, especially if they had sex with this woman. Outrageous! I guess for some odd reason I thought that college students would have a little more sense than this. I can’t find any updated information about the student’s status, but I will continue to look and inform you all if I do.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17854897&BRD=1725&PAG=461&dept_id=45529&rfi=15

Sorry guys, it's not letting me embed the video for some reason. Can you imagine if this was your mom!!??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeufNA-Rbc0

Blog 11

Hey guys! I was waiting to post this blog because I wanted to include my feelings about the men’s panel that was held tonight. I really enjoyed myself and I am glad we had such good speakers and story tellers. The four men were so gracious to talk to our class so candidly. They had the room laughing as well as gasping. I had a lot of questions but only asked one since I know everyone probably wanted to ask a million questions. They all spoke about the medicines they have to take, how they felt when they were diagnosed, who they told, whether or not they still have sex, and we even spent a little extra time talking about karma and religion. It was entertaining but very informative. I feel like the men got their personal messages across to us all. One of the men really seemed to know a lot about the microbiology behind HIV and others used humor to talk about their conditions. I wished the session was longer, because it seemed as though right when the conversation was getting really heated, we had to leave. I only wish I had the chance to attend the women’s panel. Either way, I am so thankful to have had this opportunity.

The question of the week this week was related to the “did you know?” in my blog. I had to share my feelings about disclosing someone’s information about their HIV status if they had sex with someone after knowing they were positive. I am a little torn on the subject, but I am leaning more towards someone being persecuted if they did this. I think we all have a right to privacy, but at the same time, this is like giving someone a death sentence. I think it is the other person’s responsibility to ask their partner about HIV testing and wearing protection, but in special cases (monogamous relationships) you can only do so much. Sometimes people aren’t asking for it, and they took precautions and still turned out to be positive. In these cases the person who knew they were positive should suffer the consequences.

I will be taking the quiz online tomorrow. I have reviewed all of the slides once and I will again tomorrow. If it is anything like the other quiz, I am confident I will do well because I have studied the slides in advance. I am also starting to work on the assignment for next week where I summarize my blogging experience. I have nothing but good things to say about this so far! I love your feedback and also reading your own blogs. I hope everyone has a good week, study early for those finals!

Did You Know?

I wanted to find out more information about college students in other countries and I found something that I thought was interesting. According to a study, Nigerian college students didn’t think that they were at high risk of getting HIV. “85% believed themselves to be at little or no risk of acquiring HIV.” I find this to be a little ironic because so many people think that Africa is the source of this disease. You can read the whole article, but only if you join the website.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-170459406.html

Blog 10

Well my simulation is going to end tonight. It was very hard keeping up with all of the pills I had to take. I had chosen example A simply because I figured all of the regimens would be hard to deal with, so I just went with the first choice. I wrote my journal entries in my composition book that I actually used for school. I would make one to two entries per day. Tomorrow I will work on typing up my entries and review the rest of the slides for the module. I hope that this preparation pays off like it did for the last quiz. I studied the slides days before I took the quiz and it really made a difference because I didn’t have to keep going back and forth to read the slides during the timed quiz. I only missed one of my does during my entire week on the “medication” and I thought that was a good thing, but when you think of it what could happen if you forgot in real life? I intend to write about any research I find out about the medicine that I forgot to take. I hope that all of you are keeping up with your studies during these intense last few weeks of school.
The question of the week this week was very interesting and was asking who we would tell if we found out that we were HIV positive. I always thought about this question before being asked it in this class and I knew the only person I would tell would be my mother. I would probably tell her with tears in my eyes and I’m sure it wouldn’t be easy, but I would let her know. She and I are very close and I would want her to know, even though she would be hurt, I know that she would be there for me and support me no matter what. I would consider telling my very best friend, but it wouldn’t be until I had come to accept myself and be comfortable with my diagnosis. I would tell my mother right away, but anyone else would have to wait a while before they found out.

Did You Know?

According to a report written in Psychology & Sociology, there are surprisingly few studies that examine differences in HIV knowledge between black and white college students. I am currently researching organizations and teams that are trying to reach out to the black college community. I feel as though with the numbers of young, black adults infected with HIV so high, more should and could be done to at least spread awareness. This report also made a good point in saying that Facebook is a good way to spread the word, since it is such a popular way of communication now.


http://esciencenews.com/articles/2008/08/27/study.reveals.gap.hiv.testing.knowledge.among.college.students

Blog 8

A little picture I found. I thought it was cute, yet important.


Well I can certainly feel the semester coming to an end. I have just started working on the assignment for next week that includes the journal and simulation summary. I know it is going to be a lot of work, which is why I decided to start on it early. I have studied the slides from modules 5 and 6 so far, and tomorrow I will review module 7 tomorrow so that I can take the quiz tomorrow or Friday. I am a little apprehensive about taking the quiz, since we only get one chance to take it and I am not familiar with the format of the questions. I am sure that we will all get through this and next week okay even though it’s a large load to take on.



If anyone is interested, I still haven’t gotten my results back. I am so afraid for some reason. I asked my boyfriend to come with me when I go pick them up and he is determined that everything is going to be okay. I think that with him there I will be able to look at my results.



The question of the week this week was pretty interesting. I think a lot of people might have felt a little weird thinking about one of their grandparents having sex, but I didn’t think that it was that surprising. I mentioned in my response that my grandmother had actually told me about a man asking her out and how their date went. If she ever told me that she was HIV positive I would of course be shocked, but I wouldn’t treat her any different. I would ask that she let me tell the family, or she do it herself, so that she has a lot of support. If she wanted to keep her news a secret I would respect her wishes but I would want her to get on some medication even though there were side effects. I love how we keep getting scenarios that make us think. I don’t believe that we would ever put ourselves in these situations if it were not for this class.

Did You Know?

There are several scholarships that are given to students that are HIV positive? I was shocked and delighted at the same time when I found this out. I am glad that there are scholarships available for those students, since so many people treat HIV positive patients like something is wrong with them or like they are about to die. Some of the scholarships include:

• San Francisco State University (SFSU)
  SFSU offers the Robert Westwood Scholarship to assist a student who has been diagnosed with HIV (documentation of the diagnosis is required) and who has plans for working with others affected by HIV/AIDS. $2,000 in funding will be awarded to an applicant pursuing any major who has attained a minimum GPA of 3.0.


• Ohio State University
  The Harold A. McIntosh Scholarship, offered by Ohio State University, provides two scholarships in the amount of $1,200 each. One will be awarded to a student who is living with HIV/AIDS and one will be made available to a candidate with a history of service and leadership to the community in regard to the affliction.


• James and Colin Lee Wozumi Scholarship for students who are goal-oriented, HIV positive, and/or focusing on the treatment and/or eradication of HIV.
  

http://collegecandy.com/2009/04/02/hivaids-%E2%80%94-a-very-real-risk-for-college-women/

http://www.collegescholarships.org/health/aids-hiv.htm

http://www.pridefoundation.org/scholarships/scholarship-funds/

Blog 7

I hope everyone enjoyed their spring break! Mine was great. I thought I would either sacrifice studying and go out or vice versa, but I was able to get a lot of work done and still enjoy myself. I am very upset at the health center that I went to for my HIV test because I still haven’t gotten my results. I need the results to do my work for Friday and I am only able to call because I don’t have a car right now. Needless to say that I am stressing out about this. Besides my dilemma I am glad that I have been able to catch up on a lot of my assignments.

For the question of the week the scenario was about being a parent of an HIV positive child and trying to get a new dentist. I know how I can be and I would definitely give the receptionist a piece of my mind since she lied to me. I would try to be calm at first, just to hear the explanation she gave. I would call a lawyer immediately and do something about the discrimination I received.

We were warned about how fast the next few weeks of school were going to go and I feel prepared. Spring break was very helpful in preparing me for the “rollercoaster” that’s left ahead. Not only for this class, but all of our classes are going to fly by soon. I am exciting to learn more, especially at the men’s panel that is coming up in a few weeks. I also decided to read another book from the list that we were given, since I read reviews on others and they seem really interesting. Good luck on the second half of the semester guys!

Did You Know?

A study done on historically black colleges and universities in five states showed that students overall did not think they were at high risk for getting HIV. Women scored higher on an HIV knowledge test, but more men were recorded using HIV testing facilities on campus. This made me stop and think because of how many young black women are infected. Does this information explain the so called “down low” and how many black men that might know they are infected but don’t share the information with their female partners? I am upset that more young black women in college are not going to get tested.

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ765296&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ765296

I just finished watching the last movie on the list for the assignment this week and the name of it was Silverlake Life. I was saving it for last because of the warning about how graphic it was. All I can say is that I’m glad I got the warning because it was intense. It was a personal documentary of two gay lover’s battle with AIDS. I was so shocked to see the transformation of one of the men, all the way until he died in his bed. His lover filmed everything to when he was being taken to the funeral home. It was a horrible sight to see how he had wasted away to skin and bones. I’m glad spring break is approaching because my mind can only take so much more information!

I researched two famous people who had died from AIDS earlier. I chose one person I had heard of, Perry Ellis, and one that I had no clue about, Larry Kert. Perry Ellis was a fashion designer whom I am familiar with because my boyfriend loves the line of cologne. Perry worked his way up the fashion ‘ladder’ in the 1970s and eventually opened his own line of clothing, without even knowing how to draw. He grew his line to include shoes, perfume and accessories that are all still popular today. While researching his life, it was difficult to find information about the exact details of his life. Some websites say he died of hepatitis, and some say a coma due to encephalitis. While this information is true, he became so ill because of AIDS. It was also kept hush-hush during the time of his death (1986) because this was the time when no one wanted to talk about AIDS.

Larry Kert was a child actor and most of us probably would know him most from the movie West Side Story. He was a handsome star who could also sing, and had a lot of success on Broadway. He had a male companion named Ron Pullen, according to the NY Times, but there was not much more information about his personal life that I could find. He died at the age of 60 in 1991 due to AIDS. My guess is that he was well into his fifties before he became infected.

Did You Know?
In 2002 a college student was charged with having sex with someone without informing them he had HIV. The young man was given a prison sentence and community service, but was still allowed to take classes. The girl tested negative to the disease but what I would have done to him if he did that to me! Make sure you wrap it up people, because you never know!

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_14_102/ai_91915327/

http://gayfortoday.blogspot.com/2007/03/perry-ellis.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/07/obituaries/larry-kert-60-a-romantic-lead-in-the-original-west-side-story.html?pagewanted=1

http://www.chaimedia.com/list/9.html

Blog 5

Well this week for question of the week I was torn between two decisions. I was asked what I would do if I was a witness of a car accident and one of the victims whispered “HIV positive” to me right before she became unconscious. Even thought a part of me wanted to just say that I would try to help the woman’s bleeding womb no matter what she said, I had to be honest. I would automatically assume that she was warning me about herself and not the other passenger and I would have to take precautions. Of course I would look for anything to use a barrier between her blood and my skin, such as a towel or other piece of clothing, but if I ran out of options I would just have to wait for help. I would feel horrible about the condition of the victim but at the same time, if something happened to me, I can only imagine how I would feel, as well as my family and friend’s feelings.

I also had to watch a few movies this week and review them. The movie that touched me the most was Common Threads. The reason this movie stood out was because of the story of David Mandell, a boy who died at the age of 12 from AIDS. I guess it was because I was so shocked when I saw at the beginning of the movie 1976-1988, and I was like “what!” I was well aware that anyone could get HIV and die from AIDS but I guess it’s because I rarely hear about young children dying that I was so upset to hear that story. I felt the pain of David’s parents as they told his story and how he loved life despite his condition. In an interview with David he talked about how he wishes people would treat AIDS patients like normal human beings. I loved that he had a good spirit during his battle.

I still have one more movie to watch before I write my reviews, and I plan on watching it tonight at the library after work. The movies have been graphic and honest, but definitely eye openers. I wish these kinds of films aired on television regularly because they are educational. I still believe a lot of people are in denial about HIV/AIDS and some of these movies can be wake up call.

Did You Know?

As you might have already known, the amount of African American young adults that are infected with HIV is rapidly growing. L.I.F.E. AIDS is an organization formed by several black college students around the country. This organization started a “Got AIDS?” t-shirt campaign that was aimed to bring awareness to black college students and other young adults about HIV/AIDS.

http://diverseeducation.com/article/4383/1.php

http://www.cafepress.com/+got_aids_dark_tshirt,188913286

Blog 4

This week has been so busy for me! Multiple tests, multiple assignments, and cold weather that I can’t stand. I am just about done reading the book for our next assignment. I choose to read “Surviving the Fall” because it was written by a doctor. Although I am not interested in working in family medicine, I thought I could relate to this book the most. The book was not what I thought, because I assumed it would be way too much information about individual patients down to the science of the disease. I enjoyed reading about the doctor’s life and family. Everything tied into the story about how he felt as a doctor during the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. The way he explained his patients was so vivid and I felt like I was there as he was wrote.


I really enjoyed the question of the week because I got to interview people. I asked two people close to me about their feelings on HIV and knowing an HIV positive person. They both said what I would have said if asked the same questions. They wouldn’t let the status of their friends affect their relationship. I can’t see myself letting HIV get in between the friendship I have with any of my loved ones either. Since I figured this would happen, I also interviewed a complete stranger. I asked a man in the library the same questions and he really surprised me with his answer. He thought that visitors to Africa were to blame for the growing problem of HIV in America. I have never heard of anyone saying this before. I think most people know that the disease was first brought to the U.S. from Africa but I personally think that unprotected sex is to blame right now. The fact that young, southern, African American women are among the most infected now explains that. I doubt that all these women are traveling to Africa, or have slept with someone who traveled and got infected there. It might just be me, but I was stunned by his answers, and he was surprisingly calm and confident about his responses.


Either way, I am learning a great deal every day. If it’s not by doing my reading for this class online, it’s by talking to others and sharing my experiences in this class. With all that was going on with me this week, the interview definitely stood out. I am looking forward to the end of this week, as I'm sure most of you are too. I will let you all know how my book ends!



Did You Know?
"At UCF, one in every four students has an STD and not even half the students have been tested for HIV." Now all of you can do that little exercise where you count four of your friends....yes it's that serious! I don't know how you guys feel, but that number is way to high for my liking.

http://http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/2.10660/education-key-defense-1.1424801

Blog 3

Well guys yet another week has gone by. I have learned a lot during the question of the week this time. The statistics and facts that people put in their post were very interesting. I like to hear how others would handle certain situations. Our question was about what we would do if we were injured in another country with high rates of HIV/AIDS or other diseases and we needed a blood transfusion. Most of the posts that I read were just like me and up in the air about things. It would all depend on exactly how much time was on our side. I know the doctor doesn't have all the answers, but he/she could give a good estimate on whether you had enough time to wait on the United States blood. Although I am a sucker for pain I would choose to endure the discomfort and receive blood that I could trust a little more.
I'm working on reading the book for this class and I must say that is interesting as well. I can't wait to watch the movie and go to the panel. It would be nice to have some face to face interaction for this class. I am also working on the next module for this class. It is a lot of busy work and I know a lot of the information from classes I've taken in the past, but I must say it is a good refresher on the material. I hope to get everything done tomorrow, but if not it should be done Friday. I hope you are all enjoying my posts and I am learning a lot from reading all of yours. I'm looking into getting more information about my Did You Know as well. I think that my topic will open a lot of our eyes, since we are college students. I am taking Teach's advice on the statistics for UCF and hopefully I can find some information for you guys for next week. For all of you that saw the movie Juno, this video might be a little more humerous. Either way, this kind of stuff should be played in high schools all the time. It's funny, but so true!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ar-A8hQXv4