Monday, February 1, 2010

Blog 2

Hey everyone!


So now I have two simulations done. The last one I completed was the PCP simulation. I had a pillow placed over my face for almost a minute while trying to breathe normally. Needless to say it was very difficult. The trouble breathing and the panic was too much for me take after only several seconds. I understood then how hard it is for people living with this condition. I could only imagine how it is to deal with this everyday and I realized how I take things for granted.




I am going to make an appointment to get my HIV test tomorrow. I am currently without a phone (tear) and tomorrow I get my boyfriends car, so Planned Parenthood here I come! Of course I am nervous and just the thought of getting tested makes me a little uneasy, but I know it needs to be done. I am also making my boyfriend get one too; it only makes sense. I plan to pick up the book I need to read this week and finish the first module.




This week I had to do a question of the week and it really made me think. The scenario was about sleeping with the same person your friend did during a fun weekend, and this person finding out that they were HIV positive. Would you tell your friend? Go get tested? I would do both. I think that everyone would have so many thoughts running through their head, but I honestly believe that safety comes first and I would want to get tested and tell my friend the truth so that we could both be there for each other. I am happy with the assignments so far because they really get me thinking about a lot of things and I actually think it's going to change my perspective on relationships.

I researched an organization called the Naz Foundation. This is an organization out of India that helps to stop the spread of the disease in India by promoting awareness and care for infected individuals. The organization was established in 1994 and provides free medication for those who can't afford it. The also give pre and post HIV tests and offer counseling and support for HIV/AIDS patients. When I read about this I was most impressed with the fact that this organization gave free medication. I know that HIV and AIDS is very prevalent in India and I am glad to know that there is a foundation like this to help those less fortunate.






Web: The Naz Foundation (India) Trust, Retrieved February 1, 2010 from http://www.infinityfoundation.com/naz.htm




Did You Know?

1 in every 500 college students are HIV positive. A study also found that students with multiple or casual partners only used condoms 7%-20% of the time! I thought I would leave you all with those two shocking discoveries, they certainly blew my mind!

4 comments:

  1. Your PCP simulation description sounds scary! I have asthma so I dodged the bullet on that one. I can only imagine how panicky that must have been.

    Your "Did You Know" factoid is very scary. Was this a recent study that found that 1 in 500 students are positive? I would be highly interested in reading the details of this study. As far as condoms only being used 7 - 20% of the time, that isn't a surprise. I remember when I was "college-aged" I was just as ignorant. In my years I've realized that ignorance can spell out danger. No thanks. Cover that bad boy up!

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  2. Hello Jessica,
    The PCP assignment freaked me out too! I had to keep my mind occupied so that I could control my breathing. I have epilepsy so that is pretty much the same feeling I get before I have a seizure.

    I had my HIV test done yesterday. I ended up just getting blood taken because I was due for my yearly anyways. I hate needles so I was terrified going into the doctors. I cried a little bit, but I think I will be alright :). Good luck on yours.

    Your did you know was very informational. It is important for people to see those kind of statistics so that they are aware of the community that they are living in. College students need to start being more responsible and start using protection. Only using a condom 7-20% of the time is uncalled for.
    Thank you for the interesting numbers, I will be sure to spread them to my friends today before they go out tonight.

    -Courtney D

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  3. Wow, that last statistic you gave about the 7 - 20% condom use is shocking! Especially for people with multiple or casual partners! You would think that a person would want to be protected even more when engaging in casual sex or with multiple people. You know if he is randomly hooking up with you, he is probably randomly hooking up with other people as well. Why take the chance of inheriting whatever diseases they might have?

    I enjoyed reading about the Naz Foundation. I was not aware that AIDS was so common in India. It is definitely nice to hear that there is an organization that offers free medication for those that are infected. There should be more organizations like this in countries around the world. Infected populations in the poorest countries do not have enough money to purchase medications.

    Thanks for your insight!

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  4. You need to post the citation for your Did You Know so that others can read more in depth about your post. I'm not surprised at the numbers, although I believe that is rather dated material.


    I would love to do a double blinded study with UCF students to see how many are HIV positive on this campus. I believe many would be quite surprised at the number.

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