Interview 53 - Fiona

Age at interview: 20

Age at diagnosis: 20

Brief Outline:

Fiona was diagnosed with Chlamydia but all her other STI's test results were negative. She saw the clinic's health adviser who explained about the treatment and provided information and advice. The treatment for Chlamydia consisted of four tablets of Azithromycin 250mg. and she was advised to abstain from sexual intercourse for the next seven days.

Background:

Full-time student; single. Fiona and a few friends thought it would be a good idea to go and get tested for STIs. She said there was a lot of awareness campaign about STIs in her university. Ethnic background' White British.

More about me...

Fiona decided to get tested for Chlamydia and all the other STI’s including HIV. She was not particularly worried and she did it after she realised several of her friends have gone to get tested. She waited a few days and to her surprised and dismay she was told that her Chlamydia result was positive. All her other test’s results were negative. Fiona never expected to be diagnosed with Chlamydia since her attitude has always been to use condom, except on a few occasions.

Following her Chlamydia positive result she made an appointment for the same day to see the health adviser who explained about the treatment and provided information and advice. Fiona received a one course of treatment that consisted of four tablets of Azithromycin 250mg that she took during the consultation. She was advised to abstain from sexual intercourse for seven days and told that for the next six weeks, following her treatment, any further Chlamydia test would come out positive.

Fiona was very surprised to hear that any form of unprotected sex (without a condom) can put you at risk of catching Chlamydia, including oral sex.

The health counselor also went through Fiona’s partner’s history and asked if she was going to tell them or, alternatively, the clinic runs a service that get in touch with ex-partners, explains the situation and invite them to get tested. This is totally anonymous and her name would not be mentioned at all.

Overall, Fiona thinks that the service is excellent and she thinks that it is a good idea to get tested once a year.

 

Fiona thought that a condom was sufficient protection against STIs, she had no idea she could be infected with Chlamydia during foreplay or anal sex. She thinks that regular STI testing is a good idea.

It’s just that I had no idea and sort of I told these guys. And everyone was very surprised by it so.

 

Even if you sort of religiously use some form of protection?

 

It doesn’t necessarily matter it can be transferred before sex ever happens. So in terms of foreplay in, in that point it can be transmitted then even if you’re then incredibly careful you may have already sort of got it so.

 

What was her explanation or his explanation? Did they have some advice?

 

Because I think Chlamydia is… I can’t really remember how to describe it.

 

It’s a bacteria.

 

Yes, and so because it’s in that area any form of sort of oral sex or foreplay and all that sort of thing it’s possible to be transmitted then because of sort of contact during sex, I think it’s just possible that it can be transmitted sort of thing because a condom obviously is only protecting a certain part [laughs] as it were so.

 

So the message would be you just need to get tested.

 

I think, yeah, I think regular.

 

Regularly?

 

Regular testing sort of once a year you know, to obviously depending on if you’re changing your partner. If you’re not changing your partner then, and you’ve both been tested, then I don’t think it’s something to worry about provided you’re both faithful [laughs]. But if yeah, if you’re changing your partner I think more regular testing is probably necessary and it is, like we’ve said, it’s such a sort of simple process that’s not as terrifying as it seems, yeah.

Explains what happened next after her Chlamydia test came back positive.

So all of my other results came back negative apart from the Chlamydia and then in the same day I booked an appointment, having found out my results, booked an appointment for that afternoon, went in, went to he was some form of health advisor, who similar sort of scenario. You waited in waiting room, get called in. And he went through my sort of history, then sort of talked me through everything and yeah, and then I got the sort of four tablets that I took then and there and within a week you’re clear of it so.

 

And did you need to have another test afterwards?

 

No, you don’t because it’s sort of ninety nine point nine per cent effective provided you take it the way you’re meant to take it. Sort of thing. Although they do offer you a test to check that you’re clear but they advise that you don’t have that until six weeks afterwards because of something to do with the dying bacteria can still be in your system sort of thing. Yeah, but he was incredibly helpful and also he talked through the partners that you’ve had over the last six months and asks you if you’re going to contact them. And if you’re not, then they offer a service where they can sort of ring them up for you and you’re name will never get mentioned and they’ll simply say, “Someone that you’ve been with has sort of been found to have Chlamydia. We advise that you come in for a test.” Sort of thing so yeah, they were incredibly helpful and it was good [laughs].

 

Okay, and do you mind telling me how did you feel when you found out?

 

Absolutely horrendous [laughs]. Because I’ve well, I personally think I’ve been pretty sensible in terms of sex and protected sex. And yeah, it wasn’t a good feeling at all but so that feeling lasted for that day and in that day I got in contact with the person that I’d been with, in the last six months sort of thing. And then, having been to the health advisor, I knew it was sort of all over so it, although it’s horrible, it didn’t last too long and now I can joke about it, kind of [laughs].

 

So you took an antibiotic.

 

Yes.

 

How long? For a week.

 

No, it’s four fairly sizeable tablets that you sort of swallow then and there in the room with the health advisor.

 

Really.

 

Yeah, and that’s it and it just it’s sort of still in your system for that week and then after the weeks over you’re clear, sort of thing.

 

Okay. So you swallow these sort of big tablets.

 

Yes.

 

Whole.

 

Just four of them right then and there.

 

So then that’s it.

 

And that’s it.

 

Because the antibiotic.

 

Yeah.

 

Okay.

 

And that’s it.

 

It’s very straight forward then.

 

Yeah, very, very so much easier than I sort of ever imagined it could have been [laughs] sort of thing so, yeah.

 

Okay.

 

No, it’s not as disastrous as you might think, [laughs] which is quite good.

 

Did you know much about the treatment or?

 

I didn’t but someone, I can’t remember who, had sort of said, “Well, it’s only a few pil