Interview 08- HIV

Age at interview: 44

Age at diagnosis: 44

Brief Outline:

Now on anti-retroviral treatment (3TC, lopinavir, ddI), she is feeling much better and has returned to work. Her current CD4 cells are 400. Religion is important to her positive attitude. (Video and audio clips read by an actor.)

Background:

A black African female health professional who presented with bleeding due to Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) in early 2005. She was hospitalised where she was diagnosed with HIV.

For more clips from this interview click here.

She was happy to go along with the treatment her doctors recommended immediately after she found out she was HIV positive.

But I think the most helpful I've found is just the talking to me. I think it did a lot of good. I thought both teams, my, my tropical doctors ones and my TTP (Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura) ones, they were very good at communication. They were really, really good. Like they disseminated results of bloods in time. I don't think I had any problems. And they kept me up to date as to what was going on.

 

Why is that important?

 

Well, because I suppose that helps your planning and focusing as well. And looking forward to the next day. Like one example I'd give you is like when they told me they had found HIV, that I was HIV positive. And the next thing they told me was, 'We're going to start you on retrovirals.' And the following day they started me on the retrovirals. Which I thought, this is quick. They only diagnosed me yesterday, and today they're, they're starting me these tablets. I thought that was quick. It was done very quickly. And they… I thought that was good. Because, as they say, that they need to treat the HIV… start treating the, the HIV so that they can treat the TTP as well, you know.

She was pleased that her doctors keep her informed quickly about her test results and treatment decisions. (Read by an actor)

 But I think the most helpful I've found is just the talking to me. I think it did a lot of good. I thought both teams, my, my tropical doctors ones and my TTP (Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura) ones, they were very good at communication. They were really, really good. Like they disseminated results of bloods in time. I don't think I had any problems. And they kept me up to date as to what was going on.

 

Why is that important?

 

Well, because I suppose that helps your planning and focusing as well. And looking forward to the next day. Like one example I'd give you is like when they told me they had found HIV, that I was HIV positive. And the next thing they told me was, 'We're going to start you on retrovirals.' And the following day they started me on the retrovirals. Which I thought, this is quick. They only diagnosed me yesterday, and today they're, they're starting me these tablets. I thought that was quick. It was done very quickly. And they… I thought that was good. Because, as they say, that they need to treat the HIV… start treating the, the HIV so that they can treat the TTP as well, you know.