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Bill, Peter, others: Out of curiosity, since you all have become so clinically knowledgeable about HIV, if I told you that you were HIV positive and you were asymptomatic, what, if any, treatment would you want? Would you request PI combo treatment? If you were to take a PI, would you insist on taking only Viracept, even tho' your doctor suggested another PI drug? Do you think that by taking PI combo treatment early in the disease process (remember that there is no "cure" yet), do you think that you will remain asymptomatic for a longer period of time, that you will not develop AIDS defining illnesses, including malignancies (cancer), for an indefinite period of time, that you will have a better quality of life for a longer time, and tha you will actually live longer? There are physicians who have become HIV positive. What therapeutic approach do you think that they usually take? However, I really don't wish to make this a forum for any suggestions or recommendations for HIV/AIDS treatment; general discussion only. I'm just responding, in my way, to your posts. In addition, the resultsof HIV testing ("Privacy Act") are not as confidential as one may think since too many people sign medical release forms without reading what they are authorizing (eg., Medical Information Board, insurance companies, etc.). It is my impression that some people, who fear that they may be HIV +, do not get testing done because the results are not always anonymous and confidential. What about HIV test kits that can be bought in the drug store and can be mailed somewhere for testing? Are these results guaranteed to be confidential? Would you do such a test? I think that these are some of the reasons that there are untreated asymptomatic (and symptomatic) HIV patients. It is just not a "perfect" system, IMO. Perhaps BriBear and Cherry Grove can give their input. I'll end this for now before this gets too deep. <eom> |
