THIVK. Test. Take Control

• “I think I’m negative. Why test?”
• “I can’t test again because I tested recently”
• “I gave a blood sample. They must’ve tested me for HIV”
• “If I’ve got HIV, isn’t it better not to know?”
• “I couldn’t cope with testing positive”
• “If I test positive I’ll lose the people I care about”
• “If people know I have HIV they’ll say hurtful things”
• “If I test positive I could never have sex again”
• “Test positive and I’ll be put on HIV drugs straight away”
• “If I test positive I might lose my job”
• “Can boyfriends stop using condoms if they test?”
• “Testing could risk my relationship”
• “Is it true testing’s never been easier?”
• “Testing takes too long”
• “I must wait three months after unsafe sex before testing”
• “All HIV tests are the same”
• “Testing means problems with mortgages or life insurance”
• “If I test positive my details go on an official list”
• “I can’t test. I hate needles”

“If I’ve got HIV, isn’t it better not to know?”

It’s never better to avoid testing. It doesn’t make HIV go away. And it can make things far worse.

Here’s what testing gives you:

• Certainty
• Peace of mind
• Best chance of good health and a long life
• Be in control
• Get support

Certainty

Knowing your HIV status for sure is better than guessing. It’s the best foundation for decisions about sex, the future or using condoms. For example, how would you feel if, without realising, you gave HIV to someone you care about?

Peace of mind

It’s good to know where you stand. No more doubts. Whatever your result, knowing can be a huge relief and an end to a lot of stress.

Lots of people feel sure they have HIV but test negative. Testing negative means you can make a fresh start and an extra effort to stay safe

Enjoy the best chance of good health and a long life

If you test positive, HIV treatments work very well. They’re much better than in the past; easier to take (often only one or two pills) and side effects aren’t as big a problem. But the drugs work best when started before HIV does too much damage to you.

Doctors are confident that people who test positive and start treatment soon enough can expect to live as long as people who don’t have HIV.

Avoiding testing means you risk suddenly falling ill with things like pneumonia or meningitis (a life-threatening inflammation of the brain). Leave testing until you get ill and HIV drugs might not work very well. People who test and start treatment later are much more likely to get ill or die.

So testing can save your life. Then add years to it.

Be in control

Knowing you have HIV puts you in charge. You can take steps to protect others, make plans and changes - a new beginning. Why let HIV silently attack you? Get control over it with the help of doctors and treatment. Keep your life as it is. Don’t let illness spoil it.

It’s easier to deal with testing positive when you’re healthy, not sick. You’re in control of who you tell and when, instead of telling family and friends you have HIV from a hospital bed.

Get support

There’s no need to deal with a positive test result on your own. There’s counselling, help by phone, support groups, courses... Check out www.tht.org.uk/whatnext for details and video clips and diaries from gay men who’ve recently tested positive.

“I couldn’t cope with testing positive”

Not testing won’t make HIV go away. But it can make things far worse for your health. Testing positive is harder to deal with if you leave it until you get sick. You’ll face the stress of being ill and explaining what’s going on to people close to you - before you’ve had time to come to terms with being positive yourself. Testing sooner gives you time to be prepared.

There’s no need to deal with a positive test result on your own. There’s counselling, help by telephone, support groups, courses. If you visit www.tht.org.uk/whatnext you can see video clips and diaries showing gay men who’ve recently tested positive.

Many towns and cities have groups or courses for men with HIV. You can meet others and get support. You can learn from them about dealing with the things that come up after testing positive.

Some places have groups for the negative partners of people with HIV too.

After testing positive some people find talking face-to-face helpful. Confidential counselling is available across the country. Check out www.tht.org.uk/whatnext or call THT Direct for details of all the support that’s available locally.

“If I test positive I’ll lose the people I care about”

Test positive and it’s your decision who you tell and when. You don’t have to tell anyone, certainly not straight away. Reactions are usually better than expected. Often we find it brings us closer to people we care about. You can talk through what’s on your mind and hear about other people’s experiences of telling family and friends by making use of the support given here

What Next has films about telling people to give you some advice — you can see them here link to www.whatnext.tht.org.uk/tellingpeople/

“If people know I have HIV they’ll say hurtful things”

Prejudice against people with HIV is still there but it’s less than it was. People close to us tend to react better than we expect. If someone uses the fact you’ve tested positive to hurt you, remember this: words hurt but never as much as HIV can.

With today’s treatments, testing positive gives you the power to stop HIV threatening your health and happiness... maybe your life. Stay untested and HIV will silently attack your body, leaving you at risk of getting dangerously ill. It’s best to focus on protecting yourself from that kind of hurt.

“If I test positive I could never have sex again”

When first diagnosed many of us don’t feel like sex. It can be hard to imagine getting close or having a relationship. We may feel guilty about getting HIV, think no-one will want us or worry about infecting others. These feelings get less over time.

It helps to learn just how safe various kinds of sex are. It’s also useful to hear how others tell people they fancy that they have HIV and how they deal with reactions. If you’re already in a relationship, testing positive brings up whole new issues.

Hearing from others about how they’ve dealt with these things is very helpful. One-to-one counselling, support groups, talking to a helpline, and reading how others have coped are all a big help - not just for you but for your partner if you have one. You can get more details here....

“Test positive and I’ll be put on HIV drugs straight away”

You would only start HIV treatment if a) you need to and b) you agree to. It’s best started before HIV damages your immune system too much. Tests will show how your immune system is doing. You may not need treatment for years. But if you’re already at the stage when you need them, the drugs should keep you healthy. Treatment is better than in the past. It’s easier to take, with far fewer side effects and is often just one or two pills a day.

Testing positive and having your health checked means you’re in good hands. If you avoid testing you let HIV do you serious harm. Treatment might not be able to fully put this right later.

“If I test positive I might lose my job”

It’s against the law to fire someone because they have HIV. Disability rights legislation protects people with HIV, whether they’re sick or in good health. The law protects you from HIV-related discrimination or harassment. You must only tell your employer you have HIV in a very small number of jobs with a risk to the public, eg, medical and emergency staff who carry out operations, take care of wounds, etc (eg, dentists, surgeons, obstetricians, gynaecologists and midwives).

There’s more on employment and having HIV here...

THT Direct can answer your questions about rights at work and whether to tell your employer.