HIV and Staying Healthy

[VersatileBreeder]

Since I was diagnosed poz two months ago, I have made some very conscious decisions to stay as healthy as possible. I know from what I've read from a lot of the guys on here that it's the right thing to do. I started eating much healthier, working out regularly, cut back on smoking (trying to quit). I've noticed already that I look healthier- I dropped 10 lbs in the past month and a half and I don't look/feel as tired as I used to.

What I am wondering is- why do we really take these steps to lead a healthier lifestyle? No matter what we do or how good of shape we are in, we aren't eradicating the virus. The best we can do is get undetectable on meds. So I'm just wondering, why do we really do it? I feel good that I am doing it, but in a sense I feel like I am almost just trying to compensate for the fact that I have HIV. Have any other guys felt like this?

[fillmyholeftl]

Very insightful and true, "Pop"... Whatever the motivation, a lot of "us" do start to take more care of ourselves and are more conscious of our behaviors. You have accepted yourself and allowing yourself to LOVE YOURSELF !! That's a real BIG milestone. I think its great that you got to this "place" so soon... It took some therapy and time for ME !!

:-)

[bearbandit]

I remember saying to neighbour who expressed surprise at me smoking "I've got aids - I should worry about lung cancer?" But the truth is that after I finally quit smoking I found that I felt better (I also found I had a lung capacity 70% average for a man of my age. When I found I had diabetes (a gift from an early HIV drug) I made the appropriate adaptations to me diet and felt better. Since I was sick a couple of years ago I lost my appetite and was living on food supplements without, unusually for me, reading the contents. they were 25% sugar, which explained my massive blood glucose levels. I still have my "feel like shit days", but they're getting fewer and fewer.

I think the answer to your question is "to feel better": mood affects VLs and CD4 levels, so not only do we end up feeling better, we also extend the chance of living a more normal life, and for some of us staying alive long enough for "the cure". I admit I'm a poor example in this respect as I've had two bad, probably irreversible drug reactions, but when I can eat normally (no-one is allowed to smoke in my house) I simply feel better...

[TigerMilner]

You have to remember that undetectable mean you ARE irradicating the virus. It means that your viral load is potentially zero, but less that 20 parts per ML. I quit smoking just over five years ago. There have been times when I have thought "fuck it". I'm poz now, what difference does it make. But smoking makes a big difference. I feel a lot better and i was negative when I quit. So keep working on that. Smoking does make any other recovery harder on your body.

[Poz1956]

I think there is a bigger answer. At diagnosis we come face to face with our own mortality. We all know we will eventually die, but it's far off, cloudy and grey. We get the news, and BAM, it appears much more in focus, and way closer, and more tangible than at any previous time in our lives.

Along with the beating ourselves up, we scrutinize every risk we took that led to our diagnosis. As we take stock of our lives so far, we also see the other bad habits we've developed along the way.

There is a hyper focus on every scratch, cut, bruise, bump, and every other feature of our bodies we've never paid attention to before. There's a lot more mirror time. You notice that the average North American two pound per year weight gain has kind of added up. You'll see the black circles from chronically getting to little sleep. That huff and puff as you climb a flight of stairs catches your attention too. We try not to be the average developed word guy, who is overweight, has high cholesterol, eats too much fast food, doesn't get enough sleep, and rarely gets any exercise. We pay more attention to our body, and listen to its complaints.

Somewhere in this grieving process of accepting our diagnosis (maybe it's the bargaining stage, or full self actualization) we say "I'm not going to let this thing beat me. In fact, I'm going to beat it!"

We vow to make changes in our lives. We try and live each day to the fullest. We work to get happier with that guy in the mirror. We know that we have to do stuff to get our of the waves of depression to occasionally flood us like an tsunami.

That daily pill is a moment where we stop for a few seconds and consider our health. It is a reminder to try and live a better lifestyle. If you weren't taking vitamins, and since the doctor recommended them, you start.

Then there's the doctors visits - probably more frequent than any time previously in your life. And the round of questions at the beginning of the appointment. They again create more body awareness. While you don't remember hearing them, with all the talk of viral loads, and CD4s and all the other tests, the doctor told you to eat a better diet, and get more exercise, if nothing else to release the stress.

For some, who have been able to share their new status with friends or family, there's an added outside source concerned for your health and welfare. You probably get tossed an article on some way to improve your immune system.

In other words, there's a pile of reasons. And heck, whichever ones are the cause, they are good for us. We have enough things our of our control, that just might kill us, so we try and take control of the ones we can.

[Jaymarcs]

Relieving the body of unnecessary poisons ( Alcohol and Cigarettes ) Means your system isn't under attack from every angle and can go to work on dealing with one at a time. Smoking and heavy use of alcohol aside, even a work place environment that exposes either your lungs or skin to toxic gases or chemicals won't help. Allowing the body actual rest during your sleep helps too -lowing stress-causing actions won't hurt either.

Personal experience

[bbzh]

Pozzing may be a rebirth of sorts. Realizing that you have a deadly virus coursing through your veins makes you reevaluate everything and focus on what really matters - including staying alive. You may feel that this is your one chance to cheat death. You start living in the moment and just not taking anything for granted. Then you think about how lucky you are that medicines will keep you alive, hopefully with no or few side effects. You appreciate most things when you feel they are slipping from your grasp, right? You just want to be a better, fitter, happier you. I can't even begin to explain just how much better my life is now. I experience countless moments of pure gratitude. I was simply living before I pozzed. Now I am alive.

[bearbandit]

When you achieve a zero viral load, it doesn't mean that you've eradicated the virus: it simply means that the lab was unable to find any viral particles in the sample they were sent. My last two VLs were actually 0, but HIV is still lurking in my body. It's especially fond of the lining of the gut which is why, before drugs, wasting syndrome was such a problem, because the cells of the gut couldn't get to the food. Now the problem is the reverse: many of the drugs affect blood lipids, leading to high cholesterol, high blood pressure and even diabetes 2, even if there's no history of it in your family. These three are the prime cause of heart attacks.

Smoking's good for causing high cholesterol and high blood pressure too. An old, old story was related to me by a friend (not on here) today: that smoking increases your CD4 count. The CD4 count varies from hour to hour even, but it is true that if you have a cigarette before entering the clinic and your blood is taken reasonably quickly, you will show a higher CD4 count than you would have done otherwise. At the cost of damaging your lungs. I'm told I have the 70% of the normal lung capacity of of my weight and build: years of smoking and too many cigars (the cigars especially bad as I couldn't help but inhale)...

[wood]

Since I was diagnosed poz two months ago, I have made some very conscious decisions to stay as healthy as possible. I know from what I've read from a lot of the guys on here that it's the right thing to do. I started eating much healthier, working out regularly, cut back on smoking (trying to quit). I've noticed already that I look healthier- I dropped 10 lbs in the past month and a half and I don't look/feel as tired as I used to.

What I am wondering is- why do we really take these steps to lead a healthier lifestyle? No matter what we do or how good of shape we are in, we aren't eradicating the virus. The best we can do is get undetectable on meds. So I'm just wondering, why do we really do it? I feel good that I am doing it, but in a sense I feel like I am almost just trying to compensate for the fact that I have HIV. Have any other guys felt like this?

Its pretty simple, and you got part of the answer already. Take HIV out of the picture, you feel better, are not as tired, and your probably like that. It feels good to be healthy! HIV was just your wakeup call to do it.

Also HIV is far from the only thing that can cause you issues. Leading an unhealthy lifestyle for a long time can have serious consequences. I have a acquaintance who is a commercial pilot. He was always really unhealthy, ate badly, smoked, drank a lot, etc. Well it caught up to him. At 36 he had a heart attack. Now he is a good 3 years away from even possibly being able to fly a commercial plane again. He medical certificate was revoked as soon as he had his heart attack, and it is damn tough to get back.

Lastly, you dont need the lecture I know, but quit smoking. It will make you lethargic, and not want to do basic exercise. There is zero benefit to it, and its expensive. I also makes you look like shit when you get older. Lastly, lots of people don't want to be around smokers.