HIV:Reality

“I have been diagnosed for 15 years. It destroyed my routine and ended my career, but it also forced me to find new ways forward. The treatment takes its toll. There is no cure. HIV owns my mornings. No days off. 365 days a year. Once I’ve taken 14 pills and they take their effect, then my day begins. It can be as long as 5 hours every morning to deal with medication and side-effects. People say it’s on par with diabetes but its not.” Steve, 43

"HIV initially impacted my life in a big way as I didn't understand what was going on, or what was going to happen to me.  Over time though, I have come to understand that I just need to get on with my life as normal - just like everyone else. I am on treatment now, one-pill a day. It's a question of looking after myself and getting on with things." Andy, 41

"It was very difficult at the start, eventually you start taking medication for life.  I've had a lot of side-effects but I have been living on ARVs for 17 years." Anne, 50

“I was diagnosed with HIV seven months ago. It has made me more conscious about my health and made me realise what is important. It isn’t all doom and gloom, life carries on as normal. HIV is no longer a death sentence. It is hard, very hard but once you have been diagnosed it’s good to know that you are being looked after by the doctors. No matter what – life goes on, I don’t suffer with HIV, I live with it” Gary, 33

"I'm not happy that, as things stand, I'll have to take pills for the rest of my life. Sometimes when my alarm goes off I resent living that part of my life to its daily beeping. But then I think about the alternatives. I'm fortunate enough to live in a country where treatment is available, free of charge, to those who need it. I'm grateful to have a supportive doctor who I can talk to, and family, friends and partner who look after me and who don't make me feel different. And I'm thankful that I caught HIV when I did, rather than ten or fifteen years earlier." Mike, 37

Read more stories submitted by people living with HIV here.

Watch videos of people living with HIV sharing their experience here.

There is no cure for HIV but there is treatment. If started early and taken correctly people diagnosed with HIV today can expect a near normal life expectancy. People diagnosed soon after infection may not need to start treatment straight away. Treatment options have improved a lot over recent years - complex regimes with many side-effects are being replaced with just one or two pills once or twice a day. This means that someone who has been living with HIV for some time, and gone through many different treatment options, will have a different experience to someone who is diagnosed now.

Some people suffer side-effects including nausea, diarrhoea and prolonged headaches. In some cases treatment causes changes in body shape, depression and mental health issues. Other people find they are able to lead a very healthy life with HIV and may not suffer the same side-effects.

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