Healthy Living with HIV

As mentioned before, it is important to go for regular blood tests at your clinic if you are living with HIV. This will allow you to keep track of what effect HIV is having on your body, and let you take control of your life. Most clinics like to see you every three months.  You may want to make these opportunities to get check ups on your overall sexual health.

Sexual health is important. Becoming re-infected with a more virulent or even drug resistant strain of HIV could present real problems for your health. This is why safer sex is still important for people living with HIV. Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases can cause problems for positive men. For gay men living with HIV and AIDS, the symptoms of STIs can be more severe and the infection much harder to get rid of. Getting a STD can also weaken your immune system and increase the likelihood of you developing HIV related infections. It can also affect HIV Viral Load in semen, increasing your level of infectiousness. Finally, some HIV related infections can be spread through certain sexual acts like rimming and watersports.

So it's important to discuss your sexual health with your consultant or health advisor. And of course, if you have a boyfriend, both of you talking to him about each other’s sexual health could be a good idea too.

Medical treatments and therapies are one way to look after your health. Many people living with HIV regard having a healthy lifestyle as an excellent way of maximising their immunity. Many HIV related illnesses can cause weight loss, due to loss of body fat and of muscles. Eating a good diet and taking exercise which builds up muscles can help you cope better with illnesses and can help speed your recovery. ARVs can also affect your diet, and the way you feel about yourself. If you are experiencing difficulties with your diet or with weight loss it would be a good idea to arrange to see a dietician/ counsellor through your clinic, HIV services provider, or self-help group. Some people find that alternative therapies such as aromatherapy or reflexology can be very useful too. Many local HIV groups provide some of these services themselves.

Although alcohol and many drugs can affect the immune system, they won't do lasting or significant damage to the immune system if used moderately.

There is some evidence that smoking can increase the likelihood of developing some infections, mostly of the chest or throat, but there again we know that smoking isn’t good for us full stop! Yes, testing positive can be traumatic, however many men cope far better than they expected they would after getting a positive result, and most gay and bisexual men living with HIV continue to have a full and enjoyable social, sexual and romantic life.

New drugs have radically improved the quality of life for men living with HIV. There is also a lot of support out there for people living with HIV; others in the same situation and other people on your side. For details of local agencies that may be able to help see our guide section.