Meluse's HIV test experience

By Meluse Kapatamoyo

For most people testing for HIV can be a scary experience and it was for me too but i did it anyway.Okay, maybe i did it to encourage a friend who needed to take the test, so i thought why not, besides its something i had been considering.



Meluse getting tested

I had read a lot about HIV, the many ways it's transmitted, the importance of knowing ones status, how to stay healthy when found positive etc. So the counseling bit was not that scary. What threw me off a little was being asked what i would do if my results came were positive. After thinking about it, i realised, one can never predict what their reaction would be if given such news, so my answer was an honest 'i don't know'.

Funny, before my blood was taken, i was so confident of getting a negative result, but immediately after the prick, the nerves did get the better of me. The question, 'What if' begun to ring in my head. I thought of the changes i would have to make to my diet (must admit i am not a healthy eater), who i would tell first and the type of medication i would need to take. In those few minutes, i even thought about all the people i know who are living positively, the likes of Clementine Mumba. Somehow and almost immediately my fears were eased, and by the time the results were revealed to me, i was calm.

Since then i have learned so much about HIV and AIDS and know that as a woman i made the best decision to get tested. I know my status and can better protect myself.PYM