HIV/AIDS 'Worried Well syndrom': Mostly of Indian men

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Dear Forum,

'Worried Well syndrome'

This syndrome can grip into anyone who became scared of becoming infected with

hiv due to some action of their own. Even healthcare workers are sometimes

plagued by this syndrome. This can cause severe monetary loss and affect the

mental health of the sufferer and family.

Other people get into this syndrome after doing a risky or brothel sex. Majority

people experiencing this problem are those who once or few times visited a

prostitute. Most of the people visiting brothels or prostitutes are married

people and most of them are in the age group of 30 to 45. They ponder an idea

of having some extra sex for a long time, but stay monogamous and were good

husbands. Due to some circumstances like - On a tour to another city or country,

wife is away for a vacation, attending a loose party with alcohol etc.

They engage in a risky behavior sans their hiv/std knowledge. At that time they

may be under the influence of alcohol and having an elevated mood. Their hiv/std

knowledge at that time will be too little. Having done that stupid act, they

start surfing web for hiv/std information.

Imagine his shock when he finds that, he need to wait for 3 months for a clean

HIV chit. He was thinking, it is like another VDRL test and can be done in the

same week to get cleared of the scare. Then some websites write exaggerated

stories about HIV and transmission and also lot about other STD's. Especially

Hepatitis B, C, Herpes etc.. and he reads all this without sleep, food or rest.

He is already more than a PhD in HIV and STDs by this time. How HIV riginated?

What are all the genotypes? How is the HIV replication? What is HIV RNA, DNA?

Why CD4 counts are important? What are the HIV conspiracy theories? You ask

anything, all the answers are ready. Some people becomes a pseudo HIV activist

too.

He might have been using a condom or not, his roller coaster ride of hiv scare

already begun. Sometimes condom slipped during withdrawal, condom broke, found

blood on condom, even if condom intact (but who knows there was some small

tear), he did oral on her, she did oral on him, sucked her nipples, did open

mouth kissing (bleeding gums), you name it, there are one hundred reasons for

him to worry. He recounts the events again and again after he went with that

prostitute. He also starts self diagnosing for hiv ARS (acute retroviral

syndrome) and finds usually acne (for him it is hiv rashes), night fever (due

to anxiety), peripheral neuropathy (numbness and pain in legs and hands -

either withdrawal  symptom of some medicine or just a feeling), diarrhea (food

problem), swollen lymph nodes (just a feeling or due to frequently checking

whether it is swollen) and things which may be associated with other infections.

If someone is still a bachelor, this prostitute-adventure will happen when he

is just engaged or the marriage is fixed.

For married people, this will happen when they are just planning to have their

first baby. See the misery. For a few months the ISP, Labs, Psychiatrists, MD

doctors in the city are going to make a nice money. He visits numerous websites

for HIV information. Each one gives different versions of the stories of

transmission of HIV. He is the sufferer and within weeks he goes for a ELISA and

STD panel and all the results are all negative.

By the time his wife returns or he returns home. The family notices that he is

abstaining from sex and taking some extra precautions at home. If he used to

drink alcohol occasionally, he drinks now lot more. They wonder why?. The wife

starts exerting pressure on him to reveal what really happened to him. He breaks

down and tells his wife the whole story.

One of the biggest foolishness, much bigger than he had sex with a prostitute.

Depending on the nature of wife, she tells the story to her family or keeps it

as secret, but surely she is not going to believe her husband anymore in sex.

The whole family relationships are maligned and if he has children, they too

suffers. He also looses his inhibition of telling others and tells this story

to some of his friends (another foolishness) hoping to get support from them.

These friends instead of treating him as a victim, keep a distance from him, as

they believed that he is a friend with good morale, but he is not. Friends

spread the news in the town and now he becomes an isolated guy. Poor chap. All

because of one foolish act of sexual adventure.

Those who are rich enough goes for a PCR test. No viral load. Still he could not

convince himself. He makes one hundred calls to CDC hotline if he is in US. CDC

guys gets irritated and he gets scolded for his impatience. He keeps on changing

MD doctors for not sympathizing with him.

If he is working Arab countries he flies backs to his home country for a HIV

ELISA test. The guy used to save every penny by eating two square meals a day or

not smoking, can be spending money like a sultan . He also makes overseas calls

to HIV/AIDS hotlines umpteen times. But no solace.

He looses his sleep and having insomnia. The testing for HIV goes on and on and

all the results are negative. The Lab girl can recognize him from 200 meters far

and she pleads him not to come until 3 months are passed. But no avail. Every 15

days he is there. Who knows when the antibodies will suddenly pop up. He may

loose interest in his normal activities and can get depression. Or he may become

alcoholic. A full blown worried well. At worse he may attempt suicide. He may

loose his job. His brain is really screwed up and there is no solution in sight.

He may not recover even after 3 month negative ELISA since the feeling of guilt

and loss of self esteem is deep rooted in his mind. Psychiatry does not offer

much help and only can prescribe benzodiazepine drugs to control his anxiety.

Depression or Bi-Polar drugs takes enough time to act or the psychiatrist

himself need ample time to experiment with drugs to make this person stable.

Worst of all, he may relapse into prostitutes again, the very cause of his

distress. Prostitutes - Testing becomes a compulsive behavior. The very fact is,

some prostitutes are very service minded and can be

addictive as you get much better treatment from them compared to your wife. 

But time cures every thing. After about 6 months continuous ELISA test and

psychiatry help the person can become normal again. Counseling can reinstall

the persons lost self esteem, self confidence in a due course of time. He can be

normal again. May be a sum of money is lost or a job is lost he can start

everything from scratch. Those who are religious, can pray regularly and gets

god's help to get out of their agony.

Manoj

Single-handed crusade against AIDS

Copyright 2003©2004 Manoj at http://manoj.bizhosting.com/

E-mail:<nishasundari@...>