dear jay - I am very upset as my mum is HIV and the school knows about this - i think i must have told someone because I was crying in school and they have spread it around. I am really afraid. what can I do. No one has said anything about it to my face but I feel like they are talking about me. I am 14
Please help
desperate
Answer: Dear Desperate
Please talk to us at Summit House about this - you must feel awful and its really hard to cope on your own. Sometimes people can't help telling someone else about their problems - they feel too big to carry alone and we share them with our friends. Your friend may not have told anyone - can you talk to them again and tell them how worried you are? If not, please talk to your mum, but if that's not possible then give us a call - we can help you through this difficult time - don't feel alone. Having HIV is difficult but it's also a condition that thousands of people live with everyday now - it's more commen than you might think. Come and talk to some of our Young People who have parents with HIV and see how they cope. Call us on 013824 234220, we can call you straight back.
Love Jay
Dear Jay
I have a problem as condoms make me sore - what can I do?Condoms uncomfortable
Nicholas
Answer: This is a more common problem than people think. A mistake is to use the condoms without a water based lubricant - most larger chemists now stock these types of lubricants which are specifically for use with condoms - NEVER use babyoil, vaseline or any other oil based lubricant as it will make microscopic holes in the condom and allow sperm, HIV or other Sexually Transmitted Infections through. Another reason for soreness is that condoms are made from latex may be an allergy to latex so switching to a polyurthene condom such as AVANTI can help. Let me know how you get on!
Jay
Dear Jay
I am HIV positive and would like to use your services, but I am worried about my privacy. How do I know that I can trust Summit House?
Marie
Answer: Dear Marie
Thank you for contacting us.
At Summit House, we work to a strict confidentiality policy. No information about anyone who uses our services is passed to any other person or agency without their written consent. All of our service users are allocated a number which is used instead of their name and we would never send you post, call you or even text you without your permission.
Please be assured that our service users privacy is very important to Summit House.
Jay
Dear Jay
Somebody told me yesterday that there is now a cure for HIV and AIDS?
Answer: Hi anon
Unfortunately there is not a cure for HIV or AIDS. Medical advances have meant that there is treatment for people who have HIV so that they can live as normal lives as possible but a cure is a long way off due to the complexities of the virus and the way it mutates. People who start treatment for HIV have a lifespan beyond that, that we can predict. Although there are often side affects to treatment, recent advances have made severe side affects more rare.
Yours, Jay
Dear Jay
Is it possible to get HIV from sharing knives and forks and glasses from my friend who has HIV himself?
Mike- Sandwell
Answer: Dear Mike
You cannot catch HIV this way. Outside of the body HIV is very weak and does not survive. The only ways to catch HIV are through sharing injection works or from unprotected (not using a condom) vaginal or anal sex. It is also possible for a pregnant woman to pass HIV onto her baby.
Jay
