If you have reasons to believe that you might be infected by the virus, then you must consult your doctor right away in order to get tested. If you are tested positive, then you would have to make a lot of changes to your daily routine and lifestyle, take medications, and possibly even undergo therapies.
The prospect of having HIV can be quite daunting, so to make sure that you would be able to maximize your consultation with your doctor and get as much important information out of it as possible, you need to prepare a list of the questions you need to ask.
To give you an idea and help you remember the important questions about HIV and AIDS that you need to ask, here’s a list that you could study or even print out and bring with you to the consultation.
General questions about HIV and AIDS
- What is HIV?
- How can a person get HIV?
- What are the ways to prevent contracting HIV?
- What is the difference or the relationship between HIV and AIDS?
- What are the signs and symptoms of HIV?
- What are the signs and symptoms of AIDS?
- What are the available tests for HIV and AIDS? Which test is the best for me and why?
- If I know for a fact that I have been exposed to someone with HIV, what do I need to do to prevent myself from contracting the virus?
- If I test negative for HIV, does it definitely mean I do not have the infection? Or do I need to get tested again after a certain period? How often should I get myself tested?
- Do I also need to undergo additional tests, such as liver or kidney function tests, or a urinalysis?
Questions to ask if you test positive for HIV
- How bad is my HIV/AIDS? How advanced is the infection? What are my chances?
- What is the present condition of my immune system? If it’s still healthy right now, what do I need to do to maintain it? How can I monitor my health?
- What treatments do you believe is best for me and why?
- Will the treatments you recommend eliminate my HIV/AIDS? If not, why?
- Can I still live a normal life with HIV/AIDS?
- How can I maintain my health?
- Please explain what PCR, viral load counts, and T-cell (CD4) counts are.
- What do you or do I need to do to monitor my viral load and T-cell (CD4) counts and how often should it be done?
- What are the effects and complications of HIV/AIDS in the long run?
If you want to learn more about the virus you can click on the links below.
HIV in women – 10 signs and symptoms
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