Drip, Drip

I had originally planned to post this sooner but the whole MH scandal pushed it back.  Tsk, tsk.  This post is not to be considered medical advice but more as basic info.  I hope you’ll take the time read it all the way thru. 

Many of you read about my unfortunate trip to the free clinic.  I also had the glorious task of notifying my play buddies of exposure.  Well, they were more than grateful.  And let’s face it, I get around. I know color you shocked right? lol  That said, I take my sexual health

I still get surprised by the number of gay men who do not know about STD’s and HIV. ^[1]For the record, HIV is an STD but for the purpose of this post I will discuss it as a solo item.  While I’ve beat this horse before I feel it bears repeating after getting a slew of questions via email and twitter.

I hate to sound like I’m scolding but I am.  As sexually active men, you should at least know the basics.  With the ability to play around comes responsibility.  Besides, hiding behind fear and ignorance is so 80’s.  Take it upon yourself to get educated.  It is your responsibility.  Besides the plethora of free info available on the web, you can also get printed documentation thru your doctor or neighborhood City clinic.  Unless you are in a closed monogamous relationship this applies to you. 

If you have sex (with another person) more than once a month you should probably get screened for STD’s once every 3-4 months.  Not everyone will develop symptoms of having an STD so it is very easy to spread without regular checkups.  STD’s, if left unchecked, can cause serious health problems later on in life.

Gonorrhea/Chlamydia/Syphilis are much easier to catch than HIV.  They are also easily treatable in most instances with prescription antibiotics.  No you can’t use the same antibiotic to treat all three.  Most Cities offer some sort of free or low cost alterative for STD/HIV testing so there no excuse other than irresponsibility not to.  Most clinics also offer programs for anonymously notifying your sexual partners of exposure as well.  This means you don’t have to necessarily be the bearer of bad news. ^[2]I kind of see that as a cop-out but as long as they get notified, who cares. 

As for HIV, things are different.  HIV is much harder to catch but there is also no cure.  And while the number of HIV related deaths has decreased with the advent of better meds, people are still dying. Fortunately, HIV is a rather fragile bug.  Unless you are using injectable drugs (read dirty needles) the primary infection route for gay men is unprotected anal sex. 

And this line, "well he said he was negative" is a bunch of bullshit.  NO ONE is responsible for your health but you. ^[3]Don’t get me wrong, people should be held accountable for their behavior however, that doesn’t do you any good health-wise if you sero-convert.  And frankly, you should get away from worrying about other people’s honesty and focus more on finding a sexual pattern that works for you.  Regardless of whether a person is poz or neg, stick to the same practices.  This avoids the temptation to engage in high risk behavior in situations where you don’t know or think you know a person’s status.  If you stick to the same behaviors you also tend to worry less. 

It really is simple folks, if you are sexually active get tested on a routine basis.  Pleading poverty or ignorance is not an excuse.  Know the facts about transmission and protection and act accordingly. 

/rant