My HIV Testing Experience

I wanna make this post to feel as close to home as possible, so I'll just use 'tagalog' for the general public or 'masa' would better understand.

October 20, 2015. Tuesday.

Ito talaga yung second time na magpapatest ako for HIV. Hindi ko alam kung na post ko na noon or na mention sa mga posts ko before pero I really had my first HIV Test at Davao Doctor's Hospital. Grabe yung charge doon as compared sa SPMC (Southern Philippines Medical Center) which offers free HIV testing.

Para sa mga baguhan palang sa mundo ng HIV Testing, may dalawang types po yan. First is yung ELISA Test at yung pangalawa ay Western Blot Test. Sabi nila, if mag positive daw yung result mo sa ELISA Test then that's the time na they will conduct another test, which is the Western Blot, to confirm kung accurate talaga yung positive result na lumabas. But if the ELISA Test shows a negative result, then it is safe to say that you are truly negative of the HIV Virus.

BTW, yung terminology pala ng result is REACTIVE(Positive) and NON-REACTIVE(Negative). You should always remember that when you go for a regular testing if you're frequently into sex. Especially for M2M's or people that doesn't practice safe sex (e.g. wearing of condom).

Back to the story. Sumakay ako ng Jeep from Ateneo to DMC/SPMC. Nagbayad ng 8 pesos at bumaba sa SSS. Magkatabi lang kasi yung SSS at yung DMC/SPMC so I decided to walk. Baka kasi hindi na ako makatawid kung doon talaga ako sa crossing bumaba. Naglakad ako despite the heat of the sun. Doon na ako lumiko sa isang entrance nila malapit sa 7 eleven na store, tapos sa maniwala kayo't sa hindi, inikot ko yung buong compound para makita ko talaga kung nasaan yung SPMC na building. To help you save time, dito dapat kayo pumasok na building:

So yun. Basang-basa ako sa aking pawis na naglakad papasok sa building. Nakikita niyo ba yung orange na taxi sa picture? Jan kayo banda pumunta kasi nanjan yung entrance papunta sa HACT (HIV - AIDS Core Team) Clinic.

Pagpasok ko, timing may guard na humarang sa akin. Sabi niya, hindi daw visiting hours ng mga patients nung time na yun. Sabi ko naman, may pupuntahan akong clinic. As in hindi niya talaga ako pinapasok. If ever na mangyari din na hindi nya kayo papasukin (if you have plans), you should just say na sa HACT kayo pupunta. Pag maririnig nila yung HACT na word, alam na nila kung saan at ano ang pakay mo sa hospital na yun. But don't be alarmed, alam naman nila ang protocol regarding privacy etc2.

Pagpasok ko sa hospital, dumaan ako sa staircase nila (as in yung unang staircase na makikita niyo pagpasok niyo). After that, may nakita akong isang napakahaba na corridor. So yun naglakad ako at nakita ko na nga yung HACT Clinic. The only problem going inside this clinic is that you'll be seen by lots of employees in the medical profession. May kaharap kasi siyang counter na full of nurses etc2. So advisable talaga na magsuot ka ng face mask, at shades if possible para di ka talaga makilala. Mas worst especially sa mga tao na well known on social networking sites or on social media..

Nung nakapsok na ako sa loob, I saw lots of people. Men. Ranging from teens to their mid-years. Yung iba nakasuot ng facemask, yung iba naman wala. May nakita nga rin akong bata na mahahalata mo talagang gwapo. Maputi, tsaka yung mata eh parang may lahi na kastila. lol.. Naka facemask sya so hanggang imagination nalang ako sa over-all look niya.

Yung mga staff/crew ng clinic na yun was so accomodating. Grabe. I felt like I was part of the family back there. Sobrang happy lang sila.. Happy lang walang ending. Before you take the test, may mag iinterview muna sayo tapos may i fill-upan ka na form. Tatanungin ka regarding your sexual history, kung may mga sakit ka na din ba na na encounter before (e.g. gonorrhea "tulo"). Kailangan HONEST to goodness ka talaga sa mga answers mo during this stage. They're really not judgemental. Very accomodating sila. :)

After consultation, may ibibigay sila na form tapos papupuntahin ka sa laboratory (which is ISO certified pa). Tapos dun na nila i co-conduct yung blood sampling. Just be careful din pala kasi nung pumunta na ako sa lab, may nakakilala sa akin na isang med tech student. He was having his OJT there. Sh*t! I panicked and went outside. Tapos may humabol sa akin na isang medtech (senior ata nila), and sabi nya hindi daw ako mag-alala kasi siya lang daw ang nakakita nung sheet na dinala ko (it was a checklist type of form na binigay sakin from HACT clinic, na naka check yung "for ELISA testing" something). He continued by saying na maghintay lang daw ako ng 4:00 kasi lalabas at mag o-out din yung nakakilala sa akin na medtech OJT.

So yun, naghintay ako, then after 4:00pm I went back. I was happy kasi he "The medtech guy" already realized what was happening. I felt touched kasi hinabol niya pa talaga ako sa labas. It shows that he is concerned about my status. Kumuha nga sya ng blood sa akin without wearing any gloves, proving that he is not like the others na grabe maka discriminate sa mga PLU (People Like Us), to the  point na pati pag hawak ng kamay ng isang HIV positive na tao eh hindi pa magawa.

Pagkatapos niyang kunin yung blood sample ko, sinabihan niya ako na may dalawang outcomes lang daw yung result. Either positive (reactive), or negative (non-reactive). Malalaman ko raw kung negative ako kung yung result eh lalabas ng after 2 days.. Then kung positive, it would take 5 days pa daw kasi mag coconduct pa sila ng isang test to make sure na hindi sila nagkamali sa initial result.


October 23

So, after 2 days of waiting, they texted me na kailangan ko raw pumunta sa hospital kasi may result na dumating. by that time I already knew that I was HIV negative. And it made that day one of the happiest days of my life (again).

So there you go. Rough guide lang yung description ko on 'knowing your status'. If you already had sex, I urge you to take the test too. Kasi it's better talaga kung alam natin yung status natin ASAP para maagapan so that it wouldn't lead to AIDS (if ever we're positive).

Kaya ikaw jan, yes ikaw, na nakaupo/nakahiga with your laptop/desktop/anroid phone/iphone mo. Always remind yourself that there's still someone who cares, but no one really cares for you better than yourself. Urge yourself to get tested, because that's a sign that you truly LOVE YOURSELF. Sabi pa nila, how can you love someone if you don't love yourself? :))

Kung may mga tanong kayo regarding sa HIV Testing sa Davao, please don't hesitate to contact me through my e-mail: davaokiddo@gmail.com