Before/After HIV

I was a CNA pre-HIV and worked LTC for a few months before going into home care for 4 years. Before I became a CNA I worked in the infant section of a daycare center. It was no big deal to clean people up without wearing gloves. I learned to start IVs without gloves, so it's very difficult for me, even now, to wear them with IV starts and blood draws. I never had a problem caring for HIV/AIDS pts but my mother freaked out when she found out I had volunteered to take care of Ben Oyler, a young hemophiliac in our community who had a movie made about his life. I ended up not caring for him but I did have another end-stage AIDS pt, an adult, and I did not tell my parents about that one. I got close to him and cried for him and his partner when he died.

I wasn't a nurse, but I lost my best friend, his partner, my boyfriend's business partner, HIS partner, my best friend's brothers....

They all went pretty quickly. At that time, a diagnosis of what we were still calling HTLV was a death sentence. Period.

It was a scary time.

My friend's ex had HIV for 4 years I never told his partner-- pretty scary. My friend is HIV free, thank god, and his ex is still very healthy to this day..

I know quite a few people who have been 'positive' for 10+ years and live relatively normal lives. Science can be a wonderful thing

I still see LVN's/RN's alike not wearing gloves during IV starts and blood draws. I on the other hand am bad about not wearing gloves when doing accuchecks... :-x

I worked in the Immunology Clinic early 2000 as an aide, and I loved those patients more than any other. In fact, I would very much like to go back and work for them as a nurse. In the early days, when I was an aide in the 1980's I do remember the scare on the public. I remember a show Oprah Winfry had with a family diagnosed with AIDS and the child had gotten sick and admitted to the hospital. He stayed with her 24/7, because he had to advocate for his daughter who was openly shunned by the nurses. He said that they used to leave his baby soiled, crying and hungry, and when he spoke to them and their managers about it, he was openly ridiculed. This story got to me way back then, and I would still feel the same way, now.

Funny, I know many people afflicted with HIV, but they are all living. Maybe it was because of a strong will in addition to improved treatments, but, I have not experienced one patient dying from it. I so desire to go back to that clinic, because I was never judgemental about this illness, and somehow, I discovered that they were the most appreciative, realistic patients I ever encountered. It was an honor to work for them.

When I first started nursing in the early 80's we never wore gloves. In fact, we were told NOT to wear them unless absolutely necessary as they cost too much!

I still cannot start an IV with gloves on - if a student is watching, I tell them - you should wear gloves - don't follow my bad example!

I still see LVN's/RN's alike not wearing gloves during IV starts and blood draws. I on the other hand am bad about not wearing gloves when doing accuchecks... :-x

I see kind of a mixture. When I get an IV started the generally use one ungloved hand to feel for the vein and a gloved hand to stick me.