How Has AIDS Touched You?

[Pierrette]

I am certain that many here at allnurses have been affected by AIDS.

It may seem a silly thing to some, but I remember I cried when I heard that Freddie Mercury had died. I had left England by the time of his death, but I did see Queen at Wembley and I will never forget the majestic performance. And even though I never knew him personally, his death from AIDS touched me in a profound way.

How has AIDS affected your life?

[RNperdiem, RN]

AIDS has not touched me in a profound way.

I see lots of tragedy at work; AIDS is only one of many illnesses- no less tragic than cancer, Altzheimer's, or traumatic brain injuries.

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

AIDS has touched me in many ways. I'm a psych nurse. I've seen several lovely people become ill and over the course of a few years, die. Some were lovely young men, some were older, and I can remember one elderly lady.

As part of one job I had, I floated a med/surg hospital visiting with people who needed someone to talk to. In that job I spent time, over several months, with 3 African, twentysomething, young women. All of them, separately, had come to America and my city either to attend school themselves, or to be with their husbands, who were attending the major university nearby. After arriving, each of these women was diagnosed with AIDS. Each of them died. They never left the hospital after arriving. One was pregnant. Bit by bit each of them got sicker and sicker. Each of them impressed me with their grace and courage. I'll never forget them...

[kanzi monkey]

I have a friend who is positive. He learned this a few years ago when I was first starting nursing school. I have to remind myself that he is my friend and not my patient; he has to remind himself that I am his friend and not his nurse. It gets complicated sometimes, especially when he or his roommate (also a good friend) tell me things that worry/scare the *&$% out of me (for example, a new positive PPD after just starting HAART). I listen when he tells me things--his labs, counts, etc, but I don't ask. I ask how he's doing, like I always have. When he gives me info on his health status, my only curious indulgence is to ask about his providers--I could not sit at a distance without knowing that he is receiving good care. If he wasn't, I honestly don't know what I'd do, but I think I'd cross a line that a professional should not cross.

May I ask what made you ask this question this morning? No worries if you don't want to answer that.

-Kan

[athena55, BSN, RN]

I lost a lover to AIDS

[HappyBunnyNurse]

It really amazes me the misconceptions and phobia NURSES have about HIV/AIDS patients even today. When I worked oncology I once had a delirous AIDS pt who kept getting out of bed and pulling his IV out. I went in his room to once to find he had broken his IV tubing and had a huge pool of blood on the floor. I'll admit I felt a little chill especially since I had gotten a huge paper cut from a chart earlier in the night. But I just double gloved and did what had to be done. Took me forever to clean him up. His wife was a great help; she was HIV pos too. Nice lady; sad story. But it really flames me that the same people who breeze right by the isolation cart if the pt has MRSA, c diff, or VRE will double glove to take an HIV pt's pulse! If you aren't coming in contact with body fluids I think the pt needs to feel some human kindness and touch. Thankfully I haven't been touched personally by AIDS but I am proud to say I have actually touched AIDS patients.