Wednesday, August 14, 2013

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF A BOIL (PIGSA)

A week ago I I got a boil (pigsa) in my left outer thigh, just right beside my left butt cheek. I never knew what to do because it has been years since i got one. 

I left it unattended for the first few days and  i self medicated with amoxill 500mg 2x a day, which later on my Doctor told me that it was a very weak dose.

Now, what should you do if ever the same thing happened to you?

First, consult your HIV treatment hub Doctor, so that he/she can give you further instructions

But if that's not possible for you at the moment. Let me tell you how to clean the wound yourself (as how I have seen my doctor did it).

1. make sure that when the boil is about 4 or 5 days old already and has popped, press a cloth soaked in warm water around the boil to help press the puss out.

2. make sure to get all the puss out, then soak a gauze in Hydrogen Peroxide and then insert the gauze in the hole and cover the entire thing with more Gauze. do this 2 to 3x a day

3. an ordinary antibiotic wont do, my doctor recommended Sultamicillin 2 a day for a week. But with this one, you really have to consult with your Doctor.


Saturday, August 10, 2013

To All Friends And Family Of Erwin

Note: This message is not intended to deface Erwin's memory. In fact, we should all pay respect for his courage.

My name is Gboy, I am a silent advocate for HIV awareness. I myself is HIV positive since March of 2013. Eversince then, I have dedicated my time in reaching out to gay men online and share them my story and eventually convince people to take the HIV test. I was basically his HIV counselor.

About 4 months ago, I met Erwin in a social media website for men, he told me that after reading my blog, he suspects himself to be HIV positive because of the condition his health is in. I convinced him to take the test but he refused because he does not know where to start, or where to get the courage. He was scared of people finding out... He was scared of being judged, and most of all, he was scared of finding out the truth.

When he finally took the test. he called me and told me that the result is HIV stage 4, which is well known as AIDS. I told him to relax and assured him that everything will be alright now that he took the first step in taking care of himself. We even chatted every now and then giving him tips on staying healthy.

I told him to go straight to RITM or the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Alabang for free cd4 testing, and free medication. I told him to go ASAP so that the doctors will know how much damage the virus has done to his body. He said that he will be going there as soon as he regains his strength.

I just got a text from his partner that he passed away last August 8, 2013. the news came as a shock to me because we were even calling each other a few weeks ago. I may not know him that much, but I am deeply saddened by this...

I hope that we consider his passing as a wake up call. do not be blinded, HIV is real and it is killing people. We should not treat them as an abomination but give them understanding, emotional and financial support. it is hard enough dealing with the battle to stay healthy everyday, let us not add up to their burden by judging them.

And I seriously recommend that we should all refrain from blurting out negative remarks on HIV for it only adds up to the stigma. And if somebody opened up to you about his/her condition, never change the way you treat them, that's exactly what people like me are most fearful of.

To Erwin, you will be missed sorely. I hope that you put in a good word for us up there. I can see that many people loves you unconditionally and I hope it remains that way regardless of how you left us. I pray that people will always remember you as jolly, helpful, talented  and larger than life.