I am pretty upset with my first module. I worked on the assignment for a total of nine hours and I had to keep saving it to my email so I could open it at work, home, and my boyfriends house. I had twelve of the questions answered before I went over to my boyfriends house to finish it. The six questions that I did at his house completely disappeared when I posted it for my grade. I kept pushing save after every question that I answered, but for some reason it did not save to his computer. So after all that hard work that I put into the assignment I ended up with a 45% because I did not realize the questions did not save until it was graded :(. I learned a very important lesson.... always open your assignment when you are posting your grade to make sure everything is the way you want it.
HIV Test
Last week I got tested for HIV. It was a little nerve racking because I hate needles, and I have not had my blood checked since the end of 2008. The doctor found it a little strange that this was for a class at UCF and I had the feeling she thought I was lying. They called me today to let me know that everything looks great! Even though I was sure that nothing would come up on the test, I still found myself waiting anxiously for them to call me. I spoke to my friends the day I had the test done, and they had told me that they have never been tested before!! It opened up a good conversation about how important it is for women to have their yearly and blood checked at least once a year. They have all been sexually active before, and never felt comfortable going to get tested. So today I took them both to Planned Parenthood!! I plan on doing that for my sister too because she is 17 years old, and has been with her boyfriend for two years. I do not ask questions about what she is doing, but I am still going to make sure that she knows how important it is to go to the doctor.
Did You Know?!
Did you know that only about 2% of needle stick injuries a year involve a needle that contains blood with HIV?
"The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that of the some 800,000 injuries each year, only about 2 percent (approximately 16,000) involve needles that are likely to be contaminated with HIV. Of those 2 percent of needlestick injuries where HIV-infected blood is known to be present, the chance of HIV transmission is estimated to be between 0.3 and 0.45 percent. The risk of transmission may be increased, however, if the needle is visibly bloody, if the procedure involved placing the needle in one of the patient's veins or arteries, or if there was a deep injury. Obviously, since 98 percent of needle-stick injuries do not involve HIV-infected blood, your chance of getting HIV from a random needle stick is significantly lower than the above figures" ("HIV from a Needle Stick," 2001) .
Hiv from a needle stick?. (2001, April 20). Retrieved from http://www.goaskalice.com/1887.html
They called you to tell you, your test results? How did they know it was you they were speaking with? You did this at your doctor's office? Is the fact that you were tested in your medical records?
ReplyDeleteSorry about all your hard work on Mod 1. I'll bet you never drop another paper without checking it first.
What's with all the red hieroglyphics?
Needle sticks with large bore needles are always more dangerouse than sticks with smaller bore needles. Nice post.
Hey Courney,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that this opened up the dialogue between you and your friends about HIV testing. I'm not sure what age group you're in, but if it's in the 20's, I'd be pretty scared if I hadn't had my first HIV test yet. Unless I was a virgin, that is. :-)
Teach, that was the first thing I thought of as well, why in the world would they call her back for the results? Whenever we tested in private practice or at HUG-Me, we always told the person to come back for the results, in person. Courtney, if you went back to this office to get tested and they phoned you to say that the results were in but you needed to come in for them, I'll bet that you would have a nervous breakdown knowing you received your results over the phone the first time. This is a major reason why results are not given by phone, along with of course confidentiality.
Cindy
I felt the same way when I went to get my test earlier this week. My friend had a similar experience with the clinic calling her to tell her the news. I kind of wish I could get a phone call just to ease my nerves, but I chose to do an anonymous test.
ReplyDeleteI am not afraid of needles at all but I can understand your discomfort because my dad is terrified. I also agree with Cindy about you talking to your loved ones about testing. I think it is great the way you are handling your relationship with your sister. I'm sure she will feel that you are serious and so is the situation, but she won't feel uncomfortable talking to her big sister about sex and STDs.
Hey Courtney,
ReplyDeleteI am going to get testing done tomorrow at Planned Parenthood! I am nervous too! I don't think I have anything to worry about but it is still really nerve-wracking. I have been tested for every other STD except HIV, which is wierd when I think about it now. You would think HIV would be a top test on my list. I called around to different free clinics in my area and some of them were doing tests out of motel rooms in not so great areas. I think its great that they are offering free testing in certain population areas, but being in a motel room kind of freaks me out!
Nice blog :) I look forward to hearing more from you.