As councils across the country ratify budgets laden with cuts  to services and jobs. Swathes of pensioners, mums and dads students and youngsters started to interrupt the process, making sure that those in power ‘NOW’ knew, in no uncertain terms, the outrage of the general populous. It was a good sight to see.

But what are we doing in our own communities to help organisations that support People living with HIV? Are we doing enough? Are we just going too stand by as council’s steal cash earmarked for HIV/Aids support? Leaving many of the charities we have left, facing closure!

David Cameron vision of a BIG Society seems to centre on having an army volunteers busy in our communities ‘making a difference’! The idea that charitable organisations can provide this kind of ‘peer support’, in local areas without being properly financed to is both laughable and ludicrous.

The problem Mr Cameron has is that: his ‘deluded vision’ isn’t backed by the government’s policies. The Aids Support Grant that provided a vital funding stream for HIV charities, had its ring-fence removed last year and is now allocated via the your councils Formula Grant under HIV/AIDS Support.

If you want to find out how much your local authority is being allocated for HIV/Aids Support in 2011/12? Go to this link on NAT’s website (change the zoom percentage to 100%)

http://www.nat.org.uk/Media%20library/Files/Policy/2010/2011%20-%2012%20Settlement%20Grants%20rolling%20into%20formula%20grant-1.pdf

Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has asked local authorities to continue to support the voluntary sector, but this may be falling on death ears. And when you see large organisations like Citizens Advice Bureau planning to close operations across the country, you begin to understand the scale of the problem.

When you give cash strapped councils greater powers it becomes the people’s role to scrutinise. There is plenty of money being allocated, but how much of it actually trickles down to the services that we need and use? Lots of that money gets allocated to other local government support services like Social Work Teams! But when was the last time you got support form a Social Worker? It’s virtually impossible service to tap into in London now.

The point I am trying to make is: all HIV organisations large and small are probably going to face funding cuts. But it will be the small charities most dependant on the money that are most under threat. These organisations may find themselves last in the queue when it comes to divvying up the cash.

More than ever, I believe we need to support HIV charities and organisations that deliver essential services like: counselling, peer support, respite care, group work and support for carers.

We can bring about change by challenging MP’s, local councillors and community leaders. The government has already made a few u-turns. They’ve been won by groups and charities that have tirelessly campaigned against government reforms.

In the Welfare Reform Bill that was announced two weeks ago there was plenty of bad news. But there were some u-turns.

• The Lib-Con coalition ditched plans to reduce housing benefit by 10% if they were still out of work after one year.

• There was a u-turn on scraping the mobility element of DLA for people living in care homes.

On HIV social care I recently heard this story.

• The Brigstowe Project in Bristol recently fought off funding cuts by Bristol City Council after they proposed to cut – in full- their Supporting People grant, a decision that would have closed the charity. But with a strong campaign led by the centres manager and its many HIV-positive service users, the decision was overturned.

So if your thinking how can I really make a difference? Think again, you can.

Why not check in with your local charity to find out if they are being targeted with cuts. If they are, ask how you can best help.

Check out NAT’s HIV Activists Network it is packed with resources that can help you campaign for change on HIV Social Care and lots of other issues that affect people living with HIV. http://www.nat.org.uk/Living-with-HIV/HIV-activists.aspx

I hope I have got you all thinking about Activism.

PS if you are experiencing HIV-related symptoms that vary and change over time you may want to check out this survey by NAT. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G89L86D

A NEW survey launched by NAT (National AIDS Trust) has found that large numbers of the British public are confused about HIV transmission and that misconceptions about the HIV still exist.

But encouragingly 70% understand that someone becoming infected with HIV in the UK is unlikely to die within three years and 74% say that people with HIV deserve the same level of support and respect as people with cancer.

’HIV: Public Knowledge and Attitudes 2010’, is number four in a series of surveys undertaken by NAT and conducted by Ipsos MORI.

The survey looks at public attitudes to HIV, assesses support for people living with HIV, levels of stigma and discriminations and general understanding of the virus and the transmission routes.

Deborah Jack, CEO of NAT, said: “As the number of people with HIV in the UK approaches 100,000, it is crucial for everyone to understand the facts around how HIV is passed on so they can protect themselves and others.

“Whilst HIV disproportionately affects gay men and Africans, the number of people with HIV who are not in these groups is steadily rising, and unfortunately there does still remain a serious amount of confusion around HIV transmission.  Many people are unaware of the basics such as using a condom to protect themselves, whilst myths such as transmission from kissing and spitting are still perpetuated.

“It is certainly positive to see the majority of the public have supportive attitudes towards people with HIV, but there are still huge gaps in awareness of what it means to live with HIV in the UK today.

“For example, the fact that an HIV positive mother can have a healthy baby and being HIV positive can still mean a near normal lifespan.

“Whilst HIV treatment has advanced rapidly in the last ten years, knowledge and attitudes have sadly not kept pace – resulting in stigma and discrimination.  Successfully addressing HIV stigma is vital, not just so people living with HIV are treated fairly, but also so everyone feels confident to test for HIV and talk about HIV related risk.0

“The survey indicates there is a link between knowledge and attitude.  Those who understand the facts about HIV transmission are more likely to have a supportive attitude than those who are confused or hold false beliefs.  Stigma and discrimination is often borne out of fear of infection – based on misconception around transmission- they can also arise from broader perceptions and judgements about people who have HIV.”

• One in five adults do not realise HIV is transmitted through sex without a condom between a man and a woman
• Only three in ten adults (30%) can correctly identify, from a list of possible routes, all of the ways HIV is and is not transmitted
• An increasing proportion of adults incorrectly believe HIV can be transmitted by impossible routes such as kissing and spitting
• Nearly a fifth of adults (19%) believe if a family member was HIV positive it would damage their relationship with them
• More than two thirds of British adults (68%) agree more needs to be done to tackle prejudice against people living with HIV in the UK

You can  find out more about the findings of ‘HIV: Public Knowledge and Attitudes 2010’ or to download the report click here

A REPORT  published in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis says 13,000 people who are living with HIV in the UK may also have Hepatitis C but not realise it.

This represents nearly 70% of the total estimate of people with HIV and Hep C in the UK.

The report is based on a study by the UK Collaborative HIV Cohort, which indicates that gay men still remain a high risk group, second only to injecting drug users.

The study looked at 31,765 patients at ten specialist HIV clinics between 1996 and 2007. 36% had never been tested for Hep C, despite guidelines from BHIVA (British HIV Association) recommending screening for all HIV-positive patients.

Matthew Hodson, Head of Programmes at GMFA, said: “It’s a major concern that HIV-positive men aren’t being screened regularly for Hepatitis C. The virus often shows no symptoms and most people who get infected will not be able to get rid of it without treatment. We urge men with HIV to ask about Hepatitis C at their clinics and ensure they get tested. By getting diagnosed early, you can start treatment and stand the best chance of overcoming the virus.”

Seven per cent of HIV-positive gay men are known to have Hep C.

A blogger on Outspoken on Health GMFA’s blog site said: “I acquired HIV in 2001 and I am currently undergoing treatment for Hepatitis C for the SECOND time!” writes the anonymous blogger. “I have stopped having unprotected sex because I simply can’t stand the trauma of all the STIs and health issues that go with it any more… people have no idea how [unprotected sex] can affect your mental health. And Hepatitis C is the new HIV. It’s out there and the treatment is hard going.”

To read the full article, visit: http://www.onmedica.com/NewsArticle.aspx?id=73925b3a-b3ea-452e-9a37-4064ea870e20

ENDS

I am taking three types of drugs at the moment in two pill formats, one is Sustiva which is my Efavirenz and the other is Truvada which is a combination of both Emtricitabine and Tenofovir. They are not bad sized pills and quite easy to swallow so taking them is not a problem.

Well, I stopped eating around 9pm last night just in case the tablets made me sick.  There is nothing worse than bringing up your entire stomach content as it leaves you feeling worse than ever, so I am erring on the side of caution tonight.

It was just over and hour ago from taking them along with my regular pills that I started to notice a slight tripped-out feeling, as though I were coming up on them; that pleasant feeling you get on a good night out with a little drug-induced help!  So, at that stage I thought it best to try and get some sleep just in case that trippy feeling turned into a drunken room spin state, you know that feeling when you go to bed and you have to sleep with one foot on the floor to stop the room from spinning?

Now this is where it all changed!  By this time all of the lights were out in the flat, but we all know our way around our environments in the dark and even when a little inebriated.  Last night I felt extremely disorientated: I knew where I was in the flat but had to aid myself with the walls and furniture to get in to the bedroom and finally into bed.  When I got to the foot of the bed, I had to let go of the wardrobe to turn around and get on to the bed, That was my most frightening stage because I fell on to the bed, feeling as though I had missed my footing.

It was my partner that taught me to always embrace these feelings in order to turn what normally would be a problem into something positive.  Problems that invoke panic can make the problem worse, but positive experiences you can learn by!

I finally got into bed with the covers over me and it did not feel like I was in bed at all. At one stage, I had to reach out to feel for the wall to make sure that I was not only in bed but in the position that I regularly lay in (that was a comfort and safety thing).  I inclined the head of the bed as I normally do but this time a little higher, not quite sitting up but more ‘propped up’, so that I was not laid out flat.

I was half awake for most of the night and this was a new experience for me. I am able to remember vividly most of the night and it was not all bad.  I can only describe the nights events in patches as at stages I must have really drifted off in to something quite deep yet very relaxing; I wish I had been in that place all night.

It is going to sound really strange for anyone who has never been in that slightly high state and probably will not understand.  It was as though I had been picked up by something and placed in a large open field or a tunnel of air, all around me was empty, yet I felt extremely cushioned and protected.  I know I was suspended because at one point, I reached out to touch the wall and could not feel anything.

As I acclimatised to the feeling of being suspended, I slowly moved down this imaginary shaft of air and then I must have put up some kind of resistance against the feeling because I suddenly felt as though I was being pushed on to my left side. I realised that I was not being pushed but instead that I was turning around a corner. It did not take long to get used to this feeling and I embraced it.  All of a sudden I stopped feeling anything, which must have been the time when I finally fell in to a deep sleep.

I experienced this a few times in the night and that must have been because at several times I awoke to use the bathroom.

This morning when I woke, I felt that I had been spark-out all night but thankfully without those dancing aches and pains.  Let’s hope that the next few weeks are going to be the same and, in all honestly, if those side effects do not go away, then I am happy to keep them, with the hope and challenge to be able to take better control of them.

If anyone is going through this kind of starting point, whether it be a new drug regime or additions to an existing one, then I can only suggest: embrace the feeling, do not be frightened by it and use it to your advantage… enjoy it!