Living with HIV can be challenging but you don’t have to deal with it alone. You can get support from your doctor or healthcare worker and many places offer peer support groups where people living with HIV share experiences and support each other.
Friends and family may be able to support you too. Some people openly share their diagnosis with family and friends while others prefer to tell just one or two people they trust. Both are fine – it’s totally up to you.
The important thing to remember is that taking treatment means you can live a long and healthy life like anyone else. Alongside treatment, there are lots of things you can do to keep yourself healthy and happy, and improve your overall wellbeing.
If you’re living with HIV then taking treatment is really important for your health as it reduces the amount of HIV in your body and helps boost your immune system.
To ensure that your treatment works properly you need to stay engaged with a healthcare professional so that they can monitor your progress, manage any side effects and change your treatment if necessary.
Treatment options are constantly improving. You no longer have to take lots of pills and the side effects are much easier to cope with or even non-existent.