HIV Virus And  The Agony of Victims

By Ikenna ONUOHA

Dreaded diseases are so troublesome and mind scratching. Those infected by these diseases are depreciating and slimming on daily basis due its foreseen and unforseen psychological trauma.

One of the agonies of those suffering from HIV Aids disease is inferiority complex, anger, deep thinking, imaginations and confusion. These social disorders trigger victims to conceive unimaginable acts like suicide. To them, the committal of this act will go a long way to solving the psychological problems associated with the disease.

However, a victim of the virus can still live a good and normal life only if such patient can be disciplined and principled in the choice of healthy food and consistent taking of his or her prescribed medications.

The agony otherwise could be known as pain is common in people living with HIV. One study found that more than half of women living with HIV had pain in the last six months. Pain can occur at all stages of HIV disease and can affect many parts of the body.

Usually pain occurs more often and becomes more severe as HIV disease progresses, especially if it is not being treated. But each individual person is different. While some people may experience a lot of pain, others have little or none. The good news is that, as HIV treatments have improved, fewer people living with HIV are experiencing pain.

One of the first steps in managing HIV-related pain is to identify the type, and if possible, the cause of pain. Some common types of pain – not necessarily HIV-related include:

I) Peripheral Neuropathy: Pain due to nerve damage, mostly in the feet and hands. It may be described as numbness, tingling, or burning. Nerve damage can be caused by HIV itself, HIV drugs, or other medical conditions such as diabetes. The older HIV drugs that caused the most peripheral neuropathy; d4T (Zerit) and ddi (Videx) are rarely used today.

2). Another severe one is Abdominal Pain: There are many possible causes of abdominal pain (pain in the stomach area): A side effect of some HIV drugs (for example, cramps) infections caused by bacteria or parasites.

Problems of the digestive tract (gut), such as irritable bowels, inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) can be caused by some HIV drugs, high levels of fat in the blood, or drinking alcohol, bladder or urinary tract infections (especially in women). Others include, menstrual cramps or conditions of the uterus (womb), cervix (opening to the womb), or ovaries.

3). Commonly, Headache: That is head pain can be mild to severe, and may be described as pressure, throbbing, or a dull ache. The most common causes of mild headaches include muscle tension, flu-like illness, and side effects of HIV drugs. Moderate or severe headaches can be caused by sinus pressure, tooth infections, brain infections, brain tumors, bleeding in the brain, migraines, or strokes.

4). Joint, Muscle, and Bone Pain: This pain can also be mild to severe. It may be related to conditions such as arthritis, bone disease, injury, or just aging. It can also be a side effect of some HIV drugs and medications for other conditions, such as hepatitis or high cholesterol.

5). Herpes Pain: Herpes is a family of viruses common in people living with HIV. Herpes viruses stay in the body for life, going into hiding and coming back later. The varicella-zoster herpes virus first causes chickenpox and later can cause shingles, a painful rash along nerve pathways. Herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 cause painful blisters around the mouth (“cold sores”) or genital area. Even after a herpes sore heals, the pain may continue.

6). Painful skin rashes due to infections or side effects of HIV drugs or other drugs

Chest pain caused by lung infections such as TB, bacterial pneumonia, or PCP pneumonia (Pneumocystis pneumonia). Mouth pain caused by ulcers (“canker sores”) or fungal infections like thrush Fibromyalgia or related chronic pain conditions.

Some of the roles HIV victims can play to remain healthy: Define the severity of the pain (how much it hurts): Your health care provider may ask you to assign a number to your pain, from one (very mild pain) to ten (the worst possible pain). Pictures can also describe pain. A smiling face represents little or no pain, while a crying face represents severe pain.

Describe details of your pain: Your health care provider may ask you to describe how your pain feels, for example sharp, dull, throbbing, aching, or burning. Is it new (acute) or have you had it for a while (chronic)? Where is it located? Is it constant, or does it come and go? Does anything make it worse or better?

You may be having pain and do not want to complain about it. Or perhaps you do not want to talk about your pain because you are afraid to know what is causing it. However, pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Talking to your health care provider about how you feel is not complaining; it is the best thing you can do to find out what is wrong and get the right treatment.

By so doing, we shall be expecting a healthy environment that is far from disease!