WHAAAA????

Did the Governator actually do something good? According to this article in the NYTimes today, California may be making strides in H.I.V. prevention. Testing may become a routine part of medical exams and it may be that private insurance companies will have to foot the bill. Okay, this has nothing to do with poop or IBD, but it is health related and it grabbed my interest.

One of the things that made me fall for J when we first started dating was his taking the initiative in asking me on a date to the free clinic to get ourselves checked out prior to our ditching condoms in favor of birth control. One of the worst things I learned about dating when I finally entered the game is that most men (or at least the small collection of assholes I've settled for in the past) are way too lax about their sexual health. My first boyfriend actually sneered at me when I suggested he get himself checked.*

One of my favorite things about my physician (contrary to my dealings with her this summer- see the mono/meningitis posts in the archives) is that since my very first visit she has always insisted on giving me a blood test for H.I.V. as part of my regular physical exam. Not because I'm promiscuous or into IV drugs, but just because. It's better to know than to not know, even if you have no reason whatsoever to think the test may come back positive. It should not be something stigmatized or embarrassing to ask for.

Remember, you never know how HIV/AIDS may be transmitted, as evidenced by Kimberly Bergalis and her ill-fated trip to the dentist.








*This was the reaction of an overgrown child who never washed his hands after peeing and was content to walk around with his hands smelling like sweaty nutsack, so I admit my expectations of him were unrealistically high.