IMA Specialties and Ancillary Services

   

Physician Directory   
Nurse Practitioners   
Specialties   
Office Locations   
Outreach Clinics   
Contact IMA   
Appointment Request   
E-mail Your Doctor   
My Health Zone   
Patient Education   
Billing Information   
Employment   
IMA News    

Walk In Clinic

Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm
Saturday, 9am-12noon
Sunday, 1pm-4pm
No appointment necessary

Laboratory Hours:
Monday-Friday, 7am-6pm
Saturday, 8am-12noon
No appointment necessary

IMA Research

Internal Medicine
Associates
Notice of
Privacy Practices

Bloomington
Endoscopy Center
Notice of
Privacy Practices

 

 

Cardiology • Cardiac Electrophysiology • Gastroenterology • Endocrinology •
Pulmonary Disease/Critical Care • Oncology/Hematology • Infectious Disease •
Internal Medicine • Family Medicine • Rheumatology • Ancillary Services

 

Infectious Diseases/Critical Care

Physicians

Location

HIV/AIDS

I feel great, so why should I get tested for AIDS?
You can feel okay and still be infected with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Over time, HIV weakens a person's ability to fight illnesses and leads to AIDS.

AIDS is a syndrome in which any number of harmful organisms attack the body and cause disease. Normally, the immune system can defend the body against these organisms. But HIV weakens a person's immune system, allowing them to develop into life threatening infections and cancers. A person with HIV is said to have AIDS when he or she develops one or more of these illnesses.

It's important to know if you are infected with HIV because you can spread the virus, even if you feel okay. Though HIV and AIDS cannot be cured, there are ways to help people stay healthy longer. The HIV test takes very little time and is not very painful or difficult.

There are good reasons for you to get the test. If you find out that you don't have the virus, you can learn how to avoid getting HIV. If you find out that you do have HIV, you can learn how to stay healthy longer and how to prevent spreading HIV.

How can I know if I should get the test?
You should get the test if you can answer "yes" to any of these questions:

  • Have you shared needles or syringes?
  • If you are a man, have you had sex with another man?
  • Have you had sex with someone you know has or might have AIDS?
  • Have you ever caught a disease during sex like syphilis, herpes, gonorrhea (clap), chlamydia or warts?
  • Did you receive a blood transfusion before 1985?
  • Have you had sex with someone who can answer "yes" to any of these questions?

You should also get tested if you have:

  • Had sex with many men or women
  • Paid for sex with a man or woman
  • Had sex for drugs or money

What if I am afraid to take the test?
Finding out that you have HIV can be scary. Though people who get AIDS can live for many years, they will one day die from the disease. If you find out that you have HIV, there are ways to slow down AIDS.

A test can help you deal with your fear and the illness, if you have it. Before you take the test think about how having the AIDS virus would change your life.

How will I be tested?
A small sample of blood will be taken from your arm. The blood is sent to a lab and tested for signs of HIV. If the first test shows signs of HIV, the blood is tested two more times. If the third test shows signs of the virus, the blood is tested another way.

Once a person has been infected with HIV, it can take up to three months for the infection to show up in his or her blood. If you have put yourself at risk anytime within three months before the test, your test results may not be accurate. Ask your health care provider if you should return for another test.

How will I know if I have HIV?
You will have to wait two weeks for the test results. Go back to the clinic to get your results. A health care provider will explain the results to you.

  • Negative result: No signs of HIV were found in your blood. (You can still get the virus.)
  • Positive result: Signs of HIV were found in your blood. (This does not always mean that you have AIDS. No one can tell when you will get AIDS.)
  • Indeterminate result (very rare result): The test result is uncertain. This test result is most likely to occur if you're testing within three months of putting yourself at risk.

What can I do if I have HIV?
If you find out that you have HIV:

  • Tell your health care provider.
  • Use a condom (rubber) when you have sex.
  • Get a test for tuberculosis (TB).
  • Stop smoking, drinking alcohol and taking drugs.
  • Avoid getting drunk or high.
  • Join a group that helps people with HIV.
  • Don' t donate blood, body organs or sperm.
  • Tell anyone you have had sex with.
  • Don't share needles. Don't use dirty needles.

How do I stop from giving HIV to someone else?

  • Always use a condom (rubber) when you have sex in any way.
  • Never share a needle or syringe.
  • If pregnant, get tested.

Where can I get more information?
CDC National AIDS hotline:
1-800-342-AIDS (2437)

Return to the index

What is HIV?
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus or germ that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). The virus weakens a person's ability to fight infections and cancer. People with HIV are said to have AIDS when the virus makes them very sick and they develop certain infections or cancers.

Having HIV does not always mean that you have AIDS. It can take many years for people with the virus to develop AIDS. HIV and AIDS cannot be cured. Though AIDS is a terminal illness, there are ways to help people with the disease stay healthy longer.

How do people get HIV?
A person gets HIV when an infected person's body fluids (blood, semen, fluids from the vagina or breast milk) enter his or her bloodstream. The virus can enter the blood through linings in the mouth, anus or sex organs (the penis and vagina) or through broken skin.

Both men and women can spread HIV. A person with HIV can feel okay and still give the virus to others. Pregnant women with HIV can also give the virus to their babies.

Common ways people get HIV:

  • Sharing a needle to take drugs
  • Having sex with an infected person

You cannot get HIV from:

  • Touching or hugging someone who has HIV\AIDS
  • Public bathrooms or swimming pools
  • Sharing cups, utensils or telephones with someone who has HIV\AIDS
  • Bug bites

Who can get HIV?
Anyone can get HIV if they engage in certain activities. You may have a higher risk of getting HIV if you:

  • Have sex with many partners (men or women)
  • Have unsafe sex with an infected person
  • Use needles to take drugs or steroids
  • Are a man who has had sex with another man
  • Pay for sex
  • Have sex for drugs or money

How can I know if I have HIV?
The only way to know if you have HIV is to take an HIV test. This test looks for signs of HIV in your blood. A small sample of blood is taken from your arm. The blood is sent to a lab and tested for HIV.

Clinics that do HIV tests keep your test results secret. Some clinics even perform HIV tests without ever taking your name (anonymous testing). You must go back to the clinic to get your results. A positive test means that you have HIV. A negative test means that no signs of HIV were found in your blood.

Before taking an HIV test:

  • Ask the clinic what privacy rules it follows
  • Think about how having HIV would change your life
  • Ask your health care provider any questions you have about HIV, AIDS, or the HIV test

Does HIV have any symptoms?
Some people get flu-like symptoms a month or two after they have been infected. These symptoms often go away within a week to a month. A person can have HIV for many years before feeling ill. Signs that HIV is turning into AIDS include:

  • A fever that won't go away
  • Sweating while you sleep
  • Feeling tired all the time (not from stress or lack of sleep)
  • Feeling sick all the time
  • Losing weight
  • Swollen glands (neck, groin or underarms)

How can I protect myself from HIV?
The best way to protect yourself is to avoid activities that put you at risk. There's no way to tell by looking at someone if he or she has HIV. Always protect yourself.

  • Use latex condoms (rubbers) whenever you have any type of sex (vaginal, anal or oral).
  • Don't use condoms made from animal products.
  • Use water-based lubricants (lotion).
  • Never share needles to take drugs.
  • Avoid getting drunk or high. People who are drunk or high may be less likely to protect themselves.

Condom Use
It's important to use a condom correctly to protect yourself against HIV. Follow these tips:

  1. Use a condom during any sex act that involves the penis.
  2. Put the condom on after the penis is erect (hard).
  3. Place the condom on the tip of the penis and roll it down.
  4. Squeeze the tip of the condom as you roll it on to release any trapped air.
  5. Leave a little room at the tip of the penis where semen can collect.
  6. If you use a lubricant (lotion), make sure that it is water-based. Do not use Vaseline, petroleum jelly or lubricants made with mineral or vegetable oil.
  7. Leave the condom on until you are done with all sex acts.
  8. Remove the condom while the penis is still erect (hard).
  9. Always throw out used condoms.
  10. Don't use condoms that are hard, broken or look the wrong color.

This information is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please contact your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition.

 

Top of Page

Home | Physician Directory | Nurse Practitioners | Specialties
Locations | Contact IMA | Appointment Request | Email Your Doctor
Patient Education | Billing Information | Employment Opportunities
IMA Sitemap | Comments


http://www.ima-md.com/
Copyright , IMA, Inc.