I’ve been on this antiretroviral for the past several days. How? Why?
It happened two wo weeks ago. My work day started as normal. About mid-day I took two clients to the minor theatre in the hospital where I work, to suture multiple lacerations they had sustained from a road traffic accident. Halfway into the first procedure, piam! Sharp prick on my left index finger.
I dropped my equipment immediately as my colleagues took over. I washed my hands thoroughly, reported at the PEP office. That day, I started the post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) protocol. A part of that protocol is this medicine I’m currently using: Tenofovir Lamivudine Dolutegravir.
The beginning part of the whole process required that I and the client I was working on got tested for HIV. We both showed negative. On account of this, I was counseled I may opt not to take the antiretroviral. I decided I would.
HIV/AIDS isn’t as scary a topic as it used to be. I’ve seen patients living with the virus for decades who remain healthy and strong – thanks to the advancements made towards finding a cure for the disease. You see, we don’t even call them HIV patients anymore. They are more politically correctly called People Living With HIV/AIDS – PLWHA. All I’m trying to say is that I wasn’t really alarmed about getting infected with HIV when I got that prick – even if the client’s status turned out positive. I was also not very worried about Hep B. Ive been fully vaccinated.
The above scenario nonetheless represents an important theme that weaves intricately with every aspect of our daily lives: Risk.
Every activity (and inactivity) we partake in carries a risk. Sometimes this risk is measurable, sometimes not. Risk assessment can also be very subjective. What one person regards as a very negative outcome may only be mildly negative or even neutral to someone else.
If you’re waiting for that part in the article where I start to advice you on how or how not to handle or manage or take risks, you’re wrong. I only came here today to rant. Besides, there is no holy grail approach to taking or managing risk. Just do your thing.
Bye bye.