Partnering With Your Doctor

Playing an active role in your own healthcare is an important part of staying healthy. This includes choosing a healthcare provider who is knowledgeable about HIV and willing to listen to your individual concerns. An active role also means staying informed about possible courses of treatment and working with your healthcare provider to choose the one that is right for you.

Stay Informed
For those living with HIV, knowledge is a critical component to staying healthy. The more knowledge you bring to your relationship with your doctor, the more productive your relationship - and your visits - can be. Staying continually informed about HIV disease and its treatment can also help you feel more in control of your life. Good sources for information include:

• treatment newsletters from national HIV/AIDS organizations and medical centers (often available in e-mail versions)
• HIV/AIDS information from Web sites such as Reyataz.com or other reputable national organizations or medical centers, and
• the experiences of others living with HIV infection and peer educators

You can then share what you've learned with your healthcare provider and discuss options.

Be Prepared for Appointments
Appointments with your healthcare provider are a very important time to discuss how you are feeling, however time is often short and there is usually a lot to cover. The solution is to thoughtfully plan your visit:

• Write down and prioritize all of your questions ahead of time.
• Note any changes in medications. Has another doctor - your specialist or primary care physician - added or eliminated any drugs from those you're taking? Are you taking any over-the-counter complementary, natural, herbal or holistic therapies? Have you missed any doses?
• If you are taking medication, keep a log of any symptoms or side effects you've experienced since your last visits.
• Be sure to talk about how you are feeling emotionally and how HIV is impacting your life as a whole.

Because time is limited during the visit, try to prioritize your questions or concerns. This is the opportunity to talk about what is and what is not working with your treatment regimen. Come informed about new treatment options and bring with you any information you've found that you may want to discuss. The key to successful treatment is monitoring your health and sticking to a plan that's right for you.

Ask for What You Need
If your treatment regimen is not working for your lifestyle, don't hesitate to discuss other possibilities with your healthcare provider.

* "Undetectable" is defined as a viral load that is too low to be picked up by a particular test. Typically, it is a viral load of less than 400 or 50 copies/mL (depending on test used).