Positive Life NSW

Getting the message

Hey mate just been to the doctor and it looks like I’ve got gonorrhoea, chlamydia or an NSU. Sorry to tell you the bad news but thought I should let you know. cheers, Jamie.

I thought oh shit… for about two seconds and then when I thought yep it was good to know. I didn’t know if I’d given it to him or he’d given it to me but that didn’t matter. He had fucked me a few days before without a condom – we’re both positive and had disclosed this to each other before we hooked up. I was on the tail end (so to speak) of a pretty big weekend for him, but I’ve also fucked a lot of guys and been pretty piggy lately as well. And I didn’t feel any different, any ‘symptoms’, but I don’t know how you feel if you’ve got a poxy arse. I rang my usual doctor the same day. As expected, he was booked up, so I got an appointment with another doctor in the same practice. It was all cool. No dramas. I told him the deal and he took a swab from my butt and throat, got me to piss in a jar, and gave me a jab for gonorrhoea and tablets for chlamydia - and he did a blood test for syphilis just to be on the safe side. Yeah, it was all good. Glad he told me. I probably won’t see him again but who knows? And I’d do the same for a fuck if it happens to me, if I’ve got his number. It’s a good thing to do.

What you need to know:

• If you fuck a lot, get tested for STIs (sexually transmitted infections) at least every three months. This should include a urine sample, throat and butt swab and a blood test.
• You can still have an STI without any symptoms. If you do have symptoms, take care of yourself and don’t put off going for a test.
• An STI like syphilis can seriously damage your health if you don’t get it treated. Syphilis can also progress faster if you’re HIV positive.
• Using a condom when you fuck helps prevent STIs, but you can still get them, even if you always have safe sex. So get tested regularly.

SYPHILIS - GET THE FACTS

Who is more at risk to get it?
Anyone can get syphilis, but men who have sex with men account for 90% of the cases of infectious syphilis in New South Wales. About half of these guys are HIV positive. So if you are HIV positive, sexually active, and fucking with men, it makes good sense to have a regular blood test (i.e. every three months) for syphilis.

Where can I go for testing and treatment?
You can ask your GP or HIV doctor for a blood test when you have your regular blood tests done.

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