my friend has HIV

Hello

My close friend, but not boyfriend, has been about three times in hospital, in the last 12 month for tuberculose. I also supsected there could he a possibility he has also HIV. But he never tried to tell me.

Today he send me sms, and told me that he has HIV for more then 8 years, I know him for 7 years. Just to say, i am not a little angry because he not told me this before. I am not afraid about me, we never had any risky situation and he even refused to anything what could be dangerous to me. So this is not the point because i write this.

He told me he has to go home in the issan and wait to die. Because there is no money for medicine. What i want to ask what can be done, apart from just sending money. Are there any organisations to take care for such people. How much will the medicine about to cost?

thank you very much for any advice

balu

[Geezer]

The Thai government has a 30 baht per hospital visit health care system which covers HIV. Inexpensive medications are available. Finding a doctor in Issan who is knowledgeable concerning HIV might be a problem.

The hospital/doctor will surely have information about agencies which can help. There is probably no need to get ready to die just yet.

Where is the boy now? If he is in Pattaya he can see Dr Philippe Seur at the HEARTT 2000 base in Pattaya

I would not consider sending money until I had a reliable person investigate the situation to be sure it was wisely spent.

Firstly, be aware of a possible cultural difference that may affect the outcome. Thais are predominantly Buddhist (except the south, of course...) and there is belief is that suffering in this life helps create a better life the next time. Contrast that with the predominantly Christian belief in the west where it is assumed this life is all there is (i.e. no reincarnation) and at all costs this life must be preserved to maximum length and with maximum comfort.

Does he want to stay in Bangkok/Pattaya for treatment if it were provided for him, or does he want to be with his family?

I know that if he were willing to stay in Pattaya to receive treatment, there is a network of care providers with Dr.Philippe (HEARTT) and others who treat and care for HIV+ patients. IF the fellow is interested, you might contact Monty (who runs GAP as a part of the network) about getting your friend started with treatment.

However, be aware that his -- and his family's -- perspective might not be what you expect and/or want to hear.

As the others have said Dr. Seur is the "go to" guy here if he is in Pattaya. You don't tell us where the boy is. The 30 baht scheme is probably going to be a difficult road to get him started in and will take some tenacity I would suspect. The key here is to find out where he has been to get tested, what the results were, etc.. You need to find out the CD 4 count, etc. Believe me I have been in your situation more times than I can relate here. The point is that if his CD4 count not dangerously low and he has not been getting sick as a result of low immune level he has a good chance of staying healthy if he gets the meds. The turberculosis is another issue and you don't tell us of his general health. I would say that he should definitely go to Pattaya (if not there) and see Dr. Philippe Seur. If nothing else the doctor can give the boy advise on what care might be available in his area, information on the 30 baht scheme. etc. Don't let him just go home and give in. This is an awful way to go. If you should decide to help the boy financially I recall it was costing me abou $50 US a month for meds for a guy I was helping in Pattaya through Dr Seur. I, of course, gave the money directly to Dr. Philippe. I have met him a number of times and think very highly of him and what he does for his patients. I do have another friend that is going to a hospital in Bangkok every month to get his meds. He has insurance which he had for some time before we met. I now cover the cost of his annual premium but this insurance covers his meds. His CD4 level was quite low when he started having some health problems and he got tested. But a year later his CD4 level is going back up and he is healthy. He has told me that the hospital does take patients with no insurance so I don't know how that works but could find out more about it. Think it is a christian or catholic hospital in Bangkok. Think Dr. Seur should be his first stop. He is a French doctor and speaks Thai. He has devoted himself to helping those with HIV. If the boy has no money he will still get the meds although the costs to a farang is so little that it helps the organization help more people if you can pay for him. Good luck and keep us posted.

The boy is moving between Yasothon and Bangkok. His father is Taxidriver in Bangkok, but he has relative in yasothon where he can stay.
I am aware of the cultural differents, on the intellectuelll level i have understund what buddhismus means, (at least I think i have).

How much will it cost to get a first medical test bei Dr. Seur? Anyone has a email address or website from this doctor.

I just want to check out first what it would mean if i would start to help this boy. Because I really not want to give some hope to him an his family and at the end I see i can not afford to keep it for long time.


balu

Do a Google for this
HEARTT 2000 and Dr. Philippe Seur you will come up with his web site ~~ I can not post the site this program will not allow me to do it.

You will find info on Dr. Philippe. I am helping a friend cost 3,000B per month for meds.

He told me he has to go home in the issan and wait to die. Because there is no money for medicine. What i want to ask what can be done, apart from just sending money.
Sounds a lot like and could be a variation on the 'sick buffalo' scenario!

Follow Geezer's advice, make sure this plea is genuine before laying out any money. Some form of documentary proof from him or a reliable second party would be best. The ingenuity of some Thai boys to extract money from a farang's wallet knows no bounds !

[travelerjim]

He told me he has to go home in the issan and wait to die. Because there is no money for medicine. What i want to ask what can be done, apart from just sending money.
Sounds a lot like and could be a variation on the 'sick buffalo' scenario!

Follow Geezer's advice, make sure this plea is genuine before laying out any money. Some form of documentary proof from him or a reliable second party would be best. The ingenuity of some Thai boys to extract money from a farang's wallet knows no bounds !

Balu,

Good advice from Geezer...I urge you to ask for secondary opinion...and verification.
If I can help in any way...I have done so for posters of this board before,
just pm me..I know Dr. Philippe very well and can make appointment for your friend...
and if you would like - I will go with him to see Dr. Philippe...he is a great Doctor.

TravelerJim

Is it a problem if he not stays in Pattaya?

balu

[Boxer]

The Red Cross in BKK also help, up side of Lumpini Park Road from Silom by Water Towers is the clinic. 400 baht for CD4 HIV test. 80 baht for AIDS test (Not same as HIV test). Hospital in Silom also has a Special clinic for cheap testing under 1000 baht or free. Most can give results immediately. Depends on what he has had before but as said above CD4 is the test bed, under 200 count and he will need meds. Viral Load is next. Many Thai guys have HIV for ages before they become aware of it through other infections/illness's as few test regularly, very similar to many Farangs I have to say! Suggest you read up on subject to advise and check his story, why not go for a test yourself to see what happens?
If in Pattaya Doc Phillip (down bottom of Soi 5 off Thrappaya Road) does not test, just monitors patients and dispenses drugs as one of the experts in the field. For testing he will send you to Red Cross in Bkk or the Bang Saen Clinic operated by a Doc from Chonburi Hospital the Centre of HIV in the province, this way they have quality testing to work on. Please remember so many HIV people now live long lives on the right medication program.

Red Cross Anonymous Clinic full details here. http://www.redcross.or.th/english/servi ... caids.php4 (http://www.redcross.or.th/english/service/medical_clinicaids.php4) worth adding to favourites for all.

There is also a much cheaper medical laboratory in Naklua. I forget the name but aproaching on the Pattaye-Naklua road from Dusit roundabout it is about 100-150 metres on the right before the turn off right to Naklua market. Service is cheap, reliable, fairly quick and confidential for HIV/Aids and other tests like CD4 count.
Viral oad counts are the most expensive and take longer for results. Dr Phillipe is noqw refering many patients to the Naklua Lab rather than Bang Saen Clinic although he uses both.

[DJB0Y-old]

A helpful resource for People Living with HIV and AIDS as well as their supporters (friends and family) is POZ magazine. Their website is www.poz.com (http://www.poz.com)

The trouble is, that usually a whole bunch of infections, including various forms of hepatitis and good know what else can get wrong with an human body is usually combined with HIV-infections. Therefore, all need to be analysed in detail in order to work out which therapy is best.

HIV+ doesn’t mean AIDS. Somebody can carry HIV-virus but will never get sick with it but can transmit the virus to another person. The terrible thing with HIV is, that the viruses will weaken the body constantly, like a time bomb. With modern treatment, this is not that difficult anymore if someone can afford it financially and gets access to good medical support.

If family or the village knows about people who are carrying the HIV virus, patient will often loose there support. At first, this is a Buddhist thing, people don’t like to be with other people who are have been “not good” during the past. Even there “wrong doings” turned out to be there vital source of support during the past years. Secondly, and fare more, people do not know how to handle the situation – and fear financial or other uncomfortable requests they cannot refuse, which is another Buddhist thing. Don’t call dual morality but it just a common fact of live.

AIDS is the combination of several full blown infections. If AIDS is diagnosed; the whole process is getting really serious. But I know people who are today still living since the mid ‘80s as AIDS patients. I’ve also lost many good friends during the past years.

In Thailand there are several temples who taking care of AIDS patients. They do a wonderful job. If somewhere is having a chance to visit some of these temples, he should do it. It will silence anybody a bit but I never meet anybody who wanted to have missed this experience. It’s all about grace, love, care, piece, and humanity. If you want to know more about this, ask Khun Ulf from Connect Guesthouse in Patong, Phuket. He will be happy to advice you accordingly.

I've learned long time ago, the most important help for HIV infected people was trust, little support and some care. The body gets stronger if the spirit is up.