Being diagnosed HIV-positive

Being diagnosed with HIV will be one of the most significant events in your life. It’s very difficult to predict exactly what emotions and feelings you’ll experience in the first few hours and days after finding out you have HIV, as these vary so widely from person to person. However, commonly reported reactions include feeling numb, frightened, upset, tearful, desperate or angry - although it should be noted that other people have said they were relieved to have finally found out.

It might be difficult to appreciate this at the time, but finding out that you are HIV-positive puts you in a position where you can start to take steps towards looking after your health. Although there’s no cure for HIV and it can still be fatal, there are treatments that mean that people with HIV can live much longer and healthier lives. The sooner your HIV infection is diagnosed, the sooner you can receive appropriate medical care.

The fact that you have HIV might be the only information you can absorb on the day of your diagnosis. You should have had post-test counselling after you received your test result, and you may have been able to ask a few questions at this stage. There are no right or wrong questions to ask, and don’t worry if you didn’t understand everything you were told. There’ll be plenty of opportunities to get more information later.