Feeling numb after recent HIV diagnosis
Hi everyone. I'm not really sure what I'm hoping to gain from this but I just wanted to share my story with someone anonymously.
I'm a 21 year old woman from the UK. I'm set to finish university in June. I feel like I did something really stupid and potentially ruined my life. I've never been promiscuous and I've only ever slept with one person before this, but I met a guy on a night out and agreed to go back to his. When we were there he begged me not to make him wear a condom and I wasn't exactly sober and agreed because I guess I was worried he wouldn't like me anymore if I made a fuss.
Fast forward 3 weeks and I come down with this illness that makes me feel like death. It's like I have bad flu for about 2 weeks. And then once that clears up I felt this sore lump on my neck, so I went to see a doctor and explained my symptoms. To cut a long story short, as we talk she starts asking about my sexual history, which I'm embarrassed to talk about with her, and before I know it I'm having tests and then I'm told I have HIV.
I haven't told anyone. I'm scared of people's reactions or that they'll treat me differently. I'm on this medication regimen for the rest of my life. I know it's incurable, but for some reason when I received my diagnosis I still asked them how long it will take for them to cure me. They must have thought I was completely naive. They've given me this pamphlet about living with HIV but I've been too scared to read it properly.
I want to tell my mum and dad and I'd like to tell a friend but I don't know how to find the words. What makes it worse is I can only blame myself.
So that's my story. I'm not sure where I go from here. I need to adjust to my new reality but I'm finding it very hard to believe there's anything wrong with me because I feel fine. I want to live to a very old age but the present feels very frightening. I feel like my life has completely changed in hardly any time at all.
EDIT: Thanks to everyone who has given me words of support. It's made me a feel a bit better and a little less alone in this. I also feel I've been a bit selfish in that I've been so focused on what's been happening to me over the past couple of weeks that I never considered that I should speak to the guy in question. It's possible he just didn't know he has it but I need to make sure he doesn't infect any other girls.