Who's Positive

I had to go get a cone biopsy done to see if I have cervical cancer. I just got back in from my post op appointment and the results are great. I am cancer free!!! Yay!! I am still choosing to get my hysterectomy done though just as a preventative type of thing. I also will be getting my newest counts and my regular check up next month as well. I have great hopes that my counts will be great. Also saw a great vid by Regan Hofmann http://www.youtube.com/user/Italkbecause#p/c/5/uUT6u35ARg8 very very powerful stuff. She makes me want to be more like her. Awesome job Regan!!

I haven't been around here much because I have been trying to find a doctor who would take both of my insurances to get my hysterectomy done. Thanks to my RN at my HIV clinic we finally found one. After finding the doctor I had to start the process of getting done what all the doctor needed first before doing a hysterectomy. I am almost done with all that now just one more procedure, a cone biopsy, to check to see if my displaysia is malignant or benign and then I get the final surgery. YAY!! I know it may seem a bit weird to be happy about that, but at this point it will be a relief when it is all done, though it does suck that the surgery will happen during the summer.

Another reason for me not being around here is that my little munchkin is nearing the end of her Kindergarten year (two more weeks!!),and the end of the year is very very busy. Then you add on meetings I've had to have because we had her tested for learning disabilites and it is just crazy lol. The results of the test weren't the results we had been hoping for, but we will deal with them. They just mean she'll get the help she needs to get her where she needs to be. At least I know she will for sure be going to first grade.

Meanwhile my T-cell counts have been great, my viral load undetectable, and I've been a non-smoker now for almost 6 months (just a couple of weeks away from that mark). My allergies still take a lot out of me, but I haven't had to use my rescue inhaler once in the last couple months so that's awesome.

Here is a recent pic to share with y'all.

Well as many of you know, I recently went on a cruise with a dear friend of mine of over 7 years. In a livejournal entry (romanticcuddeler) on June 6, 2004 I wrote of my last trip to CA saying that I was scared about making a decision to move out there. Today, I can say, I’m no longer scared but excited to have made the decision to finally do it. As Dr. Phil says "Sometimes you make the right decision, and sometimes you have to make your decision right." Either way I firmly believe this is the right decision that I have wanted for years. On top of it all… I’m in love – have been in love since I met him. Our cruise was just the right place and time to connect on a much different level than we have ever before. We spent nearly two weeks together, doing everything together. It was truly amazing and literally the best, no “THE BEST” time of my life.

Well, its official, Thursday I notified my boss of the intent to transfer out to CA – where? Well it’s still to be determined as it is dependent on where I can transfer. My boss has already made some calls to help get the process moving and seems supportive. Speaking of supportive – his family is amazing. They are so supportive! His Mom, who I’ve met before, seems to really care about me and knows how much I care about her son. Bobby’s brother seems to already have invited me into the family. He’s almost like my long lost brother who I think we’ll get along so well together. Both Bobby’s Mom and Brother I’ve met before and keep telling me to hurry up and get out there.

For now, Bobby and I keep in touch all the time. I’ve even got him to sign up for Facebook as he is anti-internet (it’s cute actually) and he signed up for Skype an internet video conferencing program. This allows us to hang out via a webcam – last night he even invited his friends to hang out with me on it too.

Although this process may take a few months I am totally ready for it. I’ve felt for a long time that CA would be the place I call home one day but more importantly calling it home with someone I fell in love with a long time ago was only a dream.
Some people may think we are crazy, we’re not. We’ve known each other a long time we’ve just never advanced it further – our friendship is strong and I would have an amazing support system there with his family. I am truly excited about this and can’t wait.
Cheers
Tom

RIP Kahlo Benavidez
1986 - 2009

Kahlo was the very first person Who's Positive invited on our National HIV Testing Tour - Operation Get Tested, we lost him last year, a year from today. Kahlo you are missed by everyone at Who's Positive.

Wow in less than a week (April 28th) I will turn 31 years old. It’s hard to think that I am this old, but I begin to think about when I began to realize I was an adult. Was it when I became a leader and not a follower the first time I had a babysitting job? Was it when I pumped my first tank of gas as a gas station attendant, maybe it was when I held my niece for the first time, Gosh the more I think about this the more I realize I've been growing up for quite some time.

Being HIV+ has made me think about the world a little bit differently. It’s made me better appreciate the small things in life, it’s given me an opportunity to look back on life and see what I've done in my life and what I still have left to do. Year 29 seems to be the year I grew up the most, it’s the year I became the most settled, year 30 was well - the year I turned 30 lol - nothing too outrageous, but I'm hopeful as I am each and every year, that maybe in year 31 I'll find someone to love - it’s this year’s birthday wish. Happy Birthday to me, and Happy "Birth" day Mom.