robear

Had mine in March, #11 for me. Interesting that earlier ones gave me a definite reaction the next day, the last few I've had no reaction to at all, a sore spot on my arm at most. And no, I've never had COVID, at least symptomatically.

I met with David's partner Todd last fall and he is indeed wonderful, terrific session in all ways. I had contacted David about meeting but he was off on one of his adventures and unavailable. He suggested instead reaching out to Todd (whom I don't believe advertises individually, but is featured in many of David's fans videos). I was very happy that I did, and still hope to meet with David someday. I second the recommendation above of his memoir https://www.amazon.com/Every-Grain-Sand-David-Wichman/dp/1950385132 . I wish Todd a quick recovery from whatever laid him low.

I know this is a bit niche, but maybe somebody here has had experience. Hallux rigidus is a fairly common type of arthritis of the foot wherein the first joint of the big toe deteriorates, causing pain when walking. The "gold standard" treatment is surgical fusion of the two bones so they can no longer rub against each other causing pain. Had that a week ago, all went well, no post-op pain to speak of. However I'm stuck in a huge boot for, they say, 6-8 WEEKS. My question is, if anyone has had similar experience, what was your post-op experience like, and how soon did you get back into normal shoes?

I think you'd only have to look at some of his videos to know he's VERY into older men, or at least convincingly performs that way.

I was chit-chatting naked with a guy during a break at a sex party, as one does. He reported he had paid $20K to have his foreskin surgically restored. It looked great, but was still tender from the surgery so he didn't want to be touched.

Actually, was wrong about Stephen's absence. I looked him up on FB and he's still very active, though not with Rab, the algorithm just doesn't show him to me. He's now into some "Iron John" type male warrior BS now, which is probably why the algorithm was wise to ghost him on me.

Nah, they split up a few years ago. Stephen, the pretty-boy channel partner, seems to have gone through some things and disappeared from SM. Rab, pictured, still does YT, Insta, etc. and his coaching practice. Too bad, they were a lot of fun together, especially in the early days when they ended each vid by turning away from the camera and whipping off the kilts, walking bare-assed away.

"HIV immunity is extremely rare, with most people susceptible to infection. However, some individuals possess natural resistance due to genetic mutations (like CCR5-Δ32) that block the virus from entering cells. While no absolute vaccine exists, research into these resistant individuals and immune responses, such as neutralizing antibodies, is ongoing." That blurb is AI, but it references NIH documentation. There is ongoing research into factors that seem to protect individuals. From the earliest days it has been anecdotally apparent that some few individuals remained negative event after repeated, unprotected exposure to the virus. Others contract the virus but never become ill.

Social media is a public platform, the virtual soapbox on the streetcorner. I agree it would be silly and rather pointless to try to vet potential hires for their social and political views if those views aren't publicly blasted on Twitter or whatever, or became part of our interaction. But if said hire makes it a point to blast his filth publicly it becomes part of the package. It's tells us who and what he is. A provider like that would be a hard no for me no matter how attractive physically.

Luck, condoms, and probably natural resistance. I came of age in the late 70s, and I was a busy little slut. Baths, bookstores, bushes, back rooms, they all saw me several times a week. When what would become AIDS came on the scene in the early 80s, one of the first insights was that condoms helped prevent spread. As a top, I became consistently condom compliant, I simply did not fuck without a condom (and I did a LOT of fucking). I never used condoms for oral as recommended by some (who did?), and I am an avid cocksucker. In the darkest days of the 80s, the mindset was "we're all gonna die, so why worry." I wasn't first tested for HIV until 1996, I just ASSUMED I had to have it, but at least using condoms helped prevent ME from giving it to someone else. Despite my activities, the only experience I had with STDs were Hep-B in college and a few mild cases of what was then called non-gonococcal urethritis (probably chlamydia), and intestinal parasites (my busy little tongue got around), both of which were easily treated. My PCP has commented that I must have a really healthy immune system, even at an advanced age I rarely get even a head cold, so I believe that natural protection came into play for me, too. Now I take the little blue pill every day, not so much because my current sex life demands it, but because I CAN. What a different world we gay men would live in today if that pill had existed in 1982. I do it for fallen comrades (weird as that may sound).

Thanks for the thoughtful and informed responses. At the age of 70 my use of PrEP is part of a largely hypothetical sex life, and is more in the line of honoring fallen comrades: I take it because I can. (I know that sounds silly, but it makes sense in my world.) I whored my way through the late 70s well into the PrEP era unscathed, and in my day my body count was sometimes prodigious, so concerns about HIV are historically manageable for me with or without prophylaxis. My thought now is that the loss of any small measure of "vitality" caused by a PrEP regimen might not be worth it. I could try going back to generic Truvada, or drop it altogether. (It seems likely that the current 100% coverage under Medicare Part B will come into the crosshairs of the current regime at some point, anyway, necessitating a return to generic Truvada.) I'll continue to monitor, I have a 6-mo checkup with my PCP in March and will ask him to order another blood panel at that time.

My last CBC showed my RBC as 3.27 and hemaglobin at 12.5. These are quite low and described by more than one doctor as "slightly anemic." All other blood counts as well as my comprehensive panel are fine. My PCP checked my folate and iron levels, they are normal. The low counts were first noted during pre-surgical testing about a year ago, and the doctor's comment was that it could be because I'm taking Descovy for PrEP. The University of Google says this is a known but rare side effect of the med. My counts have not been historically low, including the period when I was taking Truvada, the low counts seem to more or less track with my switch to Descovy. My question for the panel is, has anyone else experienced red blood cell suppression with PrEP meds?