Warning to those who hire: Please be careful

[adventurous old guy]

 

Meningitis has had some outbreaks in the men who have sex with men community in at least one large American city. Get the vaccine and again, condoms are your best bet for safer sex.

 

There's a vaccine for meningitis? I didn't know that...Thx

[Guest RexB]

Just to add a "nuance" that is ignored by the mainstream HIV=AIDS establishment and it's followers/true believers, the vast majority of the 900,00 or more people who are listed as dying of AIDS in the mid-1980s to mid-1990's actually died of AZT poisoning. They were given doses so high that they died in a very short time. The symptoms of these massive doses of a drug that had been banned and shelved, never approved because it was found to be unfit for human consumption was brought out, fast-tracked through very dubious and flawed studies, those symptoms were attributed to a virus. The reason the death rate plummeted after 1995 was because the amount of AZT and drugs equivalent to it were given in doses that could be considered 'minute' in comparison to the huge doses given before the age of the cocktails, which started to be used in December 1995. There are numerous accounts of people who refused to take the AZT treatment or stopped soon after starting because of the onset of side effects back then who were the only ones who lived while their friends and acquaintances who took the treatment died within two years of starting treatment. These facts are ignored and evidence is buried because they don't fit in with the aims of the pharmaceutical companies whose only concern is profiting from illness.

[caliguy]

What about something like HSV1? He knows, you don't. He doesn't tell you. You can't always easily see an outbreak.

 

Most adults already carry HSV1. Gladys Kravitz award for you too.

[loverboy95]

Wait a second.

 

@Benjamin_Nicholas's post refers to HSV1. Is that really what all this fuss is about? HSV1 is the virus that causes oral herpes, and it is estimated that 50-80% of adults already carry this virus, and 90% of adults over 50 have been exposed to it. (http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/adult/infectious_diseases/Oral_Herpes_22,OralHerpes/) As I understand it, anyone who has ever had a cold sore is HSV1+.

 

It is also my understanding that current STI screening protocols don't even test for HSV1, because it's so common that it's presumed that most people are positive. So, I suppose we can argue about whether an escort needs to disclose their HIV status (I'm personally of the opinion that we should all assume that everyone we have sex with is HIV+ so it doesn't matter), but it seems like the original poster's comment, based on @Benjamin_Nicholas's twitter post, is about HSV1. Are we honestly expecting anyone who has ever had a cold sore to disclose "oh, by the way, I had a cold sore 6 or 7 years ago. I thought you should know." That's ridiculous.

 

This was the point I was trying to make in my original post. Regardless of how common it is, I still believe that you should tell your partner that you have it. It can be HSV or HIV. They should still know.

[MikeyGMin]

This was the point I was trying to make in my original post. Regardless of how common it is, I still believe that you should tell your partner that you have it. It can be HSV or HIV. They should still know.

I like you @loverboy95, I really do, but that is a huge false equivalency.

[corndog]

... Regardless of how common it is, I still believe that you should tell your partner that you have it. It can be HSV or ...

Really?

Do most of us even know whether we have HSV1? And, if you don't know, should you disclose that you "might?"

 

I presume that I have HSV1, since more than 90% of adults over 50 have been exposed to it. I've had cold sores before, but as the link I posted above states, "Oral herpes can be difficult to diagnose. Often confused with many other infections." And, STI testing protocols don't routinely test for HSV1. So, maybe I don't.

 

So, what, exactly, would you like me to say to potential sex partners? "By the way, I might have HSV1, but don't worry you probably do, too?" And then, watch them run? While I'm at it, should I ask them if they've had their flu shots, and whether their tetanus vaccinations are up to date? Or, if they've had a recent tuberculosis test?

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Really?

Do most of us even know whether we have HSV1? And, if you don't know, should you disclose that you "might?"

 

I presume that I have HSV1, since more than 90% of adults over 50 have been exposed to it. I've had cold sores before, but as the link I posted above states, "Oral herpes can be difficult to diagnose. Often confused with many other infections." And, STI testing protocols don't routinely test for HSV1. So, maybe I don't.

 

So, what, exactly, would you like me to say to potential sex partners? "By the way, I might have HSV1, but don't worry you probably do, too?" And then, watch them run? While I'm at it, should I ask them if they've had their flu shots, and whether their tetanus vaccinations are up to date? Or, if they've had a recent tuberculosis test?

 

 

Yes, some of us do know if we have HSV1: A full panel (IgG) will disclose it. As an escort, it's my job to know- with as little doubt as possible- whether I'm negative or positive for anything that I can pass onto others. If I did test positive (for anything), I would contact as many recent sexual partners as I could, to let them know what the issue was. That's being a responsible sex worker in my eyes. You might think it's overkill. If so, we can agree to disagree.

 

If an escort knows he's tested positive for something that could negatively affect a client, it's not unreasonable to expect him to say something or simply not take the job until the outbreak has subsided.

[LivingnLA]

Just to add a "nuance" that is ignored by the mainstream HIV=AIDS establishment and it's followers/true believers, the vast majority of the 900,00 or more people who are listed as dying of AIDS in the mid-1980s to mid-1990's actually died of AZT poisoning. They were given doses so high that they died in a very short time. The symptoms of these massive doses of a drug that had been banned and shelved, never approved because it was found to be unfit for human consumption was brought out, fast-tracked through very dubious and flawed studies, those symptoms were attributed to a virus. The reason the death rate plummeted after 1995 was because the amount of AZT and drugs equivalent to it were given in doses that could be considered 'minute' in comparison to the huge doses given before the age of the cocktails, which started to be used in December 1995. There are numerous accounts of people who refused to take the AZT treatment or stopped soon after starting because of the onset of side effects back then who were the only ones who lived while their friends and acquaintances who took the treatment died within two years of starting treatment. These facts are ignored and evidence is buried because they don't fit in with the aims of the pharmaceutical companies whose only concern is profiting from illness.

 

AZT at too high a dose leads to anemia. It's easy to diagnosis and treat. The far larger issue in the 80s--medically speaking--was how frequently AZT was used as a standalone treatment for far too long. The cocktails and careful dosage management was the critical key that has so far made HIV/AIDS a manageable and livable disease for those who can afford healthcare and the meds.

 

Numerous other studies examined the effect of zidovudine [AZT] monotherapy at various doses and in patients at various stages of HIV infection throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.

8

9

10

11

12

13

A meta-analysis of 15 of these trials by the HIV Trialists’ Collaborative Group published in 1999 confirmed these controversial findings of the Concorde Study - that zidovudine does not increase a person’s chances of AIDS-free survival in the long-term, although it does reduce rates of disease progression in the short-term. However, these studies revealed that adding another NRTI delayed both disease progression and death, paving the way for combination therapy in the treatment of HIV infection.

14 [taken from aidsmap link below]

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3299090

http://www.aidsmap.com/Effectiveness/page/1730905/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/12/10/what-dallas-buyers-club-got-wrong-about-the-aids-crisis/?utm_term=.a0ab34df9015

[LivingnLA]

There's a vaccine for meningitis? I didn't know that...Thx

 

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20130423/deadly-meningitis-cases-worry-gay-community

 

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-meningitis-lgbt-20160707-snap-story.html

[adventurous old guy]

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20130423/deadly-meningitis-cases-worry-gay-community

 

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-meningitis-lgbt-20160707-snap-story.html

Grazie. Here's my contribution: I know two people who have gotten meningitis. One was the wife of a colleague -- she died at 29. The other was a teenage boy who survived because and only because his parents trusted their gut that his flu symptoms were different than anything he'd had before, more severe, and they sought diagnosis instead of waiting, hoping for the best. Meningitis is like sepsis -- if you have it you're in a race with time. Wait too long and the antibiotics are too slow to turn the tide. So my cautionary tale: Don't take flu symptoms that come from nowhere lightly. Go to your doc, or urgent care.

 

As for sex, geez -- its like life blood. Can't quite imagine life being worth living without it, so I'll continue to be as careful as I can.

 

Btw, I've never had a cold sore and I'm 62. Does that mean its likely I don't have HSV1?

 

Love this forum. So full of useful information Even when its scary.

[MileHigh]

@Benjamin_Nicholas is always being honest and upfront and wants others to be that way as well... Don't under stand why others have an issue with that. Thanks Ben for your honesty and utmost integrity on this forum!

[LivingnLA]

Btw, I've never had a cold sore and I'm 62. Does that mean its likely I don't have HSV1?

 

@adventurous old guy, no. You may be one of those people who're completely asymptomatic. As the CDC says, most people who have HSV-1 or HSV-2 don't have symptoms. Read the CDC page about it and screening for more info. It's below.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/std/herpes/screening.htm

[sincitymix]

AZT at too high a dose leads to anemia. It's easy to diagnosis and treat. The far larger issue in the 80s--medically speaking--was how frequently AZT was used as a standalone treatment for far too long. The cocktails and careful dosage management was the critical key that has so far made HIV/AIDS a manageable and livable disease for those who can afford healthcare and the meds.

 

Numerous other studies examined the effect of zidovudine [AZT] monotherapy at various doses and in patients at various stages of HIV infection throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.

8

9

10

11

12

13

A meta-analysis of 15 of these trials by the HIV Trialists’ Collaborative Group published in 1999 confirmed these controversial findings of the Concorde Study - that zidovudine does not increase a person’s chances of AIDS-free survival in the long-term, although it does reduce rates of disease progression in the short-term. However, these studies revealed that adding another NRTI delayed both disease progression and death, paving the way for combination therapy in the treatment of HIV infection.

14 [taken from aidsmap link below]

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3299090

http://www.aidsmap.com/Effectiveness/page/1730905/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/12/10/what-dallas-buyers-club-got-wrong-about-the-aids-crisis/?utm_term=.a0ab34df9015

 

AZT at a small dose can cause problems too, especially if your in the 1% that gets the 0.0 something percent of the mega super bad side effect that NEVER happens in patients... A friend took AZT, next thing he knows, hes having micro seizures or heart attacks (probably due to his blood being depleted of almost all RBCs, had a hematocrit of 12 (which is the blood of a corpse) and had his bone marrow shut off.

[+ azdr0710]

where's Draker when we need him??!!

[Arbimuscle]

Guess I am glad that I am getting older. The need for sex, is just not that big a deal. A good porn to jackoff to, is pretty satisfying. Sad, but true. And I would rather buy toys, than a boy toy. Just my two cents.

[+ José Soplanucas]

And this whole notion that having HIV is no big deal is BS. Sure SOME people live with it. BUT

you're unambiguously healthier without it. And there is more than one strain , and not every one reacts well to and/or can afford the various medications.

 

Has anyone here said HIV is not a big deal?

[+ José Soplanucas]

To expect a sexual provider to disclose all his ETSs is a pointless and unrealistic expectation. What is the intention? To protect the clients? If a provider does not care about the clients, healthy or not, he would not tell the true. It is not only an unrealistic expectation, but also one that violates privacy rights. It is also concentrating all the weight of the responsibility on the provider, when each one of you should be responsible for taking whatever precautions are reasonable for you.

Let's try to focus the conversation on what we can do to keep ourselves protected, instead o what others should do to protect us.

[Pepper Young]

I never inquire into an escort's health status. Frankly, it's none of my business and I expect the same courtesy in return. That said, we're adults responsible for ourselves and our activities. Nothing is 100% safe.

[+ José Soplanucas]

Maybe we want to start our sensual session where we shared all our STDs background. What a great idea to warm up before the work out. A honest conversation based on the complete honesty of both participants. What a realistic and sexy idea!

[nycbystander]

As someone who is hiv positive I strongly disagree. I always disclose my status in an email and tell the person that If they are not comfortable with that I understand. I do this as a protection for myself as well because depending on the jurisdiction you are in not disclosing can get you in legal trouble, this way I have the disclosure ( and consent) in writing.

[MikeyGMin]

, I've never had a cold sore and I'm 62. Does that mean its likely I don't have HSV1?

I was hoping someone like you would would speak up because I'm genuinely curious about this. Having this information. That you are part of that 20 - 30% adult population who do not carry HSV1. What will you do differently?

 

I completely agree with Ben's point that no one should take or make an appointment when they are in the middle of an outbreak. No one wants to kiss someone with a cold sore. But... if a potential sex partner, escort or otherwise, tells you that they occasionally get cold sores, are you going to turn them away or never kiss them?

 

I've gotten them since I was a kid so they're just a part of life for me. A nuisance. I'm honestly trying to understand what someone in that non-exposed minority is willing to give up to protect that status.

[+ José Soplanucas]

I was hoping someone like you would would speak up because I'm genuinely curious about this. Having this information. That you are part of that 20 - 30% adult population who do not carry HSV1. What will you do differently?

 

I completely agree with Ben's point that no one should take or make an appointment when they are in the middle of an outbreak. No one wants to kiss someone with a cold sore. But... if a potential sex partner, escort or otherwise, tells you that they occasionally get cold sores, are you going to turn them away or never kiss them?

 

I've gotten them since I was a kid so they're just a part of life for me. A nuisance. I'm honestly trying to understand what someone in that non-exposed minority is willing to give up to protect that status.

 

I would not be so sure. Of course [uSER=9945]@funguy[/uSER] or other friends who actually know about this may correct me, but I understand the you can be an asymptomatic carrier of any virus.

[mike carey]

A naive question on my part, and I have done a perfunctory search online. Is HSV1 infectious all the time or only when there are lesions? If the latter, then the obligation for disclosure is rather more specific.

[+ OliverSaks]

Viral shedding can occur when lesions are not present.

 

Some people get an "aura" before they get a cold sore (tingling / burning) and so it would be wise for these people to avoid playing / kissing during these times as well, as viral shedding is more likely.

[LivingnLA]

AZT at a small dose can cause problems too, especially if your in the 1% that gets the 0.0 something percent of the mega super bad side effect that NEVER happens in patients... A friend took AZT, next thing he knows, hes having micro seizures or heart attacks (probably due to his blood being depleted of almost all RBCs, had a hematocrit of 12 (which is the blood of a corpse) and had his bone marrow shut off.

 

I'm sorry your friend experienced that. Nearly every modern drug has serious side effects for very smaller percentages of the population.