I had a thought (yes, another one) just the other day and I've shared it with my dear Sista Wanda already. But what does the term 'universal precautions' mean to you?
Women, image for just a moment walking into the examination room for your annual check up. You're up in those dang stirrups and the doctor comes over to begin your pap, but he is not wearing any latex gloves! What goes through your mind? Think about it.
Men, what goes through your mind at the thought of your doctor not wearing any gloves while probing your body?
Me, I'm like hold up..wait a minute! And I'm not even playing here. Because a couple of years ago I had a so called medical professional put on a pair of gloves in preparation for my exam. And because the equipment was not cooperating, she lead me to another room. Well, she never took off those gloves! And so when we got into the new exam room, she thought that she was good to go. So I said to her, umm, don't you think you should change your gloves? And her response to me (in her defence) was that she had just put them on. So I explained to her that yes, she had put the gloves on in my presence initially, but she had also worn those gloves when she opened the door for us to leave the first room and then she used those same gloves again to open the door to our current location. This is my body and you will not wear those gloves to do anything to me. You need a clean pair.
Now by now, she had a real crazy look on her face but she knew that I was serious. As a matter of fact I thought about reporting her lack of common sense to the hospital, but didn't. Anyway, what I'm trying to get at here is that since latex gloves and masks and other protective wear is there to protect the patient from the doctor and to protect the doctor from the patient. I'm wondering how difficult it will be to incorporate universal precautions into the bedroom. Given the current HIV epidemic, I'm of the opinion that it should become common sense for people to put on some latex before exchanging bodily fluids with each other.
It just makes sense to me and I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts on this.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
In AMERICA We Really Ought to be Ashamed
When you take a look at history and at how societal issues were addressed back then, it has the ability to stir up many different emotions..at least it does in me. Especially when it's done with cruely and unfairness to those who were in no way able to protect themselves or their families from the forces that ruled. Take the Holocaust for example where human beings were killed because of who they were, their genetic or cultural origins, or health conditions.
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out. Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)
So here we are and we're not living under these circumstances THANK GOD! We currently have a choice and more importnantly we have a voice that is protected in the 1st and 14th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. But we CHOOSE to be SILENT on the issues surrounding HIV & AIDS in our community!!! It just makes my head want to explode, because although we don't have our babies being stacked into gas chambers we are leaving them vulnerable to being infected when we don't handle our buisness as parents and keep it real with them. Is it going to take seeing and smelling the decomposing bodies of those we love before we come together and take a stand?
Right now, yes, there are medications available to a lot of people to treat this illness. But have you ever paused to consider what will happen if one day the supply of medicine ever runs out? We are literally putting our lives on the line because what? we trust that the government has got our backs? Remember Katrina? The examples are endless. Who remembers the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment? It's quoted as being “the longest nontherapeutic experiment on human beings in medical history.” Where 399 African-American men were sick with this sexually transmitted desease on into its late stages and their doctors had no intention of telling them or treating them?
Is AIDS another plot to exterminate African-Americans? I really do not know. But what I do know is that I am not taking any chances that are within my control and I'm not going to not tell my children what they need to know in order to protect their bodies from HIV and also how to protect themselves.
That's all for right now. And I must say thank you for reading what I have to say, because sometimes I don't know when to stop and I'm by no means a great writer. But I am a work in progress. So thanks for listening and take care.
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out. Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)
So here we are and we're not living under these circumstances THANK GOD! We currently have a choice and more importnantly we have a voice that is protected in the 1st and 14th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. But we CHOOSE to be SILENT on the issues surrounding HIV & AIDS in our community!!! It just makes my head want to explode, because although we don't have our babies being stacked into gas chambers we are leaving them vulnerable to being infected when we don't handle our buisness as parents and keep it real with them. Is it going to take seeing and smelling the decomposing bodies of those we love before we come together and take a stand?
Right now, yes, there are medications available to a lot of people to treat this illness. But have you ever paused to consider what will happen if one day the supply of medicine ever runs out? We are literally putting our lives on the line because what? we trust that the government has got our backs? Remember Katrina? The examples are endless. Who remembers the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment? It's quoted as being “the longest nontherapeutic experiment on human beings in medical history.” Where 399 African-American men were sick with this sexually transmitted desease on into its late stages and their doctors had no intention of telling them or treating them?
Is AIDS another plot to exterminate African-Americans? I really do not know. But what I do know is that I am not taking any chances that are within my control and I'm not going to not tell my children what they need to know in order to protect their bodies from HIV and also how to protect themselves.
That's all for right now. And I must say thank you for reading what I have to say, because sometimes I don't know when to stop and I'm by no means a great writer. But I am a work in progress. So thanks for listening and take care.
My Burdens
There is an old school spiritual song that my grandmother used to sing all the time as she cooked and cleaned and went about taking care of her family, and it spoke of laying ones burdens down. I just Googled it and the name of that song is "When I Lay My Burden Down". And here are the lyrics to that song:
Glory glory, hallelujah,
Since I lay (laid) my burden down.
Glory glory, hallelujah,
Since I lay (laid) my burden down.
All my sickness will be over,
When I lay my burden down.
All my sickness will be over,
When I lay my burden down.
All my troubles will be over,
When I lay my burden down.
All my troubles will be over,
When I lay my burden down.
Lord, I'm feeling so much better,
Since I lay (laid) my burden down.
Lord, I'm feeling so much better,
Since I lay (laid) my burden down.
(The internet is an amazing tool somethimes.) This song best describes how I'm feeling lately when it comes to the fight against HIV & AIDS in my community. I feel better and better each time I share information with somebody because I believe that if what I have to say can't help them, then maybe it will help someone else that they cross paths with somewhere along the way.
Somewhere in my mind I'm believing that I'm going to find a way to connect with masses of people who are willing to not only listen to reason, but apply some behaviors to their own lives that are critical to our survival as a people.
Glory glory, hallelujah,
Since I lay (laid) my burden down.
Glory glory, hallelujah,
Since I lay (laid) my burden down.
All my sickness will be over,
When I lay my burden down.
All my sickness will be over,
When I lay my burden down.
All my troubles will be over,
When I lay my burden down.
All my troubles will be over,
When I lay my burden down.
Lord, I'm feeling so much better,
Since I lay (laid) my burden down.
Lord, I'm feeling so much better,
Since I lay (laid) my burden down.
(The internet is an amazing tool somethimes.) This song best describes how I'm feeling lately when it comes to the fight against HIV & AIDS in my community. I feel better and better each time I share information with somebody because I believe that if what I have to say can't help them, then maybe it will help someone else that they cross paths with somewhere along the way.
Somewhere in my mind I'm believing that I'm going to find a way to connect with masses of people who are willing to not only listen to reason, but apply some behaviors to their own lives that are critical to our survival as a people.
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