Trick or Treat: The No-Scare Guide to Knowing If It's HIV
By: Shey Homol It’s Halloween—the fright-fest movies are playing nonstop on HBO and the kids went all out again in their nastiest, goriest, or Disney-princess-inspired costumes. And yet what really scares you are not those things that go bump in the night… what’s been freaking you out are the sore bumps in your genitalia. You immediately think it’s HIV. You reckon you got it from sharing utensils with a friend who’s living with HIV. So even before Freddy Krueger could utter “nightmare,” you went ahead and bought a bagful of over-the-counter antibiotics that you’re certain would cure you. If you’ve been in this situation or a similar circumstance, don’t worry, you’re not the only one who has been misinformed. LoveYourself has always received queries online and even from walk-in clients about their supposed symptoms of HIV. And before, HEAVENS FORBID, you experience any nasty side effect from self-medication, let this version of “Trick or Treat” inform you more on HIV. “I’ve had multiple...