June 27th is National HIV Testing Day, but even though the Center For Disease Control estimates that African-Americans account for an estimated 44% of all new HIV…
One in four people don’t even know they have it… Diabetes Cases Rise To Never-Before-Seen Levels In United States America’s level of diabetic cases has risen to alarming levels, and the main culprit to blame remains obesity . Via LATimes : Driven by surging obesity, an aging population and doubly high risks among blacks and Latinos, the American epidemic of diabetes has leaped to historic heights in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. Diabetes mellitus now afflicts 29 million Americans — 9.3% of the nation’s population. And 1 in 4 don’t know they have the disease, which is thought to increase the risk of heart attack or stroke as much as fourfold. Releasing a welter of new statistics on the disease, the agency said an additional 86 million American adults — nearly 1 in 3 — has prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are abnormally elevated but below the criteria for diagnosing diabetes. Between 15% and 30% of those with prediabetes will go on to develop the full-fledged metabolic disorder within five years, a transition that can sometimes be averted with substantial weight loss and increased physical activity. The new statistics are based on national health data gathered in 2012 and represent a nearly 12% increase in the number of those with diabetes since the last statistical report was issued in 2010. In 2012 alone, 1.7 million Americans 20 years and older were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. African Americans, Latinos and those of American Indian/Alaska Native descent are roughly twice as likely to have diagnosed diabetes as non-Latino white adults, the CDC said. People we have all got to do better! This is a serious epidemic. Cut down on the sugar before they have to cut off your leg!
Ready to be inspired, THGers? Dylan Siegel is a seven-year old whose best friend Jonah has tragically been diagnosed with a rare illness called Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1b. It’s a live disorder that cases very low blood sugar and for which there is no cure. Jonah is one of only 500 kids in the world with the disease and he must be fed through a tube every few hours. Because Dylan describes his friendship with Jonah as “awesome as a chocolate bar,” he has written The Chocolate Bar Book, sold it across the world… and raised over $600,000 for research into the illness. Says Dr. David Weinstein of the Florida lab that is receiving these proceeds: “It is now reality. It’s not just a dream that these children can be cured.” Pretty amazing story, huh? You can follow this link to purchase a copy of The Chocolate Book and donate.
Dear Bossip , I am a married woman. I have been with my husband about 14 years and we have been married for two of them. I had a stroke recently and found out I was HIV positive. I have never cheated on my husband, however, he has cheated. He told his family, friends, and his mom and dad about my results. They told him to get the hell away from me. His sisters stated I am a whore, slut, and he lets them talk about me and he does not defend me. I now have this attitude of “f**k ‘em.” My husband stated he was tested, but I have not seen the test results. He told me he was HIV negative. I am confused. – Tested Positive Dear Ms. Tested Positive , Ma’am, wow! What a devastating blow to receive this news after you suffered a stroke, and then for your husband to reveal your results to his family and friends. That is not cool! He had no right to disclose your status, nor should he be discussing your condition without your permission or consent. But, know this, if you’ve never cheated on your husband, but, your husband has cheated on you, and now you have HIV. The only culprit is your husband. There is no reason for confusion. Trust! He is the one who has given you the disease. Don’t you find it ironic that he told you that he got tested, yet, you’ve never seen the results. Ma’am, please don’t fall for this bull-ish! He is lying! And, it’s time to call his a** out on his lies. Therefore, I strongly urge that you demand that you and your husband go to the doctor together. Not separately, but together. And, though, they will test you separately in different rooms, however, you will get the results right then and there. They have HIV rapid tests, and it only takes a few minutes for the results to come back. And, when he comes out of the room, with tears streaming down his face, or he’s upset and angry, you will know the results. But, he may try to mask his emotions and be stone faced. Regardless, you get that piece of paper from out of his hands and read the results for yourself. He can’t deny what’s in print. Then, you beat his a** all through that doctor’s office! Wham! Bam! Pow! And, you need to call his a** out for disclosing your condition to his family, friends, and parents. You need to lay into him, and let him know that he did not have the right, nor was he in any position to share your medical condition without your consent or permission. You need to make sure he understands it is not his job, or responsibility to go around revealing your medical records to whomever he feels. Hell, you should have knocked his a** in the head with a cast iron skillet! Moving on, let’s get this straight and right together. I feel the reason your husband told his friends, family, and parents about you and your status is because he secretly knew he was HIV positive and was hoping he wouldn’t transmit the disease to you. I believe he’s known for a while and he got it when he cheated on you. He’s kept this from you, and continued having sex with you unprotected because he knew it would raise suspicion if he started wearing condoms with his own wife. Low down dirty a** dog! So, once you learned about your status, it became his way to put you on front street, and it also became the perfect alibi where he could put the blame on you to his family, friends, and parents if he comes up positive. And, guess who they will think gave it to him? Hmmm, sounds crafty, shady, and trifling. He is a bastard and when you learned of your status, there should have been no confusion, no wondering, or being stumped. Your mind should have went right to your husband and his low down cheating good for nothing rat bastard slimy gutter a**. And, you should have wore his a** out all through that house. He wouldn’t be walking upright. And, you should have smashed him in his nuts! I do recommend that you begin working with your doctor about treatment, and effective ways to take care of your health. You should learn what medications you need, and how often you need them. I know you’re hurting and in pain, but with modern medicine and treatment you can take care of yourself and live a long life. This is not a death sentence, and you can live a healthy life if you take care of yourself, and maintain a positive attitude. I also recommend therapy and speaking with a counselor. I’m sure you are going through various emotions and feelings. Speaking with a specialists will help you manage all of this, and how to properly place these emotions. Next, I do urge getting tested with your husband and getting his results. You need to confirm he is the one who has transmitted the disease to you. And, then you need to consider either working on your marriage, and how you both will deal with this a couple. Or, you need to consider a divorce. And, I know you may feel that no one will want you, and you may feel you don’t want to be alone, but that is not the case. There are many healthy HIV positive people who date and have a healthy sex life, and relationships. You just need to be proactive in informing your partners up front, and making sure to protect yourself during sexual relations. If you decide to stay married, then both of you need to be in counseling together. Both of you need to work together on how to heal your lives, your marriage, and for him to be honest and tell the truth about his non-disclosure, and hiding it from you. He needs to come clean and lay it all on the table about his status, how long he’s known, and why he didn’t tell you sooner. This will hurt to hear, but you need to know the truth. And, then, he needs to go to his friends, family, and parents and tell them the truth, and clear the up the lies he’s created by telling them about you, but failing to tell his status. Remember, take care of yourself. Speak with your doctor, and get into treatment. Find a therapist or specialists to help you with your feelings, emotions, and well-being. And, divorce that trifling a** husband of yours. He violated your marriage, your body, and your life. Leave him! – Terrance Dean Hey Bossip Fam, what do you think? Share your opinions and thoughts below! Also, e-mail all your questions Terrance Dean : loveandrelationships@bossip.com Follow Terrance Dean on Twitter : @terrancedean “LIKE” Terrance Dean on Facebook , click HERE! Make sure to order my books Mogul: A Novel (Atria Books – June 2011; $15); Hiding In Hip Hop (Atria Books – June 2008); and Straight From Your Gay Best Friend – The Straight Up Truth About Relationships, Love, And Having A Fabulous Life (Agate/Bolden Books – November 2010; $15). They are available in bookstores everywhere, and on Amazon, click HERE!
Dear Bossip , I am a 30-year old single woman who has been out of the dating game for a year due to a very bad break up. I have always been the faithful type and I don’t make a habit of sleeping around. Last year around this time I found myself awaiting the return of my fiancé who was serving in Iraq. For 18-months I kept to myself and just counted the days until my man was to come back home. Well, I got a special surprise one day when I answered the door and it was my boo. He was back a whole week earlier. To make a long story short, he took me right then and there. The sex was off the chain. About three weeks after that I started having some female issues, so I went to my Gynecologist and I found out I had herpes and gonorrhea. I know I could have only gotten it from him because for the past four years he has been the only partner I have been with. When I confronted him about it he was not angry or surprised by it until I broke up with him. Now, a whole year later I have been flirting with a guy in my office who has asked me out so many times it’s not even funny. I finally said yes and we have been going out and having fun for about three months now. We have not had any sexual contact yet, but I want to so bad. I have all the information about protection and how not to spread herpes, but my question is how do I even bring up the subject without him automatically thinking I am a skank or something? I don’t know too many black men that are willing to date someone who they know has an STD. – Stuck With A Disease Dear Stuck With A Disease , Damn! Damn! Damn! (In my Florida Evans voice). Now this is some ole’ low down dirty trifling bull-ish right here. Please don’t tell me that that man is still breathing and walking! Honey, all of your cousins, brothers, and uncles should have whooped his MoFo behind! Here you are being the dutiful girlfriend who stuck by her man’s side while he went off to war to fight for our country. You did the upright and admirable thing and held down the home front. I bet any amount of money that you supported him emotionally while he was away. You sent letters, cards, and care packages to him for the entire eighteen months he was in Iraq. You didn’t even stray outside of your relationship. You remained faithful. Yet, this disease infested trifling a** dirty dog is having sex with lawd knows who, and what, and comes back home and brings you a special package. One you can’t get rid of it. Yeah, you would have been entitled to a “beat his a** and clip his nuts” get out of jail free card! This should be a lesson for all women out there. If your man is out of your life for a period of time, i.e., overseas, prison, or wherever, and he comes back into your life, girl, until you’ve both been tested for all diseases and have gotten a clean bill of health from your doctor, please use condoms. Or better yet, don’t engage in sex until your results return!! Okay, Ms. Thing, back to you. So, you want to know about the guy in the office who you’ve recently started dating and you haven’t had sex with yet, but you want to. You want to know how to bring up the subject matter without him thinking you’re a skank or something. But, what I am reading and interpreting from your questions is, if you should tell him about your herpes, or if you should take precautions and don’t say anything? So, let me ask you this. The fact that your ex didn’t say anything to you and gave you herpes and gonorrhea, how do you feel about that? Didn’t you feel betrayed? Didn’t you feel deceived? I’m sure you were hurt, angry, bitter, and probably asked, “Why me?” So then, why would you do the same thing to someone else? Why would you not tell someone about the risks and potential harm you are putting them in? It’s called being selfish. It’s called being self-righteous, and arrogant. You don’t care about anyone else except you and what you are getting out of the situation. You are willing to put someone else’s health and life at risk because you want some sex to satisfy your own selfish pleasures. Girl, that is wrong. Be honest, upfront and tell the truth! You want to know when to tell him about your situation? Ms. Honey, it’s time you tell him now. Today. Right now. This very moment. It’s been three months and you’ve been avoiding it because you’re afraid of what he is going to think. He deserves to know. He has a right to know. I am certain he wants to have sex with you, but I am clear, and very clear, that it is you who is putting him off because you’re afraid of how he will respond to your situation. Don’t you dare wait until you have sex with him, and while he’s laid up next to you then you decide you want to become Ms. Truthful and Honest and tell him, “I have herpes, but it’s all good because we used condoms and I know all about the precautions.” Don’t be surprised if he jumps out of the bed, leaves you lying there, and never speaks to you again. You have to tell him because it’s the right thing to do. You can’t worry about how he is going to respond or what he is going to think. You can explain to him what happened, how it happened, and that you are treating your herpes. However, it is up to him if he decides to stay in the relationship, or if he decides he wants to sleep with you. If you’re honest and tell him the truth, and educate him on the precautions to take, you never know how he’s going to respond. So, Ms. Thing, I’m sorry about what happened to you, but, please don’t go around manipulating and deceiving others because you feel no one will love, or date you because you don’t want to disclose the fact that you have a disease that is infectious. That is trifling and low-down. Be a woman and be upfront about your situation. Don’t mislead others for your own selfish pleasures. In being honest and truthful you never know how your mate will respond. Respect, love, truth, and honesty goes a long way baby – Terrance Dean Hey Bossip Fam, what do you think? Share your opinions and thoughts below! Also, e-mail all your questions Terrance Dean : loveandrelationships@bossip.com Follow Terrance Dean on Twitter : @terrancedean “LIKE” Terrance Dean on Facebook , click HERE! Make sure to order my books Mogul: A Novel (Atria Books – June 2011; $15); Hiding In Hip Hop (Atria Books – June 2008); and Straight From Your Gay Best Friend – The Straight Up Truth About Relationships, Love, And Having A Fabulous Life (Agate/Bolden Books – November 2010; $15). They are available in bookstores everywhere, and on Amazon, click HERE!
Valerie Harper may have incurable brain cancer, but she says she’s feeling great. “I’m alive. I’m feeling good. I’m trying to live every moment as much as I can.” Harper tells USA Today “the phone has not stopped” since her announcement. “Or the texts, or the e-mails. It’s incredible.” But she worries people “have a picture of me in a bed or a wheelchair or in trouble. Three months may be accurate, but it is not the whole truth.” “I could have a seizure within a week,” or, she says, she could live much longer. “I can’t say it’s terminal. I’m saying it’s incurable so far, but we’re all terminal. No one is getting out of this alive. The key is, don’t go to the funeral until the day of.” The star of the classic sitcoms Rhoda and The Mary Tyler Moore Show , Valerie Harper says that even during chemotherapy, she is feeling good these days. “I feel better now than I did when I first started feeling symptoms,” she said, noting that she hopes the chemo will slow the spread of the disease. “My husband says if we can slow it down, more stuff may come up,” possibly new cures or treatments. “They are working fast and furiously for all of us.” “They’re not doing this for Valerie Harper. They are doing this for cancer patients.” “It could a be a week, it could be three months or perhaps six months or a year. I’m already at eight months from first symptoms. I’m trying to get ready to say goodbye.” “Miracles occur,” she says, “or people die the next day.”
Symptoms of PAM are not specific to this disease and resemble those of viral meningitis. Symptoms include headache, fever, stiff neck, loss of appetite, vomiting, altered mental state, seizures, and coma. There may also be hallucinations, drooping eyelids, blurred vision, and loss of the sense of taste.