It was on the 14 June 2009 when I told my girlfriend that we should go for HIV blood tests. If fact, this I suggested a week before the 14th and due to workload, I postponed it.
On 14th night I told her I will leave early at work and we would go straight to the Doctor who will conduct the blood test on both of us. At the time, she said it would be the second time she does HIV blood test while myself on the other hand, it will be my first time.
That night, I told her the importance – as I saw it – of doing blood tests as this would probably provide us with some light as to whether she could be pregnant or just one of those reasons.
Without disputing the idea, she agreed that it would be the right thing to do. Most importantly, as we both agreed, the blood tests should have taken place prior to any love making that could have taken place before.
On 15 June 2009, she knocked off earlier as usual. Upon her arrival at home, she called to remind me not to forget to leave work earlier so that we can see the Doctor as early as possible before closing time, 17h00 pm.
When I left for the Doctor in town, I first called her to meet me at the Doctor’s surgeon as I had previously given her directions to which she was familiar with. Fortunately, she never got lost.
At first, I was anxious and kinda in a hurry as to when will the Doctor attend to us as we were not as terminally sick as other patients because, I thought to myself, surely blood tests are not quite a time consuming procedures compared to other procedures.
Why a Blood tests?
This is a question commonly asked by everyone ‘who wants to do blood tests?’
Initially, both she and I discussed the importance of blood test as the following, amongst others:
a) To know each other’s HIV status: negative or not,
b) As an indication that we cared for one another, and not just oneself,
c) As a guideline in taking our relationship further, and, I told the Doctor,
d) To know or familiarise ourselves with illness we have be affected or infected with which we were not aware of, previously,
e) The danger of not knowing one’s health/HIV status
These, it appeared the night before the testing, were mainly reasons we saw the importance of knowing our HIV status.
Often than not, one is confronted with many a questions especially when such has informed his family, friends and colleagues of one’s intention – blood testing. It is during this stage that one is confronted with questions such as: ‘why do you want to take blood tests?’, ‘why would you want to do that now and not later?’, or worse, ‘why do you want to know your status anyway, isn’t better not knowing?’
Is it not better knowing? I may ask too.
Fortunately, both our results were negative and we moved on with our lives.
And I would advise that you take your partner and do the same, if you love and care for one another, that is. This will be the first and greatest step in any relationship, and the one step you would both feel proud and brave for having taken.
Good Luck
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