Hi OP, it’s good to see someone else living with the same condition on MN sharing their story 😀.
So sorry to hear about how you heard about it, though I guess there’s no good way really! And a great shame you didn’t go on the young person’s residential as I hear it’s a great thing to do and really helpful. At least those you have told have been supportive - I found this too and it is so important to be able to talk freely about it as it somehow helps normalise it.
I understand that some people have more sensitivity to side effects from the meds. I had some nausea with one of mine (raltegravir) but found eating something helped a lot. Luckily we are getting new meds all the time, and even better, dual therapy is now being approved (2 drug combinations instead of 3) which reduces down the possibility of side effects. Perhaps at some point you could consider giving that a go as it might work better for you? Then there’s long lasting injections (like once every 2 months) which will replace pills that will probably get approved soon.
Out of interest, have you actually received an AIDS diagnosis? Do you know what your test results are for viral load and CD4? I do hope your clinic are giving you good support. Have you thought of accessing any peer support - others living with HIV who you can chat to either in person or online? I found this incredibly helpful and it helped me realise I wasn’t the only one and I felt less isolated.
Btw, re mortgages, as there is no requirement to disclose your HIV status there is no difference in price. Yes, life policies can be taken out, though at a premium. As far as travel insurance goes, on meds with a decent CD4 and undetectable viral load, there’s no difference in price.