Almost The End!

I can't believe the semester is almost over! My last semester at UCF - a very wierd thought indeed. I have decided to continue with my schooling while everything is still fresh in my mind. I fear that if I take a break, I will never return to school and I would like to achieve my Masters. I will be moving to Tallahassee at the end of the summer to work towards my MBA. My sister already attends FSU as an undergraduate student and I will be moving into an apartment with her. I am so excited!! To add to my excitement, I will be getting a Pomeranian puppy as a graduation present. Many unexpected events have happened throughout the past semester. At first, I just wanted to lay down and die but now I feel that I have some great things to look forward to. I would have never thought of moving to Tallahassee before and now I could not be more excited. My sister is my best friend and I feel blessed to have the time to enjoy being a student and strengthen my relationship with her :)

This week's QOTW was rather thought provoking. After conducting the M&M simulation, I cannot imagine going through such a medication regimen without the simulation part. The constant struggle with HIV medication side effects and the rigid schedule of the medications would make life very difficult. However, four weeks is nothing compared to a possible lifetime of HIV infection. I understand that I must adhere to the treatment for the full four weeks otherwise the virus may develop a resistance. If I were to become infected with HIV, not only would I have to deal with the medication side effects for much longer than four weeks, but I would also inherit all of the side effects of a positive HIV diagnosis.

As this class comes to an end, I feel like I have gained so much knowlege concerning HIV/AIDS. I feel much more aware of what is going on around me. I know for a fact that I was severely misinformed about HIV before this class. My goal for the future is to correct the misinformation that other people have about the virus. Knowledge is power and hopefully if more people know the facts about HIV, prevention and its prevalence throughout the world, something more can be done. Thank you for making this class so interesting!! I feel that I have learned more in this one semester than most of my other online classes.

***Did You Know?***

While HIV and pregnancy receives a lot of attention in the medical world, HIV and abortion seems to be lacking in research. An HIV+ pregnant woman has the same rights as an HIV- pregnant woman when it comes to abortion. The woman may want to avoid a pregnancy for the same reasons as other women but HIV+ women must also worry about the effects of pregnancy and childbirth on their health and the safety of their future child. There has been little research conducted on the morbidity of HIV+ women versus HIV- women and unsafe abortions, however evidence suggests that an HIV+ woman may have a higher morbidity risk. Studies in Zimbabwe and Thailand show that when information on legal pregnancy termination is lacking, HIV+ women can be prevented from conducting an abortion.

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-298933/Safe-abortion-for-HIV-positive.html