I'm HIV+ 19 years and healthy. I've participated in numerous HIV drug trials.

[Imallin4Joe]

Last edited Sun May 9, 2021, 09:08 PM - Edit history (1)

Dr. D.

I won't say anything else to protect his identity. He has led more than 300 clinical trials on anti-HIV medicines. He has helped the FDA approve almost every anti-HIV drug on the market today.

I have participated in many of these drug trials.

Dr. D. is a modern hero. Worthy of a Nobel Prize.

His research helped wipe out HIV. We've beaten down HIV to just another disease that can be treated with meds, down to a minor thing.

Today's meds bring HIV to UNDETECTABLE levels within 30-60 days.

HIV is DONE.

This same research helped develop covid vaccines.

We are defeating covid because of what we learned from defeating HIV.

I have participated in several different HIV drug trials under Dr. D's guidance. Several of these drugs went on to win FDA approval and are leading HIV-killers to this day.

Medicine and science will kick covid's ass.

Science has defeated the invincible disease. HIV.

Covid is weak compared to HIV.

Get vaccinated!

(ON edit: I'm 50 years old to give a bit of context.)

[roamer65]

1. I am betting mRNA technology will produce the first HIV vaccine.

Wouldn’t be surprised if in 3-5 years one is available.

I know Moderna just redeployed the technology from a developmental MERS vaccine, to SARS-CoV-2.

https://www.biopharma-reporter.com/Article/2021/04/15/Moderna-to-take-mRNA-flu-and-HIV-vaccines-into-Phase-1-trials-this-year

I hope I am able to get a HIV vaccine. That would truly be progress.

[joshcryer]

17. I think they will cure most if not all cancers.

The same approach to targeting COVID can be used to target cancer cells. Unfortunately the early treatments will likely be very expensive as the cancers will need to be analyzed and specific doses of mRNA vaccines administered and closely monitored and that will be hard to build out. But eventually. Eventually. We will get there. We are at the beginning of a new gilded age in medicine.

[Imallin4Joe]

29. mRNA is showing incredible potential...

Thanks for the link. Very informative and I hope others here read it. It proves how important science is to winning our battles against these deadly diseases.

The knowledge gained by researchers from developing these treatments often teaches them how to develop drugs for treating many other diseases.

Repeating what you wisely said, an HIV vaccine could be on the horizon due to mRNA tech and that would truly be progress. Numerous other diseases will see effective treatments become available as a result of this technology.

Thanks for the link and reply!

[panader0]

2. Didn't Dr Fauci have a role in this?

[mucifer]

12. yup fascinating interview with Terri Gross about the difference between the protests

from the AIDS activists and today's antivaxxers.

Basically he respected never was afraid of the AIDS activists and eventually was working with them on emergency use of HIV meds. This set the groundwork for the emergency use of the Covid vaccine.

From the interview:

GROSS: And, you know, you listened to the activists and, eventually, managed to get reforms so the drug trials could continue while the people with AIDS could get access to some of those drugs. But during the period when activists were really angry with you and there were protests and there were signs saying, like, F Fauci and an image of - I think you were burned in effigy. And there was an image of your head on a spike. Were those threats that you had to take seriously in the way you had to take them seriously now?

FAUCI: No, absolutely not. That really is a stark contrast. The activists were justified in their concerns that the government, even though they weren't doing it deliberately, were not actually giving them a seat at the table to be able to have their own input into things that would, ultimately, affect their lives. So even though they were very theatrical, they were very iconoclastic - they seemed like they were threatening. But never, for a single moment, did I ever feel myself threatened by the AIDS activists.

In fact, in one particular situation I think was very telling, I went down at a time when there was a lot of pushback against the government in not listening to the valid concerns of the activists. I was invited to go down. And I went with just one of my staff at the time to go down, essentially, alone to the gay and lesbian community center in the middle of Greenwich Village to meet with what must have been, you know, anywhere from 50 to 100 activists in this meeting room, just me and one of my staff. And they were angry with the federal government because they felt the federal government was not listening to them. And they were right. I mean, I think they had a really good point. Not for a second did I feel physically threatened to go down there, not even close. I mean, that's not the nature of what the protest was. One of the things about it was that not only were they not threatening at all in a violent way, but, ultimately, they were on the right side of history.

GROSS: Was there a turning point for you, where activists convinced you to change your mind? And...

FAUCI: Oh, yeah. Of course.

More of the fascinating interview I think I can only post 4 paragraphs.:

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/963943156

[Imallin4Joe]

38. mucifer- thanks for adding..

that educational reply.

Dr Fauci was on the frontlines of treating HIV.

His fearless leadership is legendary!

Again, thanks for adding that snippet!!

[Imallin4Joe]

34. Thanks for the shout-out to Dr Fauci..

Yes, his lifetime of work, his contributions to advancing the science and medicine of treating HIV, COVID and numerous other diseases are worthy of a Nobel Prize.

Thank you for bringing up Dr Fauci.

He's a real hero!

[rurallib]

3. I am dense - who is Dr. D?

[WA-03 Democrat]

7. I believe the OP's Doctor that did the trails but they do not want to disclose name

[Imallin4Joe]

9. rurallib-fair question..

I'm trying to protect the Identity of my beloved Doc.

I've known him for 25 years. He's kinda private. I just don't want to reveal him when I'm not sure if he wants that kind of notoriety.

He's a very humble human being that wants to make his fellow gay men healthier, happier humans. He's my fave bud too. And a collector of fine arts that are mind blowing. His Dr office is decorated with original Warhol photo's. Yes, the real valuable originals.

A true world class Dr, that treats simpletons like me, like gold.

[rurallib]

10. thank you

[MLAA]

4. Congrats on your continued good health!

Thank you for participating in the drug trials, you have no doubt helped many, many thousands.

[Imallin4Joe]

28. Thank you for the kind words!

It was an honor to work with Dr. D.

Drug and clinical trials can be kind of scary but I felt total confidence in participating knowing that these trials would be done under the strict supervision of a medical genius, Dr. D.

Many of his patients volunteered to participate in these 300+ clinical drug trials. We/I have seen first-hand the powerful results of his research unfold over the years before our very eyes.

That research led to a major finding.

People stopped dying from HIV and now can live very healthy lives.

Thanks for the great reply and nice words!!

[FakeNoose]

5. Thank you ... This needs to be said!

Science is a learning process. We are beating the bad germs just like we're beating the ignorance and the prejudice, one day at a time. Never give up, because tomorrow will be better than today.

[Imallin4Joe]

11. Thank you!! Very nice encouraging words!

[MuseRider]

6. Thank you for this

and thank you for your participation. My brother died of HIV in 2002. I am so happy this has become something that can be handled. There was nothing for him at the point he was with the disease and it was horrible. We tried everything that we could and I sat by him and watched him wither away. I am happy about all medical advances but the advance to the care of HIV was way too long in coming, the neglect by our government was killing people and they did not care. My brother died slowly and we were both in pain because of it and there are thousands of people just like me and my brother.

Thank you for your work to help and I am so grateful that the trauma of HIV is better than it was. I kind of kept myself away from learning about it after all that.

Vaccines are good almost all the time. Science is good. To think that HIV is no longer the horror that it was gives me great peace, I just wish our government had not waited so long to get this far. I wish we could get everyone to take the Coronavirus vaccines.

If you know Dr. D please give him a grateful thanks from someone out here who has suffered the loss and helped others who suffered the loss of HIV. It gives me great peace to know that it is being handled now.

[Imallin4Joe]

13. MuseRider- Thank you for sharing..

that heart-rendering story of your brother.

The saddest part of HIV is access to good Dr's and the powerful meds they can prescribe.

In 2002, Dr. D. would've prescribed meds that would've brought your brother to UNDETECTIBLE and manageable.

The only obstacle is cost, insurance, etc.

Sad that in the USA, cost kills us moreso than disease.

I work with numerous charities that direct gay men to affordable health care and have seen firsthand how these charities save lives.

Access to healthcare is everything.

Your real life story hit a nerve with me. Thank you!

[LakeArenal]

8. That's great news. Best of health to you!

[Imallin4Joe]

16. A hearty Thanks!! And best of health to you as well!

[Retired Engineer Bob]

14. I was tested positive in '96

Right on the cusp of effective protease inhibitor (PI) drugs being available. My former partner had died of AIDS just two years before. It took me 1/2 second of thought between the Dr. recommending PI’s and my agreeing to take them. I have been healthy for the past 24 years.

[Imallin4Joe]

20. Bob..

Heartbreaking real life story. Thank you for sharing.

96 was the year that many of these life-saving meds hit the market. At an astronomical price of course.

But those meds started to save lives. Although, rife with side-effects, they kept people alive. I wish we could go back to 96 and save your partner.

Its kind of sad. Today, DR. D. would have you and partner healthy, happy and undetectable. It's sad that we had to lose an entire generation of gay men to HIV.

Bob, hugs. Your partner was a lucky man!

[appalachiablue]

33. How wonderful, so glad you're well and here.

Keep on enjoying life, every day.

[dawg day]

15. Hepatitis too.

And soon malaria!

[Imallin4Joe]

22. When we learned...

how to defeat HIV, it taught us how to defeat almost any disease. HIV forced science to research at the microbial level and win the war at that level.

Science prevailed.

[patphil]

18. Serious, see if you can get him nominated for at least a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

[Imallin4Joe]

27. The discoveries made by his research and development...

most definitely warrant a PMoF. I'd love to see him get the recognition.

I have an appointment coming up soon with him for my general labs. I would love to chat with him about the subject and will bring it up!

His life-long body of work on the subject of HIV and other infectious diseases might also warrant a Nobel Prize. I'd love to see him awarded both.

Thanks for a great suggestion.

[SmartVoter22]

19. Courage to take treatments one step further

I've done clinical trails too, for my pancreatic cancer.

I commend you for going the extra step and adding what you could to trials. Medicine cannot get enough information, from patients, doctors and volunteering for clinicals is a big step, but thousands benefit from that effort.
Thank You for your courage helping every human.

[Imallin4Joe]

30. You bring up a very important point..

Thank you for participating in clinical trials for pancreatic cancer.

It's so very true that medicine needs volunteers to advance these meds from testing and trial phases toward approval by the FDA.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Here's to our health!!

[ancianita]

21. That's great! CRISPRCas9 has already edited out the gene for sickle cell, as well.

And they're running trials now after having rid a young girl of it.

I'm happy for you.

[Imallin4Joe]

31. CRISPRCas9 is another example of modern med tech..

that is advancing humankind's efforts to treat many diseases that were once viewed as nearly untreatable. Your reply also highlights the importance of those willing to volunteer for trials.

Thanks for the nice reply!

[ancianita]

35. Yes! And

if I get a genetically based disease I'll be first in line for CRISPRCas9 trials, no matter what my group is. Ending diseases is what this tech will do, and I'll do my part to make it happen.

[BobTheSubgenius]

23. I remember when HIV/AIDS was the scourge of mankind.

It was incurable, inexorable and as frightening as a disease could be. The hysteria had media coverage orders of magnitude greater than the advances referred to in the OP.

Rolling back this monster is something to be celebrated and shouted about. Physicians like Dr. D and patients/trial participants such as the OP poster should be known by name by millions, not hundreds.

[Imallin4Joe]

32. Every word of your reply is so very true!

I was born in 1970 and fully remember the 80's and all of the fear surrounding HIV/AIDS. We've come so far in treating the disease that those days seem like a distant memory.

It took science, medicine, and pain-staking research by brainiacs like Dr. D.

I hope Dr. D. will one day soon get the recognition he so rightly deserves.

He's worthy of a Nobel Prize for his research and advancement of these meds that have wiped out a scourge known as AIDS.

Thank you for your reply!

[ismnotwasm]

24. I lost so many friends to AIDS as a late teen/young adult

It damaged my ability to form friendships.

I have no patience for anti-vax, anti-science people. Like zero.

[Imallin4Joe]

36. Your experiences resonate with me 100%..

I've attended far too many funerals of gay men killed by AIDS.

ismnotwasm- I fully get where your coming from. I have experienced the same. It was fucking plain hard to develop friendships, relationships etc back in those days when gay men were dropping like flies, due to AIDS.

Every week was another funeral..

We've come so far since the 80's and early 90's.

Friendships and relationships are back on our "menu".

Science and medicine have granted us a whole new level of reprieve. We can once again get to know people without the fear of attending their funerals.

Medicine has set us free. Email me if you want to chat about this privately.

Thanks for sharing your experience. You bring up very valid points.

[ismnotwasm]

37. Thank you, those were some hard times

❤️?️💖💜💙💚🧡💘💋

[Lucinda]

25. ❤️ ✿❧🌿❧✿ ❤️

[MyMission]

26. My brother tested positive in 1985

I was devastated, thought it would be a death sentence. So glad he didn't think so, and he has been on medical cocktails for 36 years and doing well. He also participated in some early drug trials.

He turned 58 in March of this year. I wouldn't exactly call him healthy, he's had numerous surgeries over the years for hernias, back and neck problems, heart issues; but he's my hero.

His MDs recommended the J&J, which he got a month ago. They will now monitor him for blood clots, but he's doing well and.

Thanks for your post. Congratulations on living with HIV for 19 years!

[Imallin4Joe]

40. Thank you for your personal experience. Watching a close family member go through this..

can often be like living with the disease yourself.

Glad to hear that your bro lived through the scourge and made it to a time where meds made this disease manageable.

Thanks again for sharing.

Here's to all of our health!

[beaglelover]

39. My husband has been HIV+ since the early 90s.

He lost many of his friends to AIDS, including 2 prior partners. He's taken many different meds over the years and is now on a cocktail that makes his HIV undetectable. Before I met him, I never thought I'd fall in love with someone who was HIV+, but I did and we've been together for 15 years, married for 7. And I'm still HIV-. I hope he lives a long long time. We have many plans for when I retire in a few years.