Anxiety prevails for some people when taking tests. This is especially true for HIV tests.
Many worry about the confidentiality or the blood that may have to be drawn. Some worry about the results, but if you are worried about getting tested for HIV, it is not as bad as it seems.
Trust us, after doing the research, we know what it is like.
Many students don't know where to turn to when scheduling an appointment. There are two main options for Ball State students, both of which are completely free and anonymous.
The first one is to visit the Health Center on Tuesdays. Call 285-1067 to schedule and appointment.
The other option is to visit the Open Door AIDS/HIV Center, 920 W. Main St., 281-4264. We chose to visit Open Door to get tested for various reasons.
One of the reasons, as pointed out by the person who administered the test and is visited by numerous students, is that Ball State students don't want to be seen getting tested for HIV on campus.
Another reason is that Open Door uses a bloodless test called OraSure.
The experience of actually going to a place to get tested produced anxiety. While in the waiting room, our heads filled with all sorts of thoughts related to a disease that continues to kill by the millions.
Although we both knew the results of the test before it was administered, the "what ifs" lingered in our minds.
Suddenly, all the little things in the room were accounted for: the child playing innocently with the toys, the posters on the walls, and even the cheap, wallpaper-like wood that covered the walls. We tried to make small talk, although we were both absorbed in thought that almost paralyzed our bodies.
The door to the past, present and future opened, breaking the silence, as a clinician stood in the frame. She kindly guided us back through a maze of different rooms to one tucked away in the back of the building.
The room was filled with boxes of health-education pamphlets with a table in the center.
Our friendly staff member guided us through a small amount of documents in preparation of the actual test. She treated each of us as if we had previously known her, reassuring us the test is a piece of cake. Indeed, it was.
She placed the oral tests on the table and told us to read the simple instructions on the package. Our nervousness got the best of us. After reading the directions multiple times, we still had to have her go over the process step-by-step with us.
The test required us to place a toothbrush-like device in our mouth and rub it between our gums and cheek for a few seconds. We had to keep it there for three minutes and then place it in a tube filled with a solution. Off it went to the lab.
After the test, the clinician talked to us for a few minutes. She reminded us that getting tested won't prevent HIV, but being smart about sex and knowing your partner will.
Two weeks later (Tuesday), the familiar anxiety returned to us as we went in for our results. The clinician called us in one at a time (in accordance with the law) to let us know the outcome.
Both of us passed, as expected.
Getting the sheet of paper which officially puts you in the clear finally takes away the anxiety.
Are you as sure as we are?
Write to Kevin and Mat at twobsuguys@yahoo.com
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