My name is Rodney. I was first diagnosed in November of 1991. I was living in Austin, Texas. I'd just gotten back from the Gulf War. I was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and I moved down there. And uh, I lived in Austin, and I went out one night, and uh, to have some drinks and some "recreational drugs"—some cocaine—and I had unprotected sex.
I remember that Saturday morning like it was yesterday. It was about 9 a.m., I was lying in bed, and the phone rang. Oh, God, I'm getting cold chills. And it was like the warden calling, you know, from death row. And, the phone rang, and it was like out of a movie, I let it ring and ring and ring. And finally I picked up the phone and he goes, 'Rodney, this is Dr. Bob.' And I said, 'Yes, Dr. Bob.' And he said, 'Rodney, your test came back, and it confirmed the Eliza.' He said, 'You are positive.'
The worst punishment to a man here on earth is to live without hope. I'm here to offer you that hope. It's, it's...You can live a full, happy life. You know, I work out at the gym everyday. I have a ton of friends. I love my friends, you know, the relationships...just laughing, giggling on the floor, rolling like I'm four-years-old, you know, that's what I live for. It's not for things.
How I take my medications is right after I pray. I pray twice a day. I hit my knees in the morning upon awakening. I eat a small breakfast and I take my medications. At night, I take my medications then I hit my knees. And I thank God for these medications, I thank him the life he has given me and one more day of being sober.
Feel the anger, the resentment, the frustration, get it all out and talk to as many people as you can about it. Find your safe people, that's what I would offer. Get you some safe people in your life, you know, that's not gonna hurt you. Your parents, your very close friends. Stick to those. Go to a support group, HIV Circle, a support group, you know, 'well hey I'm 21 or I'm 35 and I'm going through this and I just got on these medications and I'm having this side effect or that side effect' and 'Oh yeah, well, that happened to me.' The camaraderie that you'll have between each other is phenomenal and there's healing in that. And you know, at 2 o'clock in the morning when, if you're throwing up or you're doing whatever, and you pick up the phone and you say, you know, 'hey, I did that too, and it's gonna be ok.' You'll get through it.
This is how I manage my side effects. If you don't do it with laughter, you're not gonna get through it. With some of the medications, you're gonna have to go to the bathroom. It's just gonna happen. Sometimes you can go to the doctor and they can give you some medications, you know, that will help that. There's gonna be some side effects, this is reality, you know?