Script: Lucas Fauno Art: Jon Amarillo       The first time I saw an infectious disease specialist, she tried to bribe me. She told me my tests were fine, but that I should get them done at a lab she trusted, and that if I mentioned her name, I'd get a discount. I had all the paperwork, but I didn't know anything—not what a CD4 count was, viral load, nothing. I left crying and called a biochemist friend. I asked her for help. From then on, professionals started appearing whom I could ask questions. Today, when I meet someone with a recent diagnosis, my first piece of advice is: "Find an infectious disease specialist you can ask EVERYTHING." The doctor's office should be a space for disagreeing, sharing, learning, and evolving. We're not patients. I don't have patience. I demand a cure. But in the meantime, my life must become a quality of life. And I couldn't report that first infectious disease specialist who tried to profit from my confusion. First, because I was so shocked I couldn't do anything, and then because when I looked for her, she had passed away. My infectious disease specialist has stopped seeing patients. We shared many conversations, disagreements, and shared progress. I have to find a new doctor again, but I'm clearly not the same person I was before. If you have any questions or concerns about the professionals treating you, you can call 08003333444. This is the HIV/AIDS hotline of the Ministry of Health.

Bicho and I #23: Bicho and I: “Nobody is obligated to say they live with HIV”

Bicho and I #22: #LivingWithHIV Bicho and I: Until the cure, always!

Bicho and I #21: Take a hug 

Bicho and I #19 go to the movies: 120 beats per minute

Bug and Me #18: Your question is annoying

Bicho and I #17: “Yes, I live with a strain of HIV”

Bug and I #16 “It’s not contagious!”

Bicho and I #15: #8M Three women living with HIV explain why they stop

Bicho and I #14: #LivingWithHIV “Where is Bicho?”

Bicho and I #13: “We are not carriers”

Bicho and I #12: “How can you not tell me you have a Bicho?”

Bicho and I #11: HIV and AIDS are not the same

BichoYYo#10: Bicho, me and medication: “People with HIV are much more than a pill”

BichoYYo #9: We urgently need our medication

Bicho and I #8 The Dangers of Activism

Bug and I #7 Superpowers for an X-Men cover

Bicho and I #6 “Happy New Year!”

Bicho and I #5: “Nine years with Bicho”

Bug and I #4: “The scapegoat”

Bicho and I #3 “Without Grindr there is no paradise”

Bicho and I #2 “The best thing about medication”

Bicho and I #1: the comic strip that tells in the first person what it's like to live with HIV

]]>