Emanuel Karlstrom, 39, a planner at Hiv-Sverige/HIV-Sweden, a regional company that works for people living with HIV, says he found out that he contracted HIV in Thailand in 2012.
He thanks the Anonymous Clinic of the Thai Red Cross Society for assisting him in getting HIV treatment and teaching him how to be healthy and sit with the disease.
He claims that the staff at the doctor had positive attitudes toward those who had HIV and were positive about his condition.
He claims that he had a positive knowledge living in Thailand as a person who had HIV. ” I received great HIV care for years after I got it,” said one patient.
Mr Karlstrom was speaking on the sidelines of the 25th International AIDS Conference ( AIDS 2024 ) in Munich, Germany, which ends today, to present his organisation’s work.
According to Mr. Karlstrom, he claims to have immigrated to Thailand in 2012 to work for a business in Sing Buri. Nevertheless, he says he eventually quit the job and decided to further his research at Bangkok University.
He claims to have spent the majority of his seven times at Thailand’s school.
” It was 12 years ago, and I was just 27 years ]old ] at that time”, he says. ” I was ]studying for ] a bachelor’s degree in hotel and tourism management.
I had a good time and I enjoyed living living like most kids, he says.
Emanuel Karlstrom, 39, conversations about contracting HIV and receiving medical treatment in Thailand.
Stress is a signal
The Swedish person claims to have discovered HIV after working out at a Bangkok treadmill.
He recalls using a rowing machine and quickly getting tired after only completing two breaths.
” I really felt that I had no strength. I had no power either, “he says”. At that point, I got back home and slept early that night. But when I went to the gym the following morning and engaged in the same exercise, I felt the same way.
Mr. Karlstrom claims that he had a suspicion that something was wrong with his figure, so he went to Thep Tharin Hospital the following morning and requested a check-up.
He claims he paid a few thousand pounds for the checkup, which included a sexually transmitted disease screen.
The information about his state came as a total horror, he says.
” I do n’t know how I contracted it. From who? It was n’t something I had previously considered.
” It was like a dark hole beginning when you get that information, and there was no counselling”, he says. ” There was no follow-up approach or whatever. I was even scared because]the medical treatment ] was in the official record.
” They had it on record. I thought they may share]the diagnosis ] with the government or something. Or perhaps the university learned? ] I was under ] a lot of stress, “he says.
According to Mr. Karlstrom, learning about his Aids disease was a difficult time in his life.
” Though, being in Thailand at that time, I felt Thai folks were also good. Maybe that was some relaxation. But I was also shocked, “he says”. How may I proceed? I mean, living as a tourist in Thailand, was I remain to be in the land? May I expose my situation? Do I face repatriation?
” Who do I talk to? What did I do in college? Of course, I was worried whether I had passed]HIV] to someone else or not”, he says.
” These were my major problems, particularly with my girlfriend at the time”, he adds. Did she get HIV from me or no?
” But, she understood everything. She gave me comfort. If I had n’t had her at the time to comfort me, I do n’t know whether I would have killed myself”.
He claims that his roommate was staying with him at the moment. He claims that the partners conducted an HIV check on the same day to confirm the results.
Luckily, she tested negative, he says, adding that she understood the situation and stood by him, giving him spiritual help.
Mr Karlstrom says that at first, he was scared of having intercourse with another, fearing he may spread the virus.
He claims he had inquiries about the illness, including whether cups and restrooms can be shared with non-patients.
He claims that he was concerned about unintentionally harming another person because he had no prior knowledge of the condition at the time.
But, he says his partner calmed him. He claims that she assisted him in finding the Private Clinic for the Thai Red Cross Society and sought medical guidance on HIV.
Convenience and understanding
According to Mr. Karlstrom, it took about four times to show his community about his condition. He claims that it was one of the most challenging issues he had previously done.
He claims that he was concerned about the stigma and discrimination associated with the illness. He claims that his relatives comforted him and assisted him in living with it.
However, he says that his recent girl of about three decades is from Kanchanaburi.
” I was confident because I]received ] a lot]of information ] about HIV/Aids”, he says. ” ]With antibiotic medication], I cannot move the condition to her, so she is safe.
” When I was in Thailand next day, we went up to Kanchanaburi, “he says”. We stayed it, and we even went there to get tested for HIV. She tested bad.”
He claims that she encourages him to reflect on his experiences and makes him feel stronger about his situation.
” I told her the same thing that I told you: I was drinking, having the best time of my existence, going out to stand out on Ekkamai Road, Ratchada Soi 4, “he says.
” I went to venues at RCA. Of course, apart from that, I was having intercourse with someone who I did not hear earlier.”
He claims that people who have HIV face a lot of discrimination, but many also stigmatize themselves.
Worry those who have HIV/AIDS. They ca n’t harm you, “he says.
” These people are concerned. We must look after ourselves and our body.
” You should treat them fairly, and at the end of the day, we take care of each another, “he adds.
” We love each other, simply as my girl does on an everyday basis.
” I am pleased to contribute to raising public awareness of HIV so that culture can understand it better,” he says. Simply put, it’s about loving one another.