A reader writes:
I was diagnosed with HIV ten years ago. I had rarely, up to that point, ever had a need to step foot in a doctor's office; I was almost never sick. Now that I had to go in every three months for blood work, I got to know my HIV doctor very well. Being a big mouth, I had no qualms in answering any questions he had. As part of one of my early visits, he went down a list of questions related to my lifestyle (eating habits, exercise, smoking, etc). When he asked me "Do you smoke?", I said "not cigarettes". He followed up with "Do you smoke tobacco of any kind?" I said, "No, I only smoke weed, and have done so since I was 18 and I'm not quitting." (I was 34 at the time.) His reply? "That's fine, as long as you don't smoke tobacco … that's a no-no when you're Poz."
In subsequent visits over the years, we've developed a very open rapport. I've told him how weed has helped me deal with some of the side effects of the HIV meds I took. One of the drugs I took (Sustiva) was affecting my sleep. I don't get crazy dreams or anything, but it definitely caused me to wake up constantly during the night. I would get maybe 4-5 hours sleep each night. The insomnia was killing me. The one thing I knew that worked against it was smoking weed before bedtime – boom, I'd get 7-8 sleep. It's been this way since I was in college (long before I was Poz). It sure beats taking prescription sleep aids every night.
My doctor has found this interesting and has never asked me to stop smoking weed.
The Dish 