levasseur@morgan.DEC (Ray EMD & S Admin 223-5027) (09/05/85)
I just returned from vacation and ran into an old neighbor from 5 years
ago in Boston. He was diagnosed with Kaposi's long before AIDS became a house-
hold word. As time passed I watched him transformed from a very handsome, musc-
ular man to someone who looked 30 years older than his years. A couple of years
ago he was given ~6 months to live; after that I never saw him until recently.
I was shocked when a hand grabbed me and he said, "Ray, how ya doin?" I couldn't
believe my eyes; he looked truly wonderful, his youth had returned and so did
the pecs and boceps. He was one of the few who had a total remission of the dis-
ease and told me doctors have been studying him ever since his recovery.
We had a couple of very long chats and he shared a lot of what he went
through in the past few years. He also gave me a couple of serious warnings reg-
arding safe sex, spoken from the voice of experience. This also fell in the same
time period when a couple of the local Boston handout gay newspapers ran a coup-
le of interesting articles on AIDS. I would post them but both were rather long.
I would like to share some of his recommendations as well as a couple of points
the papers brought up regarding recreational drug use and their possible relat-
ionship to AIDS.
One article was a reprint from the New York Native on the use of poppers.
This one scared me since I have to admit to using amyl over the years. I don't
think that I will in the future. A couple of points that the article brought up
were:
(1) Amyl and isobutyl nitrate are immunosuppressors (they kick the shit out of
the immune system).
(2) Almost all over the counter poppers tested (Rush, Bolt....etc) contained
all sorts of contaminants; kerosene, hydrochloric acid, etc. Since they are
not controled by the FDA, there is no REAL quality control.
(3) They have been proven to cause heart, liver and kidney damage over time with
heavy use, to say nothing of the lungs.
(4) The majority of gay AIDS patients were reported to be heavy users of amyl
and butyl, as well as speed, MDA and other gay playtime drugs.
(5) Some studies show high correlations between heavy popper usage and the in-
cidences of Pneumosystis Pneumonia and Kaposi's Sarcoma.
(6) The isobutyl industry grossed over $50 million last year.
(7) New York state just outlawed the sale of these inhalants based on their
connection as a health hazard.
(8) My friend concurred with this article since he was a heavy recreational drug
user before getting sick. He has now sworn off the use of any drug, includ-
ing alcohol.
Since runnning into him and talking I've been reading a lot more about AIDS,
since I have more or less been like an ostrich, with my head in the sand. Last
night I dredged out my copy of the PBS Nova special "AIDS The First Chapter"
and watched it again. I never bothered paying attention before but my ears are
perked now! Ok HTLV III is a wimp of a virus (not very strong) and can only
take over when the immune system is not at it's peak. The paper mentioned the
fact that of the men in Boston and other large cities who voluntarilly were
tested for exposure to the virus, almost 80% tested positive. I know that the
test isn't 100% conclusive, but it is a real eye opener as far as the level of
exposure is concerned.
So how can we suicidally run our immune systems into the ground?
(1) Recreational drug use; poppers, speed, alcohol, etc, etc. These not only
act as immunosuppressors but interfere with proper sleep patterns. It has
been found that drugs can interrupt sleep states, resulting in the body
not getting adequate rest. Ever wonder why you feel like shit after a
heavy night of partying. Part of it is due to just plain fatigue and some
is due to alcohol, etc interrupting sleep. You may pass right out in bed
but not really get the rest you need. After extended periods of this be-
havior, the immune system can become weakened.
(2) Along the lines of not getting enough rest is continual partying. This seems
to be more common in cities where gay night life abounds. I know a couple
of guys (one who I dated) who are out every night till last call and have
to be up early for work. They take their speed, mda, etc to keep going and
are contimually in search of a trick. I'm not stereotyping here, just making
a point about high risk lifestyles. Bottom line is that you need adequate
rest to keep all your vital systems up to snuff. Not eating right also can
keep a good man down. A lot of all night partyers will pig out on junk food,
quick snacks before going on the hunt. At least take a good high potentcy
vitamin complex if your major source of energy is "Big Macs".
(3) Unsafe sex practices. I won't say too much since a lot has been already
said. I never paid attention to the fact that the intestines extract most
of what flows through them as fuel for the body until now. Anal passive
partners run a high risk since the semen and germs they contain get suck-
ed up into the bloodstream along with nutrients. Someone who gets fucked
a lot runs a high risk of infection. One practice which I find extremely
dangerous is rimming. This has become quite common in non gay as well as
gay sexual practices. A friend of mine almost died of shigella a few years
back. This is one of those third world disorders one gets from inadequate
sanitation "Don't drink the water!" As my family doctor said, "Why do you
think God put the anus and mouth on opposite ends of the body". One thing
that drugs also can do is lower inhibitions to engage in unsafe practices.
Stuff like MDA, poppers, etc enhance sensation and tempt someone to do a
lot of crazy stuff. One person I met sliped me a mickey containing MDA,
speed and cocaine in hopes that I'de want to get into a heavy scene. I took
off poste haste. I've never been much on swallowing semen but can see how
it is also hazardous.
(4) Having sex with someone who seemingly ISN'T well. I get very suspicious
when I see any type of sore, etc in the genital area. I'll politely call
it quits as soon as I feel uncomfortable with a partner's condition. I
don't care how attractive the guy is; I just don't want to risk getting
any infections. If you go home with anyone, you can discreetly check them
over during foreplay. I never hesitate to ask about anything that looks
suspicious and can usually tell when they're lieing.
(5) Whoring around.....nuff said! The highrer the number of partners, the higher
the risk. My old neighbor and I talked about numbers of sexual partners and
I was amazed when he told me that his total number of partners probably ap-
roached over 1000. Needless to say he's become quite celibate. He told me
that he's learned to enjoy non genital sex; cuddling, erotic massage, etc
as much as the old unsafe sex he had; for him, it's a matter of life and
death.
Bottom line to all this is that meeting my old neighbor raised my own
consciousness to the hazards of AIDS and lesser ailments. Talking to him got
me more in touch with some foolish things I've done over the years. I've got
some habits that need changing; slow down on alcohol consumption, toss the
poppers in the trash, etc. He squeezed my shoulder as he looked me in the eye
and said, "Ray! At all costs, stop using poppers, they're dangerous as hell.
You've probably been exposed to HTLV III and aren't aware of it. Don't push
the hand of fate any further than you already have!"
To respond to a posting by Bob Bernardo (I think) asking about feelings
regarding AIDS.....yes Bob, I am scared. I think it was you whom also posted
something about working out and noticing bruises and wondering if this might
be the beginning of Kaposi's. I'm very much into swimming and was at a gay
country club's pool doing laps. I always get a bump here and bruise there
from the walls of the pool. I noticed a couple of strange purplish marks
in my pelvic area. I always get them from banging against the pool walls but
got a little worried until they disappeared. If I feel run down or get a
bout of diarrea I now wonder. It's terrible to feel this paranoid but the
hazard is out there and very real.
Ray (Jason on hold for this issue)rob@ptsfa.UUCP (Rob Bernardo) (09/06/85)
Thanks, Ray, for a fine postings about AIDS and poppers and other recreational
drugs (posted in net.motss).
I read the NY Native article from which Ray reported some facts that
illustrate a connection with recreational drugs (esp. poppers) and AIDS.
The facts in the NY Native article carried a disclaimer (see below) that
renders them in my opinion inconclusive but highly suggestive of such a
connection:
Unfortunately, most of the published epidemiological studies of
gay men with AIDS were conducted several years ago, and had
serious shortcomings. ... In the absence of recent, large-scale,
well-conducted epidemiological studies, one may give a cautious
hearing to the less "scientific" evidence, such as reports from
those who have known many people with AIDS. Such evidence should
be evaluated critically, though it may [or may not] actually be
worth more than the quantitative "data" from a poorly executed
survey.
DO NOT ASSUME THAT BECAUSE YOU DO NOT USE RECREATIONAL DRUGS OR HAVE STOPPED
USING RECREATIONAL DRUGS THAT YOU CAN AVOID OTHER PRECAUTIONS AGAINST AIDS.
I have heard many, too many gay men make a dangerous
decision on which AIDS precautions they will and won't adhere to based on
preliminary scientific findings, anecdotal information, scientific studies
heard second, third hand though non-medical media, etc.
Re: bruises and other red marks that make you paranoid about KS lesions.
Maybe someone with more medical knowledge can verify the following.
Whenever I see a red blemish on my body, my first reaction
is to think "Oh, god! KS!" But I have learned to check a few things
to keep myself calm.
- Press on the blemish. If the red goes away, it's not a KS
lesion. That's because KS lesions are similar to bruises.
The color produced by a bruise (or KS lesion) is
caused by blood that has seeped into damaged tissue and clotted.
Pressing on the skin will not drive blood out with bruises (and
KS lesions) as it does with other blemishes.
- A real bruise (not a KS lesion) heals rather quickly. It goes
from red (fresh blood in the tissue) to brown and soon fades away.
For me, a bruise very rarely lasts more than two days, and goes
through enough color change in one day to calm my frazzled nerves.
I believe KS lesions hardly ever go away without such treatment
as chemotherapy, and I believe they look a lot redder than your
typical bruise because the tissue is highly damaged and the
blood continues to seep into it.
P.S. Could all AIDS postings please be posted to net.motss and net.med?
--
Rob Bernardo, San Ramon, CA (415) 823-2417 {ihnp4|dual|qantel}!ptsfa!robjhs@hou2d.UUCP (J.SCHERER) (09/07/85)
This is in response to Ray's recent article on drugs, late nights, and the immune system. (Ray, thanks for a really informative article!) I'm posting rather than mailing to maybe get some discusison going - also, I've felt guilty ever since someone (I forget who) chastised the ROM's on the network. So... Ray went into most detail on inhallants: > ...are immunosuppressors (they kick the shit out of the immune system). > ...most all over the counter poppers tested (Rush, Bolt....etc) contained > all sorts of contaminants He also mentioned alcohol, late nights, and other things that run the body down but he never mentioned my favorite illegal weed. Just where does grass fit in? Does it affect the immune system, too, and is dangerous per se, or is it in the catagory of "running the body down" - something that my body will accept some amount of but just not too much? Any thoughts? John
sdyer@bbncc5.UUCP (Steve Dyer) (09/08/85)
I guess I'd just like to reemphasize, now that someone's asking "well, if
poppers are bad, what about grass?", that this is exactly the WRONG kind of
question to be asking. None of the available evidence about AIDS
contradicts the assumption that all it takes is a SINGLE exposure through
an appropriate vector, quite independent of the supposed state of one's
immune system. The early people who got AIDS didn't necessarily succumb
because of late nights at the disco and lots of poppers--they got it
because they were sufficiently promiscuous that their chances of coming
across an infected person was very high. Now that HTLV-3 antibodies can be
found in a significant percentage of gay men, at least in certain cities
like NY, SF and LA, it is simply imprudent, if not suicidally foolish, to
indulge in "unsafe sex" practices, even if you meet "Mr. Wonderful" today
and pledge monogamy thereon.
Sure, take care of yourself, get enough rest, and take Geritol.
But don't let that substitute for the simplest and most effective
methods of avoiding exposure to the virus.
--
/Steve Dyer
{harvard,seismo}!bbnccv!bbncc5!sdyer
sdyer@bbncc5.ARPA