Welcome to the HIV Forum : Tips For Posting

[nursegirl6572]

WELCOME TO THE HIV COMMUNITY FORUM!

This forum is manned by Medhelp members, THE DOCTORS DO NOT READ OR RESPOND IN THIS FORUM.  If you want to have your concern addressed by the physicians in the Expert Forum, you must post your question there and pay the appropriate fee.  Please read the rules posted in the Expert Forum.

THERE ARE RULES FOR THIS FORUM POSTED BY MEDHELP STAFF MEMBERS AT THE TOP OF THE FORUM, PLEASE READ THE RULES CAREFULLY.

After reading the forum rules, please read the following ideas and suggestions before posting your question.

1.  Most people who come to the HIV forum have concerns about a possible sexual encounter, with a great number of them involving infidelity.  Please leave out comments about guilt, morals, etc.  Comments such as, "I will never do this again and cannot live with my mistake", or "I'm so sorry" are not relevant to the topic, and do not help us assess your possible risk.  Plus, it just adds to the length of your post.  Please limit your post to relevant facts about the "exposure" only.  We are not here to judge your indiscretions.

2. Please keep ALL of your questions/comments on your ORIGINAL thread only.  Do NOT start multiple threads.  All this does is create confusion in a very busy forum, and possibly delay other posters getting their threads answered.

3.  Before posting your question, use the search function to review other threads similar to your own.  Many topics on this forum are discussed numerous times a day, therefore there are plenty of resources in other threads, as well as in the archives.  Search this forum and the HIV Expert Forum to get an idea of the standard assessments that we give.  Many times, your question can be answered solely by reviewing other posters' questions.  You will find the search box at the top right of the HIV Forum's main page.  It says, "Search this Forum".  Enter a short, relevant phrase, like "unprotected vaginal sex".

If you still feel you would like an individual assessment, be brief in your description, and be sure to include all relevant details (i.e. condom use, your history and timing of any HIV tests that you already had, etc).  Again, we are not interested in hearing your moral dilemmas, and already understand that this is an anxiety-provoking topic, so you need not mention those types of things, as it does not aid us in giving you the FACTS about your "exposure", which is what we deal with. FACTS.

4.  When we have replied to your question, please READ the responses very carefully.  We are not going to tell you "no risk" if we somehow think there was a risk based on the information you presented.  If we need more information to come to a determination, we will ask for it.  Do not keep asking the same questions in a re-phrased manner.  Our answers are not going to change.  Also, if we have replied to you on the forum, our answers are not going to be different in a PM.  Please understand that we receive a VERY high volume of PM's...again...if we have replied to your thread, we are not going to have any additional information to share with you privately.  It is okay to send a private message but please keep these things in mind, and please be patient expecting a reply.

5.  BE PATIENT.  We are not awake and on the forum 24/7.  We actually respond to threads quite promptly.  Adding posts to your thread over and over because you are waiting for a reply will not make us get to you any faster, and will delay other posters getting THEIR concerns addressed.  Be courteous, you are not the only one with a concern.

6.  When we tell you "MOVE ON", we mean it.  We are not trying to be rude, we are teling you that there is no other information we have to share with you, and we are letting you know that we have answered your question.  This is not an invitation to then start madly PM'ing the regular posters, or creating a new screen name, trying to appear as though you are a new poster with a new question.  First of all, you'd be surprised at how observant our moderatorss are, not to mention the regular posters here.  If you think you will get away with bypassing the rules, think again.

7.  Finally, the rules are in place on this forum for a reason.  Unlike a lot of the other forums here on MH...this is a very HIGH anxiety-ridden forum, and we simply MUST maintain order.  We do this so that EVERY poster coming to us for help will have their concerns addressed in a timely fashion, and to minimize confusion.  READ THE RULES posted at the top of the forum.  When your thread has been answered and we tell you to "move on", please be respectful and heed our request.  If you continue to post despite us telling you that the thread is over, you will be reminded of the rules.  If you continue to disobey the rules at THAT point, you will be reported.  Our mods are very on top of things in this forum and WILL take the necessary action based on the rules that are in place.  Again, this is for the fairness of ALL of the posters.

We are happy to help each and every one of you who come here for guidance.  This is a very very very busy forum, therefore I felt it would be helpful to lay out these tips as a way to make the forum run a little more smoothly.  Please be courteous and respectful, and while your concern is most certainly VERY important to YOU, remember that you are not the only one posting.

Thank you!