3/23/97
When I first heard about service learning and how participating in it would help my grades, I wanted to jump at the chance to participate in it. I decided to volunteer at the Waikiki Health Center by answering the phones for the STD/AIDS Hot line. I fi gured that it would be fun talking on the phone and what not. However, afier a month of volunteering, I saw that this service was more than just fun and games. It is a learning experience furthermore you get to help someone out.
First of all, my own awareness about sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS became more greater. When I walked into the office for the hot line, I first noticed all the awareness posters on the wall. One of them had two teenagers on it. They were two l ocal teenagers just sitting down and talking. Even though there was no action going on between the two it really touched me because it made me really look at the two and look beyond the poster. I saw that there really are a lot of teenagers who are having sex, unprotected sex at that too.
The first day I was at the Waikiki Health Center getting oriented and trained there were many hang-ups and crank calls. That somewhat made me disappointed. However, I have had quite a bit of "real" calls. Every time I have a "real" call I help someone out in addition I am also sometimes learning something new to myself.
I had one caiier wno asKea me me question on now ne could keep from catching SHIV sexually or any other sexually transmitted disease. I advised him that the best thing that would work would to refrain from sexual activity. This would guarantee he would n't catch a STD sexually. Then I told him that if he was going to have sex then the next best thing would to use protection like a latex condom. I said a latex condom and not an animal skin type because the HIV virus can still go through the pores of the animal skin.
A teenage girl called saying that she was pregnant and was wondering if she was HIV positive would her baby also be HIV positive. I told her there was a possibility that the baby could become infected in her womb. I told her I thought it would be a goo d idea if she got tested and to see a doctor, especially if she was HIV positive. I also informed her that the breast milk would transmit the virus to the baby if the baby didn't get it in the womb.
Another caller asked a question that I didn't know the answer to so I looked into my referral binder. The question was what is the window period for the HIV virus. I found out that the answer is three to six months after contact and so I gave the calle r the information. What that means is that the virus is not going to show on the blood test until three to six months after contact with the virus.
I had many callers who just wanted to know what HIV and AIDS is what is the difference between the two. The information that I gave them was HIV is a virus that attacks your white T-blood cells or T-cells. As it attacks the T-cells the HIV reproduces i tself. This in turn causes our immune system to weaken and deteriorate.
You are reported to have AIDS when you fall to attack and have one or more ofthe opportunistic infections. Under normal conditions, your immune system would be able to fight off the infections but since the immune system isn't doing so well it is very much easier for the opportunistic infections to take the opportunity to invade the body.
Mainly most of my calls have dealt with HIV and AIDS. I did however get some calls on some other sexually transmitted diseases. One caller wanted to know the symptoms of Chlamydia. I told her that sometimes the symptoms are very minimal or that they are not even there. I told her that if you did get any symptoms it would show up 7-21 days after having sexual contact. I reiterated again that most women and some men have no symptoms. In the women I told her that there is a discharge from tne vagina, bleeding from the vagina between periods, burning or pain when pissing and pain in the abdomen, sometimes with fever and nausea. I also let her know that you can give Chlamydia to a sexual partner, when the organism goes untreated it can lead to more serious infections, it can cause sterility, and it can be transmitted to a baby from its' mother at childbirth. Of course I did not know all of this information from the top of my head. I had much help from my referral binder. The lady seen many these symptoms in herself and she seen the serious consequences from it too so she decided to get tested and treated quickly.
Working on the hot line so far has really helped me in my awareness and I have also helped others in their awareness also. I feel really good helping out at the Waikiki Health Center and I am glad I helping out for the right reasons now.