"Against God's Will": Gay Man Sues NJ Hospital For Being Denied HIV Meds

[Ruby the Liberal]

Missing HIV drug doses can lead to resistance to the drugs?

Hits just keep coming.

"Against God's Will": Gay Man Sues NJ Hospital For Being Denied HIV Meds

New Jersey gay man Joao Simoes is suing his hospital after an on-staff doctor refused him his HIV medications. Dr. Susan Borga* allegedly later told his private physician what the patient had done to become infected was "against God's will."

When the hospital finally permitted Simoes to call his personal physician on the third day of his stay, he learned that the doctor had already spoken with Borga about Simoes' medication, according to the complaint. Borga allegedly responded: "You must be gay, too, if you're his doctor." "Additionally, apparently realizing that plaintiff's doctor had an accent, Dr. Borga exclaimed, 'What, do you need a translator?' to which plaintiff's doctor had again responded that Dr. Borga needed to give plaintiff his HIV medication," the complaint states. "Dr. Borga responded to plaintiff's doctor by stating, 'This is what he gets for going against God's will,' and hung up the phone on plaintiff's doctor."

The hospital also initially refused to allow the patient's sister to visit him. She was finally permitted to bring him his medications after he'd missed five doses. Missing doses of HIV medication can cause the patient to become resistant to the drugs.

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2012/06/against-gods-will-gay-man-sues-nj.html

Cross posted from GD: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002758803

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. insane

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. I have no medical training

other than a CPR class I took when I was like, 12, so this really stunned me.

There are antibiotics that I can't take because I built up an immunity to them when I was a kid - but that is the complete opposite of what this is saying. Having drugs no longer effective because you *don't* use them boggles my mind. Never heard of such a thing.

[William769]

4. Te HIV virus mutates at a high rate of speed.

Deviating from your regiment of meds can make your meds useless.

This is one of the reasons they are trying to make regiments once a day. One of the problems in the past and still today is people forgetting to take a prescribed dose at a prescribed time.

Luckily for me my regiment is once a day now, even though it it once a day, I still use a beeper to remind me to take it (it's that important).

[Ruby the Liberal]

5. Does it go both ways?

If it mutates so quickly, is it also a challenge that certain drugs quit working?

Seems like a real catch-22.

[William769]

6. As far as I know, yet to be determined.

With the older drugs, people were not living long enough to a comprehensive study. Also not to long ago Doctors would take people off their HIV medicine when their CD4 count reached +1000. After awhile they found this to be detrimental to people when they they would eventually have to go back on HIV medicine. So now when a person is diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, they are going to be on this medicine for the rest of their lives.

The study is ongoing as to whether HIV medicine's will just stop working.

DISCLAIMER

I AM NOT A HIV EXPERT, BUT HAVE DEALT WITH THE DISEASE LONG ENOUGH AND TALK REGULARLY WITH MY DOCTOR AND READ CONSTANTLY ABOUT THE STUDIES IN HIV MEDICINE TO GIVE MY OPINION. THE LIFE I SAVE COULD VERY WELL BE MY OWN.

ETA: ANYONE READING HERE IF UNSURE OF WHAT TO DO, CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR.

[Ruby the Liberal]

7. Well, information like this should be made available more often, IMO.

I am still beside myself that not taking a drug can impede it's effectiveness.

[William769]

8. Here are some videos that will help

http://www.videojug.com/interview/adherence-to-hiv-treatment

[William769]

3. YES!

That is why it is so important to stay compliant with your regiment! There are to few drugs out there to be switching if you become resistant to one.

In my opinion this Doctor should be charged with attempted murder! You think I'm being harsh? I wonder how many other people this has happened to.