HIV/AIDS Patient Simulation: HIV treatment
I. The Experience of an HIV/AIDS Patient: Patients with HIV/AIDS often take several different medications each day to reduce viral load, increase CD4 cell counts, fight opportunistic infections, increase nutrition and decrease the side effects of anti-retroviral drugs. Once a patient starts taking these medications they must be committed to keep taking that regimen exactly as it has been prescribed, otherwise they risk developing resistant strains with the ability to replicate unchecked, increasing the viral load, lowering CD4+ cell counts and accelerating the progression to AIDS.
Your assignment is to simulate being an HIV/AIDS patient for 7 days and keep a journal of the day's activities related to your medications for posting. Your treatment regimen consists of 14 different pills to be taken at 2 different times each day, along with at least 2 nutritious meals (having a balance of the different food groups). Have your friends and roommates help you to remember or set an alarm so that you can take your 'medicine on time'. You will keep a log of your treatment activity for each day stating if you missed your medication and had to take it later, if you could not wake up on time or did not remember to eat the correct meal or if you felt overwhelmed with the amount to be taken.
Medication Regimen: You can use any food item to represent these medications. Suggestions are M&Ms, Dots (different colors represent different meds), Cherries, grapes, strawberries, mini tomatoes, blueberries, peanuts, raisins or small cookies. You should clearly state which foods you used to represent your meds and should take a picture of your "medicine" on day 1 beside a copy of the collegian or other newspaper with that date clearly indicated on it to be uploaded with your journal (anything with a legitimate date would work including the TV or computer screen showing a dated program).
Each morning between 7am and 10am– Take your mineral supplements (2 pills) along with 4 anti-retroviral pills (these include 1 protease inhibitor, 2 NNRTIs and 1NRTI), and 2 prophylactic antibiotics that will help to prevent opportunistic infections.
Each evening between 5:00pm and 8:00pm – take 2 vitamin D tablets, 1 multivitamin tablet,1 tablet to counter neurological side effects of anti-retroviral drugs, 1 tablet to counter liver damage and 1 to lower cholesterol. These should be taken after or at the time that you are having a meal.
Once you have completed the assignment please, write a summary on what you have learned about HIV treatment. Upload your journal log to this assignment link to be graded. Also include a picture of your initial "medications" along with your post ensuring the date is there (ONLY TAKE PICTURE ON FIRST DAY).