Tell us about a time your intuition was screaming at you—did you listen? What happened next?
Absolutely, I trust my gut feeling 100%. In the 40 years I have been on this planet, that gut instinct has NEVER been wrong. In one particular example that I can think of about 13 years ago now, I had this strange sinking feeling I couldn't ignore. I was in Brantford and needed to head to Hamilton, but I couldn't shake this inexplicable and seemingly illogical gut feeling that I needed to go home first, and I needed to go home first RIGHT NOW! This seemed particularly strange to me as home was in the opposite direction of where I needed to go, so it would cost me almost double the amount of gas to do this.
Nevertheless, I went home immediately, as I've learned to trust this instinct, without question. When I walked through the front door, my parents were standing in the kitchen arguing about whether or not my father (who was 60 at the time) was going to go to the hospital. I stepped in and decided I would be the judge of that for myself.
When I asked my father what was going on, he pointed to about the bottom of his rib cage (in the middle of his chest) and said "I have this pain... almost like a burning... right here, and a tingling in my back, neck, and arms." Without hesitation, I immediately pointed to the bench in his front hall and said "Sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up. You're going to the hospital, whether you like it or not!" I then wasted no time and immediately walked over to the landline phone on the wall in the kitchen, picked it up, and dialed 911, without skipping a beat.
Well... As it turned out, my worst fear at that moment was correct. He was indeed having a heart attack, which required almost IMMEDIATE emergency surgery for a triple (damn near quadruple) bypass. He actually flat lined 3 times on the operating table, and almost didn't make it, so as it turned out, I would have lost my father 13 years ago now had I not listened to and trusted this gut instinct.
At the time, my father was VERY upset with me because he did NOT want to go to the hospital (because he HATES them, which I can't blame him for), but about a year later, he actually came to me one day, told me he's not mad at me anymore, then actually thanked me for putting my foot down and forcing him to go to the hospital by ambulance. He even acknowledged that if it wasn't for the fact that I put my foot down and defied his wishes to not go to the hospital, he would not still be alive to this day.
Lastly, when I have listened to them, I have NEVER had any regrets and have always been glad I listened, and by the same token, the ONE time I chose to ignore these strong gut feelings I often cannot explain at the time, it nearly cost me my life. So far to count, 100% of the time, those gut feelings have NEVER been wrong.
I gain winter weight and I like to stay healthy . Its a struggle but at least we don't give up trying.
Intuition - YES!! It has saved me many struggles over the years. The time I choose to ignore it, dating the wrong guy, cost months of anger, stress and depression to mention just a few. And let’s not forget the 💴.
He was an opportunist - If it wasn’t about him, he didn’t care.
Trusting your gut when living with HIV is a powerful tool for managing your health and wellbeing. The more ownership taken over a condition, the more engaged a person tends to be in behaviors that support a better quality of life — and self-trust is a big part of that.
Many myHIVteam members have shared how learning to Show Full Answer