Love is Love

Help with no judgement

LGBTQIA+ people have the same routine health needs as heterosexual people. The Fountain Clinic healthcare providers are committed to creating a respectful and accepting space for ALL patients

We understand the LGBTQIA+ journey, culture and language and the stress you face daily.

The Fountain Clinic™ helps:

Testing for STI (sexually transmitted infections)
Treating STD (sexually transmitted diseases)
PrEP and PEP for HIV prevention
HIV Care
Adult hormone and transition care
Detransition care
Chronic disease management
Smoking cessation
Treating cholesterol and blood pressure
Physical exams and Immunizations

HIV and AIDS

Overview

HIV is a virus that infects and destroys cells of the immune system, making a person more prone to other infections and diseases.

AIDS: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

By damaging your immune system, HIV interferes with your body's ability to fight infection and disease.

HIV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

It can also be spread by contact with infected blood and from illicit injection drug use or sharing needles.

It can also be spread from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.

Without medication, it may take years before HIV weakens your immune system to the point that you have AIDS.

There's no cure for HIV/AIDS, but medications can control the infection and prevent progression of the disease.

Antiviral treatments for HIV have reduced AIDS deaths around the world.

International organizations are working on increasing the availability of prevention and treatment.

Symptoms

Acute HIV (Primary Infection)

Some people infected by HIV develop a flu-like illness within 2 to 4 weeks after the virus enters the body. This illness, known as primary (acute) HIV infection, may last for a few weeks.
Fever
Headache
Muscle aches and joint pain
Rash
Sore throat and painful mouth sores
Swollen lymph glands, mainly on the neck
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Cough
Night sweats
These symptoms can be so mild that you might not even notice them. However, the amount of virus in your bloodstream (viral load) is quite high at this time. As a result, the infection spreads more easily during primary infection than during the next stage.

Chronic HIV (Clinical Latent Infection)

Access to better antiviral treatments has dramatically decreased deaths from AIDS worldwide. Thanks to these life-saving treatments, most people with HIV in the U.S. today don't develop AIDS. Untreated, HIV typically turns into AIDS in about 8 to 10 years.

When AIDS occurs, your immune system has been severely damaged. You'll be more likely to develop diseases that wouldn't usually cause illness in a person with a healthy immune system. These are called opportunistic infections or opportunistic cancers.
The signs and symptoms of some of these infections may include:

Sweats
Chills
Recurring fever
Chronic diarrhea
Swollen lymph glands
Persistent white spots or unusual lesions on your tongue or in your mouth
Persistent, unexplained fatigue
Weakness
Weight loss
Skin rashes or bumps

Progression to AIDS

In this stage of infection, HIV is still present in the body and in white blood cells. However, many people may not have any symptoms or infections during this time.
This stage can last for many years if you're receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Some people develop more severe disease much sooner.
As the virus continues to multiply and destroy your immune cells - the cells in your body that help fight off germs.
you may develop mild infections or chronic signs and symptoms such as:

Fever
Fatigue
Swollen lymph nodes (often one of the first signs of HIV infection)
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Oral yeast infection (thrush)
Shingles (herpes zoster)
Pneumonia