Man Finds Out He Was Misdiagnosed With HIV After Eight Years

Man Spent 8 Years Taking Highly Toxic Drugs Only To Find Out He Was Misdiagnosed With HIV

In a world fueled by the pharmaceutical industry, millions of people across the world are often misdiagnosed with diseases that, in many cases, they simply do not have.  Most of the time, however, these misdiagnoses are caught within time and (hopefully) rectified.

Such was not the case when a Kentucky, USA man went to the emergency room due to some bleeding.  Anna Rodgers, in a report by Collective-Evolution, picks up the story from there:

How It All Began

When Bobby Russell visited the ER at The University of Kentucky Medical Centre in 2004 for unexplained bleeding, he had no idea that his whole life – in pretty much every way – was about to turn completely upside down.

From that hospital visit, Bobby eventually became diagnosed with HIV and spent the next 8 years taking HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) drugs every day, as per the advice from his doctors.

After receiving what is perhaps one of the “worst possible diagnoses,” Bobby felt deeply ashamed and even stopped talking to his entire family. When his friends were told he was HIV positive, they soon stopped calling and Bobby found himself on his own.

Bobby also spent almost a decade thinking that at some stage, he was going to die sooner than he should. Bobby started feeling very ill and became so depressed that, not surprisingly, he seriously contemplated suicide. Before he visited that ER that fateful night in 2004, Bobby had previously had HIV tests which always came back negative.

Bobby Was Told He Was HIV Positive But Doctors Didn’t Actually Have Proof

But here is the real clincher – Bobby was not actually infected with HIV and the hospital and doctors involved had no proof that he was.

This massive mistake cost Bobby his family, friends, career – and is now risking his health because he took highly toxic medications he simply did not need for almost a decade.

How Did He Find Out He Wasn’t HIV Positive?

Bobby, now a military veteran, ended up being so stressed and sick (who wouldn’t be when you are told you are “probably” going to die from eventual AIDS), that he tried to claim medical benefits for himself, as he was not able to continue working.

When the Veteran’s Administration told him that he would need to provide the proof of a positive diagnosis to receive his benefits, he went to the hospital, for what seemed like a routine request. However, his doctors were unable to provide him with any proof whatsoever. Bobby was gobsmacked – he was told by his doctors back in 2004 that he was HIV positive! How could it be that they didn’t have the proof?

In 2012, Bobby took a new HIV test at the Bluegrass Care Clinic and the results came back negative. Bobby was shocked – and of course started looking into legal action towards all involved so they could be held accountable for this dreadful mistake. I don’t blame him and I am sure you don’t either.

To this day, when the hospitals and doctors involved are contacted regarding Bobby’s story, they say he was “not misdiagnosed,” but cannot provide the proof he was HIV positive. They also won’t comment any further.

Thinking He Was HIV Positive, Bobby Would Only Have Relationships With Other HIV Positive People

As is quite common with HIV positive people, out of concern for the risk of spreading HIV to others, many seek out partners who have the same diagnosis. Bobby had several relationships with HIV positive people and, ironically (as one lady commented in a Daily Mail article), he risked himself actually becoming HIV positive. Think about that for a moment. Bobby didn’t actually have HIV, but because he was told he did, he thought he was doing the right thing for himself by having relationships with other HIV people – all due to the advice from his doctors. Wow. Horrific, right?

(*To read more about Bobby’s story over at Collective Evolution, click here)