(THITU KARIBA) These days, whenever someone refers to status one cannot help but draw to the conclusion that one is talking about face book. I suppose it’s only fair that I touch on this kind of status before we go into any other. I had recently had to change my face book relationship status from in a relationship to single. What that basically says to all of his and my friends is that the relationship we had is now no more. Having to make that change is not cool nor is it easy or fun and it does not help when people go on and on about it and to make matters worse when others begin to hit on you right there and then. The thing about the Face book status is that, it seems one is damned if they don’t state what it is and damned if they do.
If you are in a relationship and you do not change your status to read as such it becomes an issue and when the time comes to change it especially when it’s not in form of a development such as engaged or married, it can be heart wrenching. That status very much tells everyone your business, when things are good that’s great but when they are not, it’s a whole new ball game. One thing I do believe however is that, if you are in a relationship, your status should say so, this shows commitment, respect and honor to the one you are with and on social media it prevents many unwanted posts showing up on your wall and at least if they do, your status did not encourage it. If married, I do believe that your status must read as such. This is one relationship, where there should be no room for error or assumption especially if your spouse is on face book too.
Your Face Book status may read in a relationship, but the doctor’s notes on your status could read in need of treatment.
Whether you are single, married, in a relationship, in a complicated situation, widowed, divorced and whatever else there is, it is crucial that you know your status where your health is concerned. This point has been emphasized over and over again, but it is because what you do not know could very well hurt you and the one you are with or even kill you. Many of us simply assume or get tested for HIV and forget that there are many other STDs or STIs that we could be carrying that we need to be tested for. There are some STIs that are not easily detected physically, some may present differently in men and women or not at all. Looking safe, clean and healthy and being so are two different things. We also assume that a condom will sort our issues; in fact many are so sure that even when they cheat they assume that because they used condoms, all is well. In a relationship STIs/STDs can be passed on from one partner to another through oral sex. 
Conditions such as warts, yeast infections just to name a few can be passed from one to another this way. Condoms are not the only way to protect yourself, knowing your status is. Your Face Book status may read in a relationship, but the doctor’s notes on your status could read in need of treatment.
It is crucial that once we decide that we are in a relationship that the only status we do not worry or concern ourselves with is our Face book one but our health too and not just HIV. This status could very well determine the state of your relationship, marriage and family should that be the case. If you decide to be in a relationship, commit to it, using a condom when you step out on the one you are with may not protect them from what you can catch orally/ skin to skin and it for sure does not protect from heart ache and pain, not to mention undesirable medical test, treatment and bills.
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