Read from the start.
As the medifate started to build up in my system—
I got used to the regular blood tests and checkups at the hospital. I had to take more and more days off work.
I noticed that I started to feel a bit funny on the day after taking medifate. A bit drowsy, or wobbly, or something, a little bit delicate.
“Mr Wilson. The blood on your head is gone.”
“Well, yes, but no it wasn’t blood, but yes.”
Time went on, and it only got worse. I started to feel queasy when I took the pills. When I took the pills, I became nauseous, and I started spending most Saturdays on the sofa.
So I told the doctor, and she bumped up my folic acid from one a week to three a week.
Unfortunately, it didn’t help, and it only got worse. I became more and more unwell on my “day after”.
So the doctor bumped me up again, from three to five folic acids, which was the maximum she could prescribe.
Again, it didn’t work, and Saturdays became defined by the uncomfortable taste in my mouth. A muddy taste, like I needed to spit, but I couldn’t, because it was too sticky.
So I tried eating things that had a strong sweet taste to try to get rid of the dullness. But it didn’t help.
And my stomach felt like it was upside down, or it didn’t know which way was up. The room turned around me, slowly tilting to the side.
So I just sat down or lay down, depending on what felt easier.
I shut my eyes and let it pass.
In the meantime, it was decided that, although the medifate was helping a lot, it wasn’t doing enough to completely get rid of my psoriatic arthritis. So I’d have to—
“Do I have to take more medifate?”
Dr Gravy heard the anxiety in my voice and stopped typing. Then she turned to me in her chair and she gave me THAT LOOK AGAIN.
“No.”
“Don’t worry Luke.”
“We’ll start you on sulfasalazine—”
Can eyes be accurate?
“—in addition to the medifate.”
“And then you’ll be ready to switch over to that completely—”
I think they can.
“—if the medifate keeps causing you trouble.”
I think they can.
Sulfasalazine contains sulfur (the clue’s in the name). And sulfur messes up my white blood cells somehow. That’s good, because my white blood cells are part of my immune response, and my immune response is messing up my skin and joints.
Again, the instructions were clear: Take four sulfasalazine pills every day. Two in the morning, two in the evening. But you can’t just start on that straight away, no. Your body can’t deal with all that all in one go, no. You’ll end up feeling sick, so don’t do that, no. You have to build up to it instead!
For one week, take one pill a day. Then in the second week, take two pills a day. Then take three pills in the third week. And then in the fourth week, you’ve made it to full dose, four pills every day, congratulations!
Of course, you need to take regular blood tests at first, to make sure it doesn’t mess up your white blood cells too much.
And heads up: The sulfur does some other things to your body too. It turns your sweat and wee yellow, slightly glowing yellow.
Don’t worry! You’re not dehydrated. It’s just the sulfur.
The rattling of the medifate pot started to make me nauseous. It was like my body was learning a learned response. That specific sound of rattling at that specific pitch and—
The sulfasalazine went fine! The blood tests were all good, and most importantly, I had no nausea from it. I mean, most importantly, it reduced my psoriatic arthritis symptoms even further.
Great. The plan went to plan.
I never noticed that medifate had a smell before. But as time went on, I became more familiar with it, and my body learned to recognise it. Opening the pot, even holding it close, even opening the cupboard, I could—
I think the worst part of medifate was how it made me feel like a zombie: Everything moved in slow motion on my day after, or rather, it was me that moved in slow motion, and everything else carried on as normal. It was like my whole body and mind worked at half speed. It felt hard to think and do things, so I spent all Saturdays in bed, and sometimes Sundays too, as the effects started to spill over.
Medifate is a medicine that builds up. It doesn’t start when you take it and end a week later, no. It builds up and cumulates, so its effects get stronger over time, as it becomes more and more present in your body.
This may or may not make sense to you, but I decided to move my medifate day from Friday to Tuesday, so that my “side effect” day wouldn’t happen at the weekend. No, it would hit when I’m at work instead.
Frankly, I was just sick(!) of my Fridays and weekends being ruined, and I thought that going to work might actually take my mind off the nausea.
Besides, I was less tired earlier on in the week. Maybe I could handle it better then.
And Wednesday was the best day to catch the “day after” side effects, because it was when I had my “planning time”. It was the day I did the least teaching. It was the day I was most flexible.
And guess what. It did make things a little bit better!
It was SO RELIEVING to have my weekends back. And my team was amazing at looking out for me, refusing to take no for an answer when they offered help.
School was back to normal, of course, despite the pandemic still thriving, of course. And I somehow managed to manage. I wasn’t lying down with my eyes shut at work, no. I was on my feet, and I was a bit wobbly, but I was okay.
Maybe it was all in my head?
Continue to part three.