"in tomorrow i see no promise, and yesterday was like today.." -atmosphereI took my first mefloquine pill yesterday.
Mefloquine is a malarial chemoprophylaxis (preventative med) that I have to take for the next 44 weeks. One must consume the pills once per week, starting 1-2 weeks prior to departure and continuing 4 weeks after leaving the infected area. The pill is usually recommended in areas where there is resistence to chloroquine, which includes Senegal according to a �travex report� prepared for me by the travel clinic I was attending. This sheet also indicates that P. falciparum is the primary risk, existing throughout the year in the whole country including major cities. P. falciparum is the most dangerous of the four species of malaria and the only one that can lead to death if not treated promptly.
Malaria is characterized by fever and flu-like symptoms that may come and go and include chills, sweats, head and muscle aches, and/or a vague feeling of illness. Vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and cough may occur. There may be anemia and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of eyes�this is due to either liver or kidney malfunction, I cant remember which). Malaria symptoms can develop as early as 7 or 8 days after being exposed and as late as months or even years after leaving a malarious area. If falciparum is not treated properly, it can proceed to shock, lung and kidney failure, coma, and death. Malaria left untreated may recur intermittently for months or even years.
These are things I suppose I should try to avoid. You�ll pardon the intricate detail of the symptoms and whatnot, but you have to remember (or be first informed) that when I came to school I was planning on getting a PhD in epidemiology and studying and preventing disease in Africa.
Mefloquine is not a perfect solution, either. When I told the new global campus chic that I was taking mefloquine, her reaction was essentially, yikes! You're taking that one? She warned me that if I started to feel a little insane I should discontinue and get on chloroquine despite the risk of resistant strains. You see, mefloquine �is not recommended for travelers who have a history of epilepsy, or psychiatric disorder (for example, depression or anxiety disorder).� Doesn't everyone have a history of depression? Anyway� �Minor side effects include headache, stomache upset, dizziness, and bad dreams which tend to be minor or temporary. Appx. 1:200 people will develop disabling anxiety, dizziness, depression, insomnia, or irritability sufficient to cause discontinuance of the drug�1:10,000 may develop severe adverse events�epilepsy or psychosis.�
So I'm supposed to determine if I feel sort of out of it...but considering that I'm moving to another culture, country, and continent, I'm not sure what sort of standard I'll be able to measure against to determine if the mefloquine is fucking me up. I don�t think I'm depressed, actually I feel sort of disconnected today and last night. I was at a bar with my friend Shaun and some of his friends last night and they were talking about wealth and greed. They spoke of not being greedy but wanting enough wealth to �live comfortably.� They talked about cars and mansions and dogs and all new shiny not broken equipment.
I was too exhausted to comment, but I wanted to scream YOU ARE LIVING COMFORTABLY! One of the girls got really excited when she found out I was going to Africa and squeeled, �oh, you�ll be so cultured!� �Um,� was all I could really say back, to which she replied, �Well, you don�t seem very excited.� How could I begin to explain? These people live their lives and have no idea how unusual it is to live in this extravagance. They have no idea that they are wealthy already. I look at the wealth around me and I want to scream. It's such shit, Americans are so fucking ignorant.
By the way, I'm reading a really fucking good book right now called Assata. It�s the autobiography of Assata Shakur, a Black Panther wrongly incarcerated and now living in exile in Cuba. She is an amazing woman and the book is really well written. I highly recommend it and thanks Virginia for giving it to me. It's just what I need. ;)
