Life of Wry

Was there ever a better name for a drug? Seriously, if you’re out to pair a drug’s name with the experience of taking said drug, this is a pretty damn good match.  (Well, in my universe anyway, having never tried ecstasy.)

Drug in question, fluorouracil.  I can’t pronounce it, so FU is perfect. One manufacturer calls it Efudex, which works, too, but isn’t nearly as descriptive. This is what Wikipedia says:

Fluorouracil or 5-FU (trademarked as Efudex) is a drug that is a pyrimidine analog which is used in the treatment of cancer. It is a suicide inhibitor and works through irreversible inhibition of thymidylate synthase. It belongs to the family of drugs called antimetabolites.

The cancer here is skin cancer, in particular basal cell carcinomas (of which I’ve had a few). It also treats actinic keratoses, small growths that could lead to the development of skin cancers.  Both the result of over exposure to the sun — beach, tennis courts, Scandinavian skin, yadda yadda.

Kind of a bonus that it is a suicide inhibitor, as well (I did not know that!).  Not to be flip about this, but when you’re applying 5-FU to your face twice daily, and dealing with its effects (dry, red, burning, blistering, itchy, peeling skin), a long walk on a short pier, with a plunge into icy water, sounds pretty great.

[Okay, I realize this is “suicide inhibitor” in the cell replication sense.]

For my scientist friends who, you know, need to know:

I’m on day 22 of a 24-day course. It’s been bright and stiff for the last week or so. I understand the best is yet to come (the peeling stage). Forgive me for picking the kindest, most flattering photo of the bunch (believe me, it is); I couldn’t bring myself to post any close-ups. And yeah, lipstick. You would, too.

Empathy welcome: