Leishmaniasis

I have leishmaniasis, and am currently on day 6 (of 20) of treatment.

You can read about the disease here and my medication here.

It´s nothing to fret over too much, the medication is a little toxic, but I should just be left with a scar, not much else. It started on my right elbow in the beginning of October, I noticed it after a week or two, and I started treatment near the end of November. I only have it on my right elbow and the wound has already started healing. It´s drying up and closing on itself, but unfortunately this step brings the most pain as the skin is really getting pulled tight and constantly stretched due to its location.

The medication, a slow drip IV, takes an hour everyday. I´m staying in Panama City at a hotel and walk to the hospital everyday to get the injection. The medicine has a few side affects that I´ve noticed - mostly symptoms of dehydration - and they are monitoring my kidney, liver, and pancreas to make sure they are handling the medicine well. I have been sleeping a lot but so far so good.

The treatment will take me approximately until Christmas when I should be able to move permanently to my new site.