[Greg H]

My experience with Pentamidine on Day 8 was so unremarkable that I forgot to remark on it.

This is an inhaled drug that I'll be taking monthly for a while to fight off any potential infection by Pneumocystis jirovecii, a particularly nasty fungus that is responsible for a particularly nasty pneumonia called "Pneumocystis."

A lot of folks walk around with this bug in their lungs, but their immune system keeps it in check. Folks with damaged CD4 T cells -- e.g., folks with AIDS, folks who have taken Campath -- need extra protection.

So, we breathe in Pentamidine once a month. The nurse administering the drug mixes it up and puts it into an inhaler called a "nebulizer," which turns the stuff into a fine mist. The patient breathes that mist in through the mouth, exhaling through nose or mouth.

Pentamidine reputedly takes like the inside of a tire, makes some folks nauseous, and makes others spit. For me, it was none of the above. I read my book for 20 minutes while inhaling the stuff and then went on my merry way.

I just hope it works!