Wesley is a 30-year-old dad of a 2-year-old boy. Wesley comes in a paracetamol (acetominophen / Panadol) overdose -- an accidental one. You may wonder how a grown-ass adult can accidentally overdose on a drug that many intentionally overdose on to end their lives. Well.

Wesley has a toothache. Toothaches are one of the commonest causes of accidental paracetamol overdoses, simply because people take it whenever they hurt (which is very frequently) and don't read the insert where it tells them the maximum dose of paracetamol is 4g (8 tablets) per day.

Wesley has been taking paracetamol nonstop for the past 3 days, roughly every 2 hours when he gets woken up from sleep from the toothache. He has taken a lot, more than the maximum 8 a day. He sees the dentist after 3 days, who, on hearing how many paracetamols he's taken, tells him to go to A+E at once.

Wesley goes to A+E. He sees the long waiting line. He decides not to go to A+E and go home instead.

He sees the dentist again the next day. The dentist flips and tells him if he doesn't go to A+E right that instant, he may die and the dentist will still refuse to pull his tooth out unless Wesley produces the relevant blood results. Wesley trudges reluctantly to A+E, where blood tests reveal very abnormal liver tests due to paracetamol overdose damage and abnormal clotting results because the liver makes clotting factors. The reason the dentist refuses to pull Wesley's tooth out after an overdose is because Wesley can potentially bleed to death unless the clotting is corrected.

We give Wesley the antidote for paracetamol overdose and monitor his liver and clotting tests the next two days. They improve. He is discharged.

I can't help but feel sorry for the child he has, given his dad seems to be a few sandwiches short of a picnic.