In the Bronx I am staying in an apartment complex directly across from Bronx Superior Court, on Grand Concourse on the corner of E160 St. Because of its location it is relatively safe. I was getting undressed to take a nap at 4PM yesterday when I heard 3 loud booms. My friend's 82 year old mother began screaming at me to get away from the window. I laughed at her telling her that of anyone she knows I am probably the last person who wouldn't recognise gunshots, and THOSE were NOT gunshots.
About 25 minutes later sirens converged on the complex. The complex consists of 16 six story buildings which are all connected like townhouses, in the shape of a giant letter "U." Every 4 buildings flare out a bit to form courtyards. 4 meter tall iron barred fences don't allow free movement. There is a central walkway and then a side walkway into the 4 courtyards, 1 on each side of the complex and 2 at the far end.
The police roped off the main walkway and noone was allowed in or out. I was shocked, me, the man so sure of himself hadn't recognised 3 shots. Granted they were from a 357 Magnum revolver, and I don't have much experience around more than 38 caliber in terms of revolvers, and the acoustics in the complex are out of kilter but replaying it in my mind I still can't get over how I couldn't recognise them. My friend's mum somehow guessed correctly despite her having been laying in bed when it happened.
This morning (it is 834AM now, I am still on Philippine Time so it feels like 834PM) I went out to buy myself a sandwich and some juice. The police had posters up all over the place, finally having taken down the ropes sometime after midnite last night. Apparently some degenerate assholes entered the complex, saw a rival, pulled out a Magnum and blew half his arm off. That doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that even at night these courtyards are full of small children running around, jumping rope, and elderly folks sitting around gossiping. In fact, from my days living in the Bronx I can recall 2 cases where 6 year old girls died during similar shootings. As we say in the IDF, "Bullets done have names" (doesn't quite translate smoothly but you get the idea).
On Friday I had to go to my usual methadone clinic. US Customs allows US Citizens to import up to 400 US Dollars worth of medication IF the medication isn't on the US pharmocopiea. In other words, if a form of a particular substance is sold in America, you cannot import that same form by a non-American manufacturer. It is really a stupid rule, but they don't want to make it simple for obvious reasons. Each unit of medication has to be individually wrapped in original packaging with a current letter from a prescribing physician. Then, you can only bring in 30 days worth. Luckily I have morphine sulphate hypodermic tablets. They are tiny instant release tablets designed for oral administration but with the ability to be utilised as an injectionable should the need arise, like Knoll Dilaudids. You drop it in a bottlecap of water and instant dissolution. There is nothing like it on the US Market so I am able to safely import it at 9 grammes worth of 30 mg tablets. Never knowing how long I will stay when visiting I always get on methadone soon after arrival.
Morphine, Instant Release, needs to be re-dosed every 8 hours. It becomes mundane quickly and then downright tiresome. I appreciate being able to drink a tiny bottle of syrup once a day.
I went to the clinic after first ringing a Physician's Assistant I am friendly with to expedite my case. I arrived at 11AM and by 1130 was dosing at 220 mgs. and was given 6 take away bottles.
In New York they have changed the regulations, much to my pleasant suprise. Now, after 1 week you qualify for 2 times a week pick up, meaning that you need only go twice in a week to your clinic. Before it would take at least 9 months to get to that point.
In my own case I had last been here less than 6 months ago and so I qualify to simply resume my scheduale.
I found at as well that Buprenorphine is being re-assesed in the States. Not long ago there was a thread in CE and P about Opioid Substitution Therapy and I had remarked on Buprenorphine's metabolic ceiling of 24 mgs. A poster replied that in fact the ceiling is 32 mgs. I was taken aback but then found out that US treatment providers had begun going off label and prescribing dosages of 32 mgs based entirely upon the subjective opinions of their clients/patients. In the interim it was concluded by the powers that be that such clients/patients usually were diverting their extra dosages. So, it has been formally re-assesed and re-iterated at 24 mgs. Useful information.
I also wanted to get an up to date viral load. Personally speaking I was terrified over my blood work, not having had a thorough workup since my Interferon Treatment had failed.
To recall, when I began treatment my Hepatitis C (HCV) viral load was 79,000. 1 month after treatment began it had plummeted to 10,000 so that it was very sure that I was on the road to being cured. Then came my 90 day workup and it showed that my viral load had not only rebounded, it was an astounding 110,000. That meant the end of treatment...
I remember crying like a baby. I had come to the US just to get treated. I blamed the failure on my stress from Rizza. That was when she first ran away with her guy. Lately though, I have been having other thoughts. Shortly after arriving for treatment I gave 2 consecutive urines at the clinic. Both came up positive for illicit drugs. The first was cocaine, the 2nd morphine. Heroin isn't tested for because it has a 90 second half life. They test for metabolites. Anyway, I was clean as I always am when on methadone. I hadn't done cocaine since 1994. It turns out that the lab had at least 1 employee who just wrote whatever they felt like writing. It created lawsuits because of parolees who had been returned to prison for using illicit drugs.
So I began thinking a couple of days ago, what if they just threw an arbitrary number on my bloodwork? What if I had been nearly cured when treatment ceased? Friday came, I gave my bloodwork and found that not only was it well below 110,000, the load I supposedly had when treatment stopped, but it was below the load I had when treatment first began! I began with 79,000. My load on Friday was 74,000. All I can do is shake my head.
About 25 minutes later sirens converged on the complex. The complex consists of 16 six story buildings which are all connected like townhouses, in the shape of a giant letter "U." Every 4 buildings flare out a bit to form courtyards. 4 meter tall iron barred fences don't allow free movement. There is a central walkway and then a side walkway into the 4 courtyards, 1 on each side of the complex and 2 at the far end.
The police roped off the main walkway and noone was allowed in or out. I was shocked, me, the man so sure of himself hadn't recognised 3 shots. Granted they were from a 357 Magnum revolver, and I don't have much experience around more than 38 caliber in terms of revolvers, and the acoustics in the complex are out of kilter but replaying it in my mind I still can't get over how I couldn't recognise them. My friend's mum somehow guessed correctly despite her having been laying in bed when it happened.
This morning (it is 834AM now, I am still on Philippine Time so it feels like 834PM) I went out to buy myself a sandwich and some juice. The police had posters up all over the place, finally having taken down the ropes sometime after midnite last night. Apparently some degenerate assholes entered the complex, saw a rival, pulled out a Magnum and blew half his arm off. That doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that even at night these courtyards are full of small children running around, jumping rope, and elderly folks sitting around gossiping. In fact, from my days living in the Bronx I can recall 2 cases where 6 year old girls died during similar shootings. As we say in the IDF, "Bullets done have names" (doesn't quite translate smoothly but you get the idea).
On Friday I had to go to my usual methadone clinic. US Customs allows US Citizens to import up to 400 US Dollars worth of medication IF the medication isn't on the US pharmocopiea. In other words, if a form of a particular substance is sold in America, you cannot import that same form by a non-American manufacturer. It is really a stupid rule, but they don't want to make it simple for obvious reasons. Each unit of medication has to be individually wrapped in original packaging with a current letter from a prescribing physician. Then, you can only bring in 30 days worth. Luckily I have morphine sulphate hypodermic tablets. They are tiny instant release tablets designed for oral administration but with the ability to be utilised as an injectionable should the need arise, like Knoll Dilaudids. You drop it in a bottlecap of water and instant dissolution. There is nothing like it on the US Market so I am able to safely import it at 9 grammes worth of 30 mg tablets. Never knowing how long I will stay when visiting I always get on methadone soon after arrival.
Morphine, Instant Release, needs to be re-dosed every 8 hours. It becomes mundane quickly and then downright tiresome. I appreciate being able to drink a tiny bottle of syrup once a day.
I went to the clinic after first ringing a Physician's Assistant I am friendly with to expedite my case. I arrived at 11AM and by 1130 was dosing at 220 mgs. and was given 6 take away bottles.
In New York they have changed the regulations, much to my pleasant suprise. Now, after 1 week you qualify for 2 times a week pick up, meaning that you need only go twice in a week to your clinic. Before it would take at least 9 months to get to that point.
In my own case I had last been here less than 6 months ago and so I qualify to simply resume my scheduale.
I found at as well that Buprenorphine is being re-assesed in the States. Not long ago there was a thread in CE and P about Opioid Substitution Therapy and I had remarked on Buprenorphine's metabolic ceiling of 24 mgs. A poster replied that in fact the ceiling is 32 mgs. I was taken aback but then found out that US treatment providers had begun going off label and prescribing dosages of 32 mgs based entirely upon the subjective opinions of their clients/patients. In the interim it was concluded by the powers that be that such clients/patients usually were diverting their extra dosages. So, it has been formally re-assesed and re-iterated at 24 mgs. Useful information.
I also wanted to get an up to date viral load. Personally speaking I was terrified over my blood work, not having had a thorough workup since my Interferon Treatment had failed.
To recall, when I began treatment my Hepatitis C (HCV) viral load was 79,000. 1 month after treatment began it had plummeted to 10,000 so that it was very sure that I was on the road to being cured. Then came my 90 day workup and it showed that my viral load had not only rebounded, it was an astounding 110,000. That meant the end of treatment...
I remember crying like a baby. I had come to the US just to get treated. I blamed the failure on my stress from Rizza. That was when she first ran away with her guy. Lately though, I have been having other thoughts. Shortly after arriving for treatment I gave 2 consecutive urines at the clinic. Both came up positive for illicit drugs. The first was cocaine, the 2nd morphine. Heroin isn't tested for because it has a 90 second half life. They test for metabolites. Anyway, I was clean as I always am when on methadone. I hadn't done cocaine since 1994. It turns out that the lab had at least 1 employee who just wrote whatever they felt like writing. It created lawsuits because of parolees who had been returned to prison for using illicit drugs.
So I began thinking a couple of days ago, what if they just threw an arbitrary number on my bloodwork? What if I had been nearly cured when treatment ceased? Friday came, I gave my bloodwork and found that not only was it well below 110,000, the load I supposedly had when treatment stopped, but it was below the load I had when treatment first began! I began with 79,000. My load on Friday was 74,000. All I can do is shake my head.