Playing Catch Up, BUT Never Playing in Ketchup...

Today is Tuesday, May 11th, 2009 and it is now 3:36 AM here in the Philippines.

YES, I AM aware that the proper way in which to spell "ketchup" is actually "catsup" but assuming that most readers will be Americans, the latter spelling will not make much sense to these readers...

Music wise I am listening to "The Storm" by Jerry Roper and Cosi, a beautiful Vocal Trance song that I never get tired of. I will try to find a decent url later.

Also been listening to Johnny Cash "Hurt" which I listed awhile back and offered a url. He remade the NIN song much better than the original, with the entire album actually being produced by Arthur Baker which guaranteed a great listening experience.

Sadly I got the all important 90 Day Viral Load Test results in relation to my Hepatitis - C treatment. I began with a Viral Load of roughly 110,000. At 30 days I had a load of 10,000! i was so excited!!! I believed that it was indeed possible that I actually might find myself rid of this horrible disease...

Then came my crucial 90 Day Test. If I tested at 0 to 1,000 I would be considered cured for all intensive purposes because the continuing regimen would be sufficient to push it out of my body altogether. Imagine then how I felt when Thursday I actually got a phone call here! My provider told me that my Load had rebounded and then stood at 72,000!!! This despite my chemotherapy!!! Imagine the replication WITHOUT the medications!?

Stress can ruin your chances and as I have related over the last few entries, Rizza and I have been having a rough time of it. I would not be so ignorant as to blame her or any person really for the failure, but I am well aware (aside from what the medical community and especially my providers) of how stress can adversely impact the treatment...

I was taking 1800 units of Pegylated Interferon -B for 3 months, along with 600 mgs of Ribivarin 2 X a day, 7 dats a week. My primary provider, the one that called me said that they expect a triple attack regimen to be approved rather soon and if I elected to i could once again fight the good fight. I have time to decide that issue.

I actually cried after I was alone, thinking how fucked up it is to (probablly) be dying before age 50 when I had avoided all other pitfalls, such as war, major illnesses and a quarter century of opiate/opioid addiction...

I will not be posting "Blood and Gore" entries any more since I think it is rather pointless since pratically noone here ever even considers travelling to Mindanao (D'tergent excepted though, haha) so why put forth all the effort? I am considering starting an offsite blog though, which I will devote at least partially to life in my part of the world and in that venue I will be able to record the ups and downs of this clusterfuck of a war, revolution and outright crime.

I will briefly talk of the issues in general terms. Sadly the NPA (communist guerillas) are ratcheting up their actions in our area. It had been so quiet, almost what one might imagine "normal" to be, until almost 2 weeks ago. A village on the ends of one of our fields was attacked and they killed 3 soldiers, and emptied out the govt. armoury.

Then, they found a 200 man camp 3 kilometers east of us, and less than 2 to out west. In both the camos were empty if personnel (I cannot talk about how this always happens, at least as far as the reasons because "Salvaging," or pro-govt. assasins will take issue. Gee, if my liver does not kill me my mouth will!

To the west, in the Ilaga/Muslim Wars, the govt. pulled an operation like the one they pulled on our area though this time it targetted the MILF (Muslim insurgency) instead of the NPA as was the case in our case.

for more than 2 weeks now not even the UN or NGOS bringing AID are being allowed past the perimster. They are running daily 105 MM Howitzer shelling form 6 AM until 12 PM, and then alternate Infantry Ops with aerial carpet bombings runs, etc and so forth.

It is in Maguindanao and has since spilled over into Cotabato and involves more than 4 infantry Brigades with combined air, armour and artillery elements.

A noteworthy event took place in the Visayan Islands, the group that holds Cebu; Apparently the NPA has began increasing attacks in the Visays, something it really has not done for more than a decade. According to the NPA, and I have to be careful with how I say it, a US Marine was seriously wounded in action against the NPA, which IF true, is adirect violation of the Philippine Constitution. SUPPOSEDLY there is an entire American platoon enmeshed with AFP Reaction Force operating there but again, this is according to the NPA...

Crime wise, the PDEA (the Philippine version of the US DEA) had 3 of its personnel killed as they sout out to eradicate some cannabis plantations in ARMM, the Muslim region of this island. As they left their departure point and began rolling down National Hiway motorcycles with gunmen ridiing behind the operators engaged the ,em.

The PDEA must notify communities before undertaking any Operation here because of the unique dynamic regarding security, insurrections and so on. Unfortunately for them though, that this means they have 0 effectiveness. Oh well...

I have been reading about General Black Jack Pershing who handled pacification of this island just after the US accepted the Spanish surrender of the Philippines in the Bay of Manila, in 1901 (I believe).

To deal with the Muslim Suicide Terrorists (and we thought it began with "Palestinians" did we?) he had a group of them lined up for their execution but then executed all but 2. They were made to watch closely as they rubbed pig entrails all over the men before and after their death. This renders them incapable to enter Paradise. After their deaths, he buried them chopped up and mixed with butchered hogs...He then released the 2 men and ever after, many claim, Pershing did not have to deal with Muslim terrorists. Smart man.

In Israel we use dogs! Arabs (not so much Muslims though many share the attribute) are made to lick them, and many other things that are better left undiscussed. Funny though, we never had Pershing's luck! Then again Pershing's tale is probablly anecdotal.

I will close on that...Over and out...
 
I'm sorry to hear about your Hep C rach, I hope that the next round polishes it off. A friend of my Mum's recently was able to essentially beat Hep C, after struggling for 30 years. She was ecstatic when she got the news. Hopefully you will get the same news soon.

Do be sure and post a link to your offsite blog. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who would be interested in reading it.
 
Thanks for the kind words. yeah, I will admit it hit me prettyhard. I had talked about the 1st viral Load at 30 days and the 100,00 unit drop, so when I learned about the rebound it was like aslap in the face.

I am blessed one supposes, to have Genome III, the one with an 80% cure rate, so one hopes that if I am ever able to try another round, like the envisioned Triple Protocol (Pegasys plus an as yet unnamed Protease Inhibitor, that I will have abit of luck.


The old thinking gave the diesease 4 stages, and on that old system, I am in Phase III of the disease, and with 7 years more or less, for each stage, I may have 7 more years not that I am trying to create any kind of self fufilling prophecies. So, if they have the approval in the US, for the Triple, in like 3 years as they are discussing, I am hoping I will have agood chance to at least stop it in Phase 4.

My provider tried to cheer me up talking about how the old thinking used to say that once fibrosis starts, as with Chirrosis, etc., it was irreversible. she said that now they have had reversals in the scarring so one hopes that i can gain some kind of benefit, if not afull life.

Anyway, I look at it along the lines of my being 42, and almost dying so many times, that everything now should be looked at as "gravy," as an extra blessing. Certainly if you had asked me at age 18 whether I would accept dying at 43 or 44 I would have gladly said yes as the mortars were landing. It is just so damn hard at this stage, first grandkid, young wife with no kids from her, and so on.

Anyway, enough of the maudlin. Thanks about the Blog, I would imagine it would find its share of people with all the Yanks thinking of visiting the country, and others and no media source to give the full picture on the wars here.

Was watching telly last evening and they were talking about Sri Lanka, how the refugees are struggling pinned under artillery and I am sorry but I got a great laugh on that one. Where the fuck are the cameras and bleeding hearts here? Where is old Obama when these folks need him, American troops are assisting in things here and I would reckon not more than afew hundred in that entire nation know there is even an American Op!

Even when their UAV got shot down over Cotabato they said nothing, and now allegedly that bloke wounded seriously in action north of me, anyway...I must stop being lazy and create it. i will link to it though...
 
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