(5) The cops leave, satisfied

Back out in the hallway I explained to the cops that Kootch was in her room focused on the game and wouldn't have noticed a stomp above me in my room. (Indeed, they usually waited 'til Kootch was asleep before doing their stomps. Daytime stomps were unusual.) The cops were satisfied, and left. (Throat gas. Fans to full power. Again.)

Since then, stomping has been pretty much eliminated from their MO. There were isolated occasional stomps above me in the weeks which followed but nothing recent comes to mind.

And Kootch's reply to the cop's question did not surprise me. I never bothered her with that particular problem.

(I'd planned to publish this yesterday after adding more, but never got around to it, so I'm doing it now, July 1, 1824, before switching to my fun other blog.)

(4) Kootch Corroborates Not

As I was making my way down the stairs the male opened the door and tried to engage me in conversation. I made a pithy and appropriate comment to him and left the scene to await the arrival of the ACSD. Sure enough!

After speaking with the folks upstairs the two officers knocked on my door. I let them in and showed them the voice recorder, which was on. I asked them whether they had any objection to me recording the conversation. They had no objection.

I admitted to kicking the door. I explained why I had done it. I denied threatening the (son of a bitch) who answered the door. There followed a long conversation wherein I explained my theory of what was going on. I mentioned Walter Gerash's name and accused him of hiring the folks upstairs to harrass me. I did not mention the gassing, preferring to keep it all as simple as possible. The officers explained their position: call the ACSD, don't kick the door.

Once they were satisfied that I was not in the mood to do something violent to the person upstairs they asked to speak to Kootch. One of the officers looked familiar. Possibly he had been here before. Possibly he knew I had a wife. I explained that it was not a good idea to bother Kootch during her beloved Bronco game, but that I would risk it in view of the fact that I had some ready protection at hand. The cops asked Kootch whether she could corroborate my story about noise from above. Kootch replied (obviously guessing), 'Running?'

(3) Modus Operandi

My impression has always been that in general the night shift is more violent than the day shift. Yesterday's log tends to confirm that impression. Each 'harrasser' has an individual style, and in spite of the fact that they try to follow a common 'modus operandi' I can detect the inevitable subtle differences between them. I have noticed this for years. Many years. Way too many years.

The 'night shift' comes on about 1830. Until fairly recently it was a common practice for the night shift to stomp on the floor just above me while I was playing C-III. These stomps were often violent enough to elicit the 'startle response.' Some nights they would stomp above five or ten times as I played the game. There was (and still is) other related behavior as I play C-III: taps and wall booms. These behaviors seem to be 'comments' on my quality of play. The night shift (especially) seems to follow my every move in the game. I have even been gassed by way of commentary!

One day some months ago, after a long series of stomps, I decided that enough was enough: I went upstairs and kicked their goddamned door as hard as I could. I knew that I was 'playing right into their hands.' It has long been the policy of whomever has lived up there to harrass me to the point where I react in some 'illegal and chargable way,' then to call the ACSD and try to get me charged with a crime. The policy has worked several times, but those are other stories.

(2) Yesterday's Gas Log

I spent most of yesterday playing C-III, which is much more fun than writing this, so no entries for yesterday. It is very clear that this blog has affected the behavior of the people in the apartment above. Both daytime and nighttime gassing have been significantly reduced. (Right on cue: I detected the familiar burning sensation, and am now running the fans at full power.)
Yesterday's gas log illustrates this:

6-29-05
up at 0630
0720 gas in LR (throat-clearing, burning)
0739 gas in BR (ditto)
0741 LR full of gas. Fans to full power
0747 BR, 2, 0, throat gas
0940 LR, 1, 0
1022 BR, 1, 1
1154 BR, 6, 1
1156 BR, 2, 0
1201 BR, 2, 1
1451 LR, 1, 0
1554 LR, 3, 0
1633 LR, 1, 0
1727 LR, 1, 1
1737 LR, 2, 0
1822 BR, 2, 0 (LG - something I said?)
1828 BR, 1, 1 (TG)
1937 BR, 12, 0 (LG violent! fans to full power)
2004 BR, (boom from above seemed to be associated with C-III)
2011 BR, (ditto)
2030 BR, 12, 0 (LG)
2048 BR, (boom above)
2057 BR, 6, 1, (LG - violent! game?)

(1) Fiddling with Blogger

Although I selected the same blogger 'template' when creating my two blogs, the most recent blog (this one) does not have a title line. I like title lines, so I'm improvising and learning a little more about the blogger text editor.

(2)

I bought the recorder soon after that. It is a small Olympus model which fits easily inside my shirt pocket. I have never since spoken to a Kaiser physician nor to an ACSD cop without using it as my backup witness, and since then I have managed to stay out of both jail and the looney bin.

Recent gassing remains generally 'mild.' Recent coughing, however, remains generally tortured. In the mornings it takes about four consecutive coughs to clear my lungs of accumulated mucus due to the (slightly less recent) violent attacks with LG. They gassed me for about 30 minutes last night when I hit the sack at 2230, then for about an hour this morning after I woke up at 0330. I refused to get up and they finally stopped, allowing me to sleep till 0700 when Kootch left. I was then allowed to go back to sleep 'til about 0900. 'Allowed!' Damned white of them!

Here is todays brief gas log so far:

0925, LR, (burning sensation on inhaling - BR clear)
0941, LR, 4, 0
0947, LR, (burning when inhaling)
1003, LR, 4, 0 (wheezy)
1005, LR, 2, 0 (wheezy)
1012, LR, 1, 0 (wheezy)

It is now 1215 and the place has been gas free since the last entry, but the fans have been running at full power and the apartment is heating up.

(1) ------------ Destination: Looney Bin

To make a long story short, the cops believed Massey, not me. I was not arrested or charged with a crime, but I was tied up in the ambulance and driven to another Kaiser (I think) medical facility. There I was put 'under watch' by a security guard for a couple of hours, then interviewed by a female 'psychologist,' then later a Jewish physician. I remember needling the physician during the interview with, 'Are you Jewish by any chance?' His exact reply was, 'I might be. I might not be.' The Jewish doctor left the room soon after, saying he would be back to finish the interview, but he never returned.

I was then shipped downtown in another ambulance, destination: Looney Bin. I was admitted to the looney bin and spent the night there. Either at the looney bin or at the previous holding facility I was allowed to call Kootch and explain why I was late for supper and where she could find her car parked.

Kootch picked me up at the looney bin the next afternoon. On the drive home I told her that, 'I'm gonna have to buy a voice recorder.'

(6) ------------ A Goddamned Lie!

As I left the KP facility on Arapahoe road and headed out to the parking lot I could see that there was an ambulance parked in front, but that was not too unusual: this was a medical facility after all. I headed for my parked car, the two babbling idiots still behind me. It was getting dark at the time and I failed to notice that there were, in addition to the ambulance, two Arapahoe County squad cars parked in the lot. They were all waiting for little ole me.

As I stuck the key into my car door I heard a voice behind me say: 'Don't open that door!'

I opened the fucking door anyway.

I was immediately assaulted from behind by two ACSD cops in uniform. They manhandled me and cuffed my hands behind my back. There were four of them. I recognized two of them: I had recently called them when the gassing became unbearable. They did basically nothing about it. They were smiling at me as I stood there in handcuffs. Massey and the security guard were staring at me.

One of the cops they said, 'Doctor Massey claims that you told him you are planning to take out Walter Gerash.' I said, 'That's a goddamned lie!'

(5) ---------- A Very Creepy Situation

It was true. Some months previously I had been examined by a female urologist at one of KP's downtown Denver facilities. I have forgot her name, but she was Jewish. During her exam she discovered a mild case of 'balanitis.' Her exact words were, '... balanitis well controlled...' She later offered to 'cure' the balanitis with circumcision. I declined her generous offer. It was to her that I had made reference.

Massey stood up. I thought the 'session' was over. Massey said, 'I'll be back in a few minutes.'

I waited at least five minutes. When Massey returned he was much more cooperative. He agreed that I should have some tests done. He suggested that those test be done that same evening at their downtown facility. I replied that the tests were not quite that urgent. I would be happy to arrange for an appointment. Massey wouldn't hear of it. He suggested that I be driven downtown by ambulance that very evening.

The alarm bells in my head went off about here. I stood up and informed Massey that I was leaving. He continued to talk like a crazy person about the need for immediate tests. I walked out of his exam room only to find a security guard standing watch at the door. I asked the guard if he had any objection to me leaving the building. He had none. I headed for the front door with Massey and the guard in tow. They kept up a constant chatter as I left the building, urging me to reconsider and go downtown in their ambulance. It was a VERY creepy situation.

(4) ------------Jewish Doctors

I've forgot whether I chose Massey or whether he was the only physician available on that late afternoon. But it would be my first and last encounter with doctor Massey.

I tried to explain to Massey why I was there: I was wondering whether I was being poisoned by the gas. 'What gas?' 'The gas the neighbors were using against me.' 'Why would they do that?' 'They were working for a stalker who had for years been using the occupants of the apartment above to harrass me.' I was attempting to explain the unexplainable. Not only that, I was trying to explain it in ten minutes. I can't blame Massey (more heavy gassing as I type this) for being skeptical. 'Who was the stalker?' 'Walter Gerash.'

I asked Massey whether there were some tests, maybe blood tests, which Kaiser could do to detect whether or not I was being poisoned. Massey was very uncooperative, very skeptical. I could see that he was not going to be helpful. As the interview drew to a close I became somewhat exasperated. I asked Massey whether or not he was Jewish. Massey replied in the negative.
I then told him, 'I don't have much luck with Jewish doctors; the last one I talked to wanted to circumcise me.'

(3)------------Server Not Found Again

Once again the 'server not found' message appeared and Blogger was lost. When I reconnected I discovered once again that part of my post was missing, even though I am certain that I saved it almost right up to the end. So in an attempt to limit the damage done by these 'server' problems I will keep my posts short and pithy, the same way I do on my other blog.

By the way, my lungs have obviously been damaged by recent gassings. My coughs, instead of being short and sweet, so to say, have become long painful exhallations. And the gassing honeymoon seems to be over: they gassed me quite violently with lung gas just now as I reconnected to Blogger and began to write this.

(2) ----------Massey the Assey

While I am waiting with ''bated breath' so to say, I might as well the describe how I came to understand that it was not a good idea to talk to a Kaiser Permanente physician unless I had a recording of the conversation.

About two years ago I was in bad shape: both knees were extremely painful because of osteoarthritis. I was also developing numb spots on the bottom of my feet. Lastly, my feet would often become 'hot.' The Kaiser Permanente response to my knee pain was inadequate. They recommended an anti-inflamatory drug, Nabumetone (I think). The drug had no effect that I could discern. I began using Aleve, which did work. I did some research on the web. As a result of recommendations I found on the web I also bought some new sneakers with heavy cushioning which tended to absorb the shock of walking. The combination of Aleve and the new shoes appeared to solve the knee pain problem and my knee pain slowly disappeared over a period of six or eight months. (As I type each fact there is a tap above me. The voyeur(s) want to be mentioned in this account, apparently.)

The numb spots and hot feet continued. I would later discover, by researching the web, that mono-sodium glutamate caused 'hot feet' in some people. I was doing huge amounts of msg at the time as part of a diet and exercise program to lose weight. The msg was used in the 'japanese soup' I made, which was a low calorie miso soup. I eliminated msg from my diet and the hot feet disappeared. The numb spots stayed with me, however.

I knew at the time that I was being gassed, of course, and I began to wonder - before I discovered that my problem was msg poisoning - whether there was a connection between the gas and my foot and knee problems. So on impulse one day I made an appointment with a Kaiser physician by the name of Doug Massey.

(1) ----------------- Stay Tuned

I discovered over the weekend that 'lung gas' does produce 'residual effects' but only in the lungs. They are the kind of effects which would be noticed by a routine examination: wheezing and a reduced ability to exhale quickly. I also noticed some deep viscous mucus while coughing.

Gassing over the weekend was a mix of both gasses, with more LG than TG. Both Saturday and Sunday were fairly 'violent.'

Interestingly, there was almost no gassing after I hit the sack last night. They usually gas me for at least two hours before allowing me to sleep. I slept until 0330 and would have slept some more, but the gassing (TG) began soon after I woke up, and increased in intensity over about a 30 minute time period. I spent some time cleaning up my computer desk and watching tivo'd stuff until about 0530. At that point I went back to bed and slept until Kootch left at 0700. I went back to sleep and woke up about 0930. In other words I had an extremely easy night of it, compared to the usual, and I now feel well rested.

The entire morning has also been relatively gas free. They usually gas me constantly with TG all morning, but I can recall only two attacks while watching a replay of the Today Show from about 1000 to 1200. What might be the occasion for this unusual 'reprieve?'

I can only speculate, but possibly it is related to 'heating-air conditioning repairs' upstairs. There was a repair van parked outside all morning, and there were unusual sounds coming from the apartment upstairs all morning. It is possible they couldn't gas me 'properly' with the 'repair people' there. It is also possible that those repair folks were removing some of their gassing apparatus.

Hmm. Is this the end of gassing? We shall see...

(4)--------------------TGIF

TGIF. This means that tonight I will doing my other blog. That other blog started off in a fairly serious vein just like this one, but as time went on I discovered that I'd much rather play Civilization III than write blog stuff. So I limited that blog to Friday night, my 'get drunk night,' and focused on playing C-III the rest of the time. I plan to be hungover tomorrow, of course, and probably won't be getting back to this blog until Monday. In the meantime, enjoy your weekend. If you can.

(3)----------Learning About Lung Gas

With the single exception mentioned in the previous posting, today's gassing attack continues to be with 'lung gas.' The attacks became more and more violent as the day went on. This is a very unusual method of attack, and I am using this opportunity to isolate, if possible, the residual effects of lung gas. So far there seems to be little if any residual effect. A 'throat gas' attack of this duration and magnitude would leave the vocal cords and upper bronchial system severely inflamed, but my voice still seems normal (for me).

'Throat gas,' which I have also dubbed, on occasion, 'scratchy gas' and 'acid gas' (because of its 'resemblance' to battery acid fumes) seems to be the more dangerous of the two types of gas based on today's results so far.

Kootch is not noticably affected by the gas concentrations which obviously affect me. I attribute this to 'sensitization.' Kootch has not been 'sensitized.' Whereas I have been gassed for years, Kootch has escaped pretty much 'gas free.' This has been possible because we sleep in different bedrooms. Also, we spend most of our time in different parts of the apartment, getting together only around mealtime.

(2)----------Throat Gas vs Lung Gas-----------

I would characterize last nights gassing attacks as frequent and moderately violent. I didn't get much sleep. Gassing frequency so far this morning has been typical, not unlike yesterday's gas log. Both last night's gassings and those so far this morning have used what I call, 'lung gas.' Most of the previous gassings this week have been with 'throat gas.' (I do not know the real names of the gasses being used against me, so I 'name' them by the symptoms they generate.)

Apparently, 'lung gas' (LG) produces the same satisfying cough but is less inflamatory than 'throat gas' (TG). They achieve the same payoff with less inflamation. I am touched. They no doubt switched gasses out of concern for my health. How fucking sweet of them! Despite the gassing my vocal cords are in reasonably good shape this morning.

The most violent attack ever, happened earlier this week: Just as I finished brunch they literally flooded the apartment with throat gas. I left the LR immediately, coughing violently. Each cough 'brought up' a mouthfull of stomach contents which had to be reswallowed or spit out. I found no room which was not full of the gas and I eventually ended up on the patio porch, coughing and spitting (being gassed with throat gas here) regurgitated food. There were several slightly less violent attacks (one per day) on the preceeding Friday, Monday, and Tuesday.

These attacks are assaults. I would classify them as felonies.

(1) -------------A Sample Gas Log------------

The web site mentioned in the previous post is not this blog, but another blog. This blog was created after the encounter with Doctor Presken.

The purpose of this blog is to document my encounters with the various gasses and the various people I meet in my quest for clean air and privacy. Below is the 'gas log' for Thursday (yesterday). It will give you some idea of what goes on here every day:

I awoke naturally at about 5:30 am, much refreshed. Kootch (my Japanese wife) left at 7:00 am and soon after she left I began to noticed that old familiar burning sensation in my bronchial tubes when I inhaled. At 8:00 am (0800 - let's use 'military time' here) I began this log of gassing attacks. BR = Bed Room; LR = Living Room; PT = Potty; KK = Kitchen. Coughs refers to number of coughs. Taps refers to the number of taps, stomps, or wall-bangs, if any, which follow my cough.
time, location, coughs, taps

0800, LR, 1, 0
0803, LR, 1, 1
0807, LR, 1, 0
0808, LR, 2, 0
0816, LR, 3, 1
0820, KK, 1,0
0821, BR, 1,1
0825, LR, 1,0
0829, LR, 1,1
0838, LR, 2,1
0843, LR, 2, 0
0844, LR, 1, 0
0845, LR, 1, 0
0846, LR, 1, 0
0851, LR, 1, 1 (sharp pain in left lung)
0855, LR, 0,0 (clean air!)
0856, LR, 1, 1
0858, LR, 1, 0
0901, PT, (the usual tap from above as I urinate)
0903, BR, (clean air!)
0917, BR, 4, 0
0924, BR, 1, 1
0927, BR, 2, 0
0931, BR, 2, 0
0939, BR, 2, 1 (a wall boom)
0941, BR, 1, 0
0944, BR, (lost server)
0947, LR, 1, 0
0959, BR, (clear air)
1002, BR, 2, 0
1013, BR, 2, 1
1018, BR, 1,0
1024, BR, (several coughs)
1027, BR, 1, 0
1028, BR, 1, 0
1033, BR, 2, 1
1035, BR, 3, 1
1036, BR, 1, 0
1039, BR, 1, 0
1041, BR (full of gas. Fans on full power)
1054, BR (violent attack)
1056, BR (Kootch returns)
1106, (constant gas, fans at full power)

('Fans' refers to my ventilation system: two floor fans stacked one above the other in the bedroom and a similar stack in the living room. Air is drawn in by the bedroom fans and blown out by the living room fans. This works well to eliminate gas which might seep into the apartment through openings in the walls such as electrical outlets, but unfortunately, the gassers take advantage of the vs by injecting gas into the air just outside the bedroom window.)

Soon after that I left the apartment for the library. The log was not resumed, but gassing remained typical for the rest of the day. Whew. I may be looking for a way to consolidate this stuff. Such a log is way to labor-intensive.

(6)----------Presken Goes Poof--------------

Presken handed me a sheet of paper with the referral number on it. Then she said something like, 'You mentioned gas coming up through the floorboards. What did you mean by that?' I replied that I had said no such thing. I further replied that I had said nothing even close. I then advised Presken that I could prove it by replaying my record of our conversation. I then pulled out my voice recorder and showed it to her.

Presken then asked me to turn off the recorder. I refused. Presken then suggested that the recording was done illegally and '...could never be used in a court of law.' I replied that my understanding of the law in this regard was that the recording was legal so long as at least one of the participants (in this case me) knew that the conversation was being recorded. I replied furthermore that I had no intention of using it 'in a court of law.'

The good-looking nurse remained silent. Presken then asked me directly: 'Do you think that other people are trying to cause you harm?' I was flabbergasted by her sudden insight. I said, 'Yes!!'

Presken then seemed to become very concerned for those folks who might be trying to harm me. She said, 'Do you have thoughts about harming those people?' Touched by her concern I replied, 'No.' Presken then asked me whether I had thoughts about harming myself. Again I answered, 'No.' I may have added, 'And if I did I would never be stupid enough to tell you!'

This ended the exchange for all practical purposes. I offered to give her my website address in case she was interested in reading about our little encounter. I handed her a card with the address on it. She returned it immediately with, 'Not interested.'

(5)------------Enter Doctor Presken---------------

After about ten minutes doctor Deborah Presken knocked on the door, then entered the room. The nurse was with her. Extremely unusual. They both took a seat as if nothing unusual was going on. The doctor did not ask my permission for the nurse to remain in the room. I made no comment on the unusual situation because I had my own witness: my voice recorder.

Presken's 'bedside manner' was cool to cold. She did a perfunctory examination: ears, nose, throat. She felt my neck under the jaw. She listened to my heart and lungs. She could discover no problem. Although I told her that I was unusually tired, she ignored it. She seemed to have an interest in my dentures, asking whether my lowers fit properly and how old they were.

The conversation became a bit confusing as Presken seemed to dance on the periphery of exactly why I was there being examined. I told her that I was hoping somebody would attempt to confirm my claim of severe airway inflamation. Presken said that only a specialist would be able to do that and offered to refer me. I accepted. Then I described a simple test to her: heat a small mirror to the point where moisture from breathing would not fog it, then use the mirror to direct light down to my vocal cords thus viewing the situation down there. Presken explained again that only a specialist could do that. Finally she asked me what symptoms I was experiencing. That was a question I could answer! I began by explaining that different gasses produced different symptoms, but she quickly changed the subject and ended the interview.

Both Presken and the nurse left for five or ten minutes, then Presken returned with a new nurse, explaining that the old nurse had to go home. The new nurse was much better-looking than the old nurse.

(4) ------------The Nurse Ritual -----------------

A visit to a Kaiser 'primary care physician' always follows a predictable course: first, a nurse introduces herself to you; then she takes you to the preliminary exam area where she records your weight, your temperature, and your blood oxygenation level. Except for the weight, which is obvious to you as you stand on the scale, she calls out the values as she encounters them. This nurse did not bother to do that. Also, she did not take a blood oxygen reading. I became somewhat uneasy at her failure to take BO and her failure to communicate temperature information. As the patient I have a right to this information and I should not have to ask for it.

In the exam room I asked her why she had not taken my blood oxygen. (Blood Oxygen, by the way, is read by a device she attaches to one of your fingertips. It somewhat resembles a plastic clothespin, and probably measures the color of your blood spectroscopically. The measurment takes about 5 seconds, and mine is always in the mid-90s.)

She replied that 'somebody must have borrowed the device.' I noted that that information, in this particular case, was important. She agreed. Soon after leaving the exam room she returned with a BO device and took my BO measurment. She did not tell me what it was. I asked her what it was and she replied that it was 89. Close. She did not tell me what my blood pressure reading was but I could read it on her exam sheet. I became more and more uncomfortable.

She went through most of the remaining ritual, then left the room. I amused myself for several minutes by reading some of the stuff fixed to the wall of the exam room as I waited for the physician to appear. I also turned on my voice recorder at this point, and slipped it into my shirt pocket. It is standard practice for me to record all verbal transactions with Kaiser Permanente physicians, and I will explain why, later.

(3) Later

I interrupt the story at this point in order to describe a blogger problem: Blogger would not accept the first two 'domain names' I chose, but did accept the last (rbdssobstory). When I signed in to Blogger later I discovered that I had created three new blogs with the same name. Apparently, although Blogger rejected my first two dn's it nevertheless created blogs for them. I simply deleted those excess blogs and here we are again, ready to proceed with my story.

(2) Server Not Found

(I went on for another couple of paragraphs, then got the 'server not found message' at 9:44. The server stayed 'lost' and I had to pull the plug and reconnect. When I hit the 'recover post' option it yielded only the first paragraph below. I shall continue, trying to remember what I wrote the first time.)

A nurse from Kaiser called around 1:30 pm. She was concerned about whether I had 'breathing problems.' I advised her there were no breathing problems. She seemed satisfied. The gassing stopped immediately after her call, and my lungs began to heal themselves in the clean air. I played my favorite video game, Civilization III, until it was time to leave for the appointment.

The air in the Kaiser waiting room was clear of gas and I had no coughing problem. In fact, the air at Kaiser stayed free of gas throughout the wait and the examination. To the doctor who examined me I seemed to be the picture of health!

Familiar story. As soon as 'they' know I have made an appointment with Kaiser they stop gassing me. They usually have at least a day's warning, but in this case it was only about three hours. The nurse's call must have alerted them. In spite of the three hours of good air my vocal cords were still swollen and my voice (as the nurse who called, noted) was still very 'scratchy' by the time I was seated in the exam room. I thought there was a chance that the exam would confirm that my vocal cords, at least, were inflamed.

No such luck.

(1) I Begin My New Blog

Gassing attacks have been extremely violent lately, especially in the daytime. Also, I have been able to get very little sleep at night because I can only sleep when they stop gassing me. Nighttime gassing is much less violent, but it is persistent. I've been averaging 3-5 hours per night. Last night was a spectacular exception, and I must have got about 8 hours of much needed sleep. I think I know the reason for the sudden reprieve: I visited Kaiser Permanente, my HMO, yesterday. My health complaint was, 'severely inflamed airway.' It got their attention, and I was granted an appointment for 4:20 pm. I arrived 15 minutes early. The air in the waiting was clear of gas and I had no problem with coughing or with having to clear my throat.