2-2-2000 (what a date!)

Wonderful, wonderful news!

Although it costs me four hours of agony each day,
my AIDS viral load is now UNDETECTABLE!

My most recent viral load came back undetectable. This brings to mind the telegram Mark Twain sent to a New York newspaper that had printed his obituary: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."

The viral load is the measure of active AIDS virus in the body. When mine had reached 12,500 in 1996, I had already developed an AIDS-related cancer of the lymph system, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I was arrested on federal medical marijuana charges in July 1998. The government would not let me use medical marijuana while out on bail. I was unable to keep down my nausea-producing AIDS medication. Only three months later, my viral load had soared to more than 256,000. I assumed the viral load would just keep rising, so I stopped taking the test -- I was in a far too fragile emotional shape for any more bad news. My treatment would have been no different had my viral load been higher, so there was no medical reason to take the test.

Over time, I tried various techniques to keep the AIDS medications down a little longer before vomiting. In addition to large doses of Marinol, which is essential, I added herbs (for a complete list, see www.petertrial.com/herbs.htm), lying in hot water, curled up in a fetal position in bed, and two electric massagers -- a smaller one to stimulate the acupuncture points for anti-nausea and a larger one for my stomach.

Gradually, over many months of trial and mostly error, I was able to increase the length of time I could hold down my medications from 30 minutes to one hour and fifteen minutes. That 45-minute increase is apparently enough for the medications to get into my system.

The procedure of keeping down the medications is agonizing, exhausting, debilitating, and I must do it three times a day. It is entirely unnecessary if I could use medical marijuana. But it seems to be working. I have gotten my life back the old-fashioned way -- I earn it.

Since November 1998, I had been living week by week, fully expecting any day to re-develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (my viral now 20 times higher than the first time I developed it) or some other AIDS-related opportunistic illness, and die. Now, I can look ahead to a series of books and web sites that will not be completed until the end of 2003.

My personal physician, as well as the foremost AIDS physician in Southern California who recently examined me, are both writing strong letters to the judge saying that I have medically proven that I can take care of my illness at home using methods not available in federal prison. This is an excellent argument for serving whatever time I may be sentenced to under home detention (also known as "electronic monitoring").

You can help me get home detention (electronic monitoring) by writing a letter to the judge who will be sentencing me. For details, please go to www.petertrial.com/letters.htm.

My heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to each and every one of you who have sent me your best wishes, good thoughts, prayers, support, and healing energy.

You are most powerful. Against all odds, it worked.

Thank you.

Enjoy,

Peter