diff --git a/lib/connection.js b/lib/connection.js
index af1e503..b0344d3 100644
--- a/lib/connection.js
+++ b/lib/connection.js
@@ -53,48 +53,51 @@ p.connect = function(port, host) {
 };
 
 p.startup = function(config) {
-  var buffer = new Writer()
+  var bodyBuffer = new Writer()
     .addInt16(3)
     .addInt16(0)
     .addCString('user')
     .addCString(config.user)
     .addCString('database')
     .addCString(config.database)
-    .addCString('');
+    .addCString('').join();
+  //this message is sent without a code
 
-  this.send(false, buffer.join());
+  var length = bodyBuffer.length + 4;
+
+  var buffer = new Writer()
+    .addInt32(length)
+    .add(bodyBuffer)
+    .join();
+  this.stream.write(buffer);
 };
 
 p.password = function(password) {
-  this.send('p', Buffer(password + '\0', this.encoding));
+  //0x70 = 'p'
+  this.send(0x70, Buffer(password + '\0', this.encoding));
 };
 
 p.send = function(code, bodyBuffer) {
   var length = bodyBuffer.length + 4;
-  var buffer = Buffer(length + (code ? 1 : 0));
+  var buffer = Buffer(length + 1);
   var offset = 0;
-  if(code) {
-    buffer[offset++] = Buffer(code, this.encoding) [0];
-  }
-  this.writeInt32(buffer, offset, length);
-  bodyBuffer.copy(buffer, offset+4, 0);
+  buffer[offset++] = code;
+  buffer[offset++] = length >>> 24 & 0xFF;
+  buffer[offset++] = length >>> 16 & 0xFF;
+  buffer[offset++] = length >>> 8 & 0xFF;
+  buffer[offset++] = length >>> 0 & 0xFF;
+  bodyBuffer.copy(buffer, offset, 0);
   return this.stream.write(buffer);
 };
 
-p.writeInt32 = function(buffer, offset, value) {
-  buffer[offset++] = value >>> 24 & 0xFF;
-  buffer[offset++] = value >>> 16 & 0xFF;
-  buffer[offset++] = value >>> 8 & 0xFF;
-  buffer[offset++] = value >>> 0 & 0xFF;
-};
-
+var termBuffer = new Buffer([0x58, 0, 0, 0, 4]);
 p.end = function() {
-  var terminationBuffer = new Buffer([0x58,0,0,0,4]);
-  var wrote = this.stream.write(terminationBuffer);
+  var wrote = this.stream.write(termBuffer);
 };
 
 p.query = function(text) {
-  this.send('Q', new Buffer(text + '\0', this.encoding));
+  //0x51 = Q
+  this.send(0x51, new Buffer(text + '\0', this.encoding));
 };
 
 p.parse = function(query) {
@@ -116,7 +119,8 @@ p.parse = function(query) {
     buffer.addInt32(query.types[i]);
   }
 
-  this.send('P', buffer.join());
+  //0x50 = 'P'
+  this.send(0x50, buffer.join());
 
   return this;
 };
@@ -144,7 +148,8 @@ p.bind = function(config) {
     }
   }
   buffer.addInt16(0); //no format codes, use text
-  this.send('B', buffer.join());
+  //0x42 = 'B'
+  this.send(0x42, buffer.join());
 };
 
 p.execute = function(config) {
@@ -155,25 +160,30 @@ p.execute = function(config) {
     .addCString(config.portal)
     .addInt32(config.rows)
     .join();
-  this.send('E', buffer);
+  
+  //0x45 = 'E'
+  this.send(0x45, buffer);
 };
 
 p.flush = function() {
-  this.send('H',Buffer(0));
+  //0x48 = 'H'
+  this.send(0x48,Buffer(0));
 }
 
 p.sync = function() {
-  this.send('S', Buffer(0));
+  //0x53 = 'S'
+  this.send(0x53, Buffer(0));
 };
 
 p.end = function() {
-  this.send('X', Buffer(0));
+  //0x58 = 'X'
+  this.send(0x58, Buffer(0));
 };
 
 p.describe = function(msg) {
   var str = msg.type + (msg.name || "" ) + '\0';
   var buffer = Buffer(str, this.encoding);
-  this.send('D', buffer);
+  this.send(0x44, buffer);
 };
 
 //parsing methods