Charles is doing so well that he's coming home.

I'll be taking the G35 tomorrow. My brother says I'll love driving the car. My sister says to remember to stop in Jackson.

I am putting this reference to the National Institutes of Health site for sarcoidosis here for my easy reference. It's comprehensive and succinct.

I'm spending a lot of time here to get a handle on what other people are experiencing.

One sufferer who keeps a blog says "Imagine having the flu every day for a year."

If the doctors can't find a way to arrest Charles' sarcoidosis, it will kill him outright.

I spoke to his doctor tonight. Charles is being pumped with an intravenous steroid. He said he's never seen such an aggressive case. The doc is considering methotrexate, which depresses bone marrow production, where Charles is having problems anyway.

It's a quandary.

Charles needs his service number from the Army to finish his application for VA benefits. His current insurance does not pay for outpatient care and this upcoming therapy will be very expensive. How can I find his service number zippy-like, pronto, chop-chop and quickly?

He has done everything else, but became too sick to continue.

He was in the early waves of draftees in the 60's.

If I fill out and send in an SF180 it might take weeks.

UPDATE: Never mind. I did an evetsrec request after I got enough information out of him.

The doctors in Jackson think the bro's wonky liver numbers are a result of the sarcoidosis, and have concluded the prednisone is not working. They are considering intravenous cyclophosphamide as the next therapy.

My brother is feeling better, but he isn't happy in the hospital in Jackson. I'm not there. The attending ER physician here and Charles said it wasn't necessary.

The ambulance was used for comfortable transport for the 2-1/2 hour drive. It didn't take off speeding and blaring to the ICU.

He was transported so he could be evaluated by the folks up there. They have better facilities and labs than we do here.

They aren't any more efficient, though, and he's some frustrated. A lot of hurry-up-and-wait, which he swore he wouldn't submit to after being in the army.

That's what he gets for swearing.

Charles is on his way to a hospital in Jackson in an ambulance.

He woke up terribly weak today and asked to go to the hospital here. They transferred him up to Jackson because his liver indicators are a mess. No wonder, considering the fistful of pills he takes everyday.

He had to give up the dogs. They've come to live with a family in Vidalia with a big fenced back yard. They're in heaven.

This recipe has about a million calories, but Charles needs them. It's good. I'll try to get some down him tomorrow.

BAKED CATFISH

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds catfish fillets, cut in strips
8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 teaspoons Cajun-style blackened seasoning
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup sliced green onions
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 pound small, peeled shrimp
1/2 cup butter
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of shrimp soup
Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere’s or other brand)

Sprinkle catfish strips with blackened fish seasoning. Spread catfish with mayonnaise. Place in a shallow dish, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons butter until it begins to sizzle.
Sear the fish strips until golden, turning once. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and arrange fish in a single layer.

In the same skillet, heat remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Cook and stir mushrooms in butter until golden. Stir in parsley, green onions, and shrimp. Reduce heat to low, and cook until shrimp are pink and tender. Add Cajun seasonioning to taste. Stir in cream of shrimp soup, and blend well. Ladle soup mixture over fish in baking dish.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Hope you never come down with sarcoidosis.

It kicked my brother to the curb again this week. He didn't need hospitalization, but he did need someone in attendance, to get his fluids down and some food into his system, and to tidy and clean and generally make life a little less miserable. He was in no shape to help himself, and he wound up in worse shape than he had to be because he didn't call on me to help sooner.

I can't read minds. Now I know better. Maybe he does, too.

I'm off to attend to family values.

I don't think I ever saw The Animals in performance.

So I was taken aback to watch the video here and find a group of boys so young I'd think twice about loaning them the car keys.

Who knew? Maybe you.

you are lightcyan #E0FFFF

Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is very low - you have better things to do than jump headfirst into every little project. You make sure your actions are going to really accomplish something before you start because you hate wasting energy making everyone else think you're working. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

(Thanks, Tony.)

He made it!

Charlie is three years old today, toes and all.

I've been painting, and I'm tired, so tonight we're trying Taco Soup.

The recipe I have uses a can of black beans in place of one of the pintos, and that's about all the difference.

So we'll see.

UPDATE: Wouldn't be my first choice with time and energy on my side, but tasty enough for something that can be put together in a quarter of an hour. Beats fast food anyday.

Lucy had another egg yesterday morning.

Charlie has a birthday tomorrow. He'll be three years old, if he doesn't die from being kept overnight in the back bedroom away from paint fumes and out of the center of attention.

From commenter austinexpat at The New Republic's blog, The Plank:

By choosing to cast his campaign as a "movement", Obama may be jeopardizing his ability to act as a "mere politician" if that turns out to be necessary. "Forget everything I said about Hillary Clinton being part of the problem, and go vote for her"? How many of those people shouting "YES WE CAN!" on cue are going to be ready to hear that message? When you've promised them a ticket to Paradise, how many people are willing to accept Sheboygan as an alternate destination? (My italics.)

I read Douglas Coupland's The Gum Thief during the past week.

I found his writing fun, full of unexpected turns of phrase and fresh observations.

The epistolary structure of the novel was perfect for a blog reader.

There's an egg for Lucy tonight.

I've long thought there would have been no place for me in Lyman's life had he a daughter.

What birds choose to talk about.

While Charlie was confined to his cage he would often walk upside down from the top. That gave me an opportunity to play with his toes.

Now a new and often heard phrase here is "I got toes."

Another observation is that candidates sound an awful lot like parrots.

I watched most of the debate last night between Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama.

I have to wonder if Obama adopts that arrogant "teacher's pet" pose around Michelle Obama often. My guess is no. It makes me want to thump him.

Hillary looks good in turquoise jewelry. She carried her own smugness, too. She reminded me of Barbara Walters all evening. Did she watch tapes?

At the end of the evening, as Ms. Clinton began to rise, Mr. Obama pulled her chair away as a gentleman should. That will play well in the south. It does with me.

But I read a comment somewhere that the courtesy underscored her status as a woman and was effectively a putdown.

What's the matter with people? I'm all for handsome, elegant men working the chairs for me.