Hi, all.  I have had a very hard time getting on the internet lately-
technical problems as well as work schedule and personal life issues,
but I wanted to wish you all happy holidays and give y'all an update.
 
I recently wrote up a very detailed update for those of you who sent
gifts and well wishes for our new adrenal girl, Holly, but then we lost
our power in the middle of my clicking on "save"-literally-and we have
had technical computer and internet problems since.  I will briefly say
that she has had a few lupron injections and has regrown a ton of fur
and her vulva has shrunk quite a bit.  She has to wait for surgery till
January-I had an adrenal boy who had a prostatic cyst and couldn't wait;
he actually had to have both adrenals out at once and had an Addisonian
crisis a week later-now on Florinef with his low-dose pred.
 
He's now well (my Nicodemus) and doing great.  Cora also has to have her
second adrenal gland in a year out and has possible bladder and kidney
issues and will have to go first, too.  Unfortunately, though doing well
overall, Holly developed a cataract two weeks ago that we'll have to
monitor closely.
 
Finnegan is fat and sassy for winter and has been a blood donor twice in
the last few months for other needy, sick ferrets.  No problems his way
so far.
 
My poor insulinomic Marley (5.5 yrs old) developed lymphoma a month or
two ago and passed away last Tuesday; his last two weeks were actually
really good weeks for him, so I wasn't quite expecting him to go last
week.  But at least his last days were great.  We miss him so much;
Bandit, the other "little old man" (6.5 years), also has insulinoma; we
discovered his pancreatic tumors at his right adrenalectomy last winter,
but his first sx was so long and he lost so much blood-stupid vena
cava-that we had to wait for sx #2.  He had a partial pancreatectomy last
year a month later and he has been asymptomatic since then (his symptoms
prior to the partial pancreatectomy were likely masked at first by his
adrenal disease)-but in the last week since Marley died, he has started
to fishtail when walking and lose a lot of weight and look bad.
 
His bloodwork two weeks ago (routine geriatric ferret panel) was normal,
but I will be checking another BG via lab this week.  It may be that
he is finally starting to be symptomatic just b/c of his disease
progression, it may have been exacerbated by his depression over losing
Marley, or it may just be depression over losing Marley; he is a very
sensitive guy-he was depressed for at least a month after Shannon died
last year-and he and Marley were very attached to each other in the year
and a half they lived together (adopted Bandit at 5 yrs old-was an only
ferret till then).  Bandit has been coming to me and asking to be held-
he HATES to be held-since the hour Marley died. :(
 
Anyhoo, I thank all of you again who have helped with Holly, and wish all
of you and your fuzzies and all the fuzzies who still need homes very
happy holidays.
 
Peace and dooks,
 
April Armstrong Campbell, Shawn Campbell and the once-again Auburn Five
(we preferred being a Six-Pack  :(  ):    Nicodemus, Cora, Finnegan,
Bandit, Holly and from the Bridge, Renate, Sparkle, Shannon and Marley
[Posted in FML issue 4735]