After a setback yesterday that kept Bumble in the hospital one more night,
he's at last here with me in my bedroom/office!  A large pink comforter and
sheets and towels are attractively arranged on the floor for him (at least
they WERE attractively arranged until he plowed through them), along with a
"Kennel Cab" to crawl into if he wants, a litterbox, a sleep-sack, and food
and water, with medicine and instructions near to hand.  After visiting him
again at the hospital last night, I had expected that if he could come home
tonight, he would have to be put to bed immediately, possibly in a very
limp condition.  Instead, he's been bashing around my bedroom wearing his
little neck-megaphone for the last hour, trying to get under the closet
doors, checking out every corner and piece of furniture, pawing at my leg
for more kisses.
 
When we humans come home from the hospital after major surgery with
complications, we usually go straight to bed.  We do not (as far as I know)
run frantically around every room in the house, sniffing each piece of
furniture.  Humans also tend not to pee in all the corners to re-establish
ownership.  But then, ferrets will be ferrets, and that's just fine with
me!  Bumble has been using his brand new "orifice" in the middle of his
tummy with no apparent problems, and until he's able to be back in the big
cage with his lady friends, or starts using his new litterbox, my bottle of
Ferret Carpet Stain Remover and Deodorizer will come in very handy.  (I
think he forgot his litterbox training under anesthetic.  He crawls in it,
throws the litter around, then crawls back out and pees in the corner.  Or
maybe he's just using the litter as celebration confetti!) To make up for
it, he's been giving me and Uncle Greg and the three sprites zillions and
zillions of kisses.
 
When we visited Bumble last night (Tuesday), I could see he was on the
right track and had recovered some of the old Bumble "aura", but he was
still very limp except when I offered him the Furrovite I'd brought along.
He was refusing all the moist recovery diets the techs had given him.  (I'd
left another tube of Furrovite for them, but apparently they didn't offer
it to him since they were astounded at the four big globs he ate when I put
it on my finger.) He couldn't come home with us last night because his
temperature had risen after we left Monday night.  They feared further
infection, and had him on a broad-spectrum antibiotic that had to be
delivered through a large needle in the bone of a back leg.
 
I really felt quite sure that he'd had the bad reaction after we left
Monday night (in that case, he had to stay to get his potassium level down)
because he'd expected to go home with us.  He'd been so affectionate and
kissy, and there we went and left him again!  I notice his Case Summary
Report said that he was acting depressed after we'd gone.  When we visited
again last night, he perked up and stayed up, and his temperature went
down.  Part of it may have been that I was crying over him Monday night and
smiling and acting "up" last night...I know I'd be seriously upset if
someone came to my hospital bed after I'd had an operation and started
weeping!
 
They still don't have the lab reports on the various cultures yet, so we
don't know if there's cancer involved, but we will handle whatever comes
together, with help from all the FMLers who've been so kind to us.
 
Bumble has finally settled down and curled up inside the comforter...I have
to wake him up in 45 minutes for his antibiotic, which I'm sure will be a
messy process as I've never medicated a ferret before.
 
Anyway, thanks again to all who sent messages, postcards, recipes and hope.
Thanks also to my handsome, wonderful SO who did all the driving and wrote
out the $1,600 check tonight!
 
Signe and Bumble
[Posted in FML issue 2476]