Hi there!  First thank you, thank you to all the wonderful people who have
written to me about Tarzee.  Each message is appreciated so, and I'm slowly,
but surely thanking you all via e-mail, not necessarily in chronological
order for some reason.  I've gotten some amazing info from people whose fur
kids have been on chemo, really helpful!  And some neat messages from a
couple local people.  And the lady who wrote that I didn't want my fur kid
Tarzee to get better hasn't written anything else not-so-nice, so we've
forgiven her.
 
Friday saw a call the vet.  Tarzee had lost almost three ounces since
surgery two weeks ago, when a lymphoma (cancerous lymph node) was removed,
while other small lymphomas along the intestines were left in.  Those left
were small and supposedly not blocking anything.  Later, the pathologist
determined them a slow-growing type, good news among the bad.  But Tarzee
continued to vomit at least once a day (once sometimes being a fit of
vomiting and heaving), sometimes twice.  It was also discovered during
surgery that he has a pancreas with scaring (tissue looks like a dried
brain; gross but true) and with pin-point insulinomas.  The lymphoma we
can tackle, but that darn pancreas, well, at least manage... I hope the
pathologist (great as he is) could be wrong about the little tumors, and
that maybe the pancreas has always been weird; at least no signs of low
blood sugar yet... ah that wishful thinking that keeps me going!
 
My wonderful vet called from her home Saturday.  I thought we'd be
discussing another surgery for lympoma obstructions, or obtaining a mercy
shot for a nearing day.  Or she wouldn't call, knowing there was nothing
she could offer.
 
But no.  She was upbeat!  She prescribed a gastrointestinal stimulant
(Metoclopromide - say it like Cyclops; one of its brand names is Reglan),
which stimulates the movement of the gastrointestinal tract, while not
stimulating excess stomach acids or other secretions.  Tarzan gained two
ounces this weekend, almost three!  I'm not going to mention he hasn't
vomited since Friday night because each time I get my hopes up... well, I'm
now knocking on the only wood I can find, my head... :) We also switched
temporarily to the faster acting injectible Dexamethasone (a type of
prednisone).
 
And!  Tarzee had a surprise visit from his Aunt Kate today who was heard to
exclaim while we were outside with Tarzee, "Look, he's running!!!"  Cousins
Monty and Madison sent over HUGE cheerful daisies from Aunt Kate's garden
(they smell just like ferret ears :), a beautiful card with a lovely
message, and their favorite crazy ball (on loan they pointed out)... one of
those perpetual motion balls with a weasel attached to it, which Lucy has
been trying to hide with no luck.  It was the sweetest thing!
 
Gotta mention Kate's fur kids, the cousins.  I think cousin Monty is related
to Tarzee - it's those five-sided electric-alive eyes... and I love to point
out that *I* spotted Monty at a shelter and nearly screamed across the city,
"Kate there's an Emmet/Tarzee fur kid over at Sandi's (as in Ackerman)
shelter!!!!" Emmett was Kate's precious lovey-boy and a spitting image of
our Tarzee.  Of course, cousin Madison is a doll, too.
 
Anyway, we got Tarzee popping balloons outside and fetching balls inside and
both of us were gooing and gawing over how wonderful he was doing.  He gave
Kate his best Rhett Butler look and she swooned appropriately, begging for
kisses.  He's my best kisser, as I've said, and he knows exactly how to dole
them out to keep you coming back for more.
 
So, it was a really great weekend.  And mom has some hope of Tarzee packing
on some pounds before his chemo session comes up in a week and four days.
He's just one of those types everyone falls for (ladies, you know those
guys...), devilishly handsome (even grows little black horns springtime),
athletic and energetic, playful and sensitive... my little fighter pilot,
called Eukanuba Boy cause he's eaten Eukanuba cat food self-fed since a
couple days post-surgery... Not to mention how, after the major intestinal
surgery, when he was curled in a corner at his vet's feet for observation,
he got up, pulled out his IV catheter tube, and ran across the room!  Then,
a couple hours later, right when I got there to pick him up, he began
chewing on piece of cantaloup (my poor underweight, overworked vet's lunch;
he'd hopped up and begun staring at her) ---- Eukanuba Boy!
 
Thanks again you wonderful group!
 
Lynn and Tarz
 
P.S.  Forgot to say that this morning I was greeted by the sound of Tarzee
pushing a ping pong ball around (Janos must have given it to him), and he
currently had me treed in my chair, cause he knows the popped balloons are
in my pocket!  ---- Eukanuba Boy!
[Posted in FML issue 2368]