A moment to rant and then on to the subject.
 
This year couldn't be over fast enough for me!  This year is probably
the worst of my life, and after a crappy childhood that's saying a lot.
I'll put everything in chronological order so it's easier to follow.
First, in January I had my tubes tied.  The extremely talented (this "is"
sarcasm) surgeon cut my small intestine.  I came out of my second surgery
in five days with a repaired perforated bowel, the remainder of five days
of peritonitis, a belly that looked nine months pregnant, and a twelve
inch open abdominal wound.  Five weeks later, obviously not even close to
healed, I had a third surgery for two abscesses.  This one left me open
to the abdominal wall.  Finally was healed (just barely) and back to work
mid-April.  A fourth surgery in July for "four" hernias - the infections
had eaten away my muscles.  39 staples because they "fixed" the old scar.
Now it only looks like a 13 inch closed zipper (complete with dots) with
five nickle-sized dots on each side from the retaining sutures.  Let's
just say that it's not centerfold material.
 
I would rather have all of that to do again rather than having to lose my
third pet in three months.  Tink - our oldest ferret - died unexpectedly
Aug.  10, I had to put my 15 year old cat to sleep Aug. 20, And, now,
another ferret.  exactly three months after Tink.  Putting aside the
grief and guilt for a moment, I'll try to present this as a medical case.
 
John was the male of a bonded pair of MFF.  Originally named Kale and
Mary Jane, I bought them from a family (I use the word loosely)who
couldn't care for them anymore.  John and Jane Doe (the names were used
for the vet's records because I couldn't think of names that I liked, and
the names actually fit them - unassuming, quiet, shy) had lived in pine
bedding and were fed Kaytee ferret food.  John still had scabs around his
neck from having a collar embedded in his skin.  He had a deformed foot
that I (and the vet)believe was a birth defect but I was told it was
because it had been broken and not taken care of.  Jane looked healthy
but within six months showed signs of adrenal.  Surgery removed the
left adrenal and symptoms disappeared for about a year.  When symptoms
recurred, "1" lupron shot was given.  Symptoms have "completely"
disappeared.  She's interesting all by herself but this story is John's.
 
John started balding about two months ago.  Tail, neck, bottom of back
feet.  Vet decided to do lupron instead of surgery, I now think it was
because of our financial problems from "my" surgeries.  But at the time,
I thought it was because it was least invasive.  First shot given Oct.
13.  Nov. 10 I notice John having problems urinating.  Straining and
straining, nothing coming out.  I called the vet as soon as they opened
(less than an hour later), explained the problem, and asked to drop him
off on my way to work.  I would pick him up that night if everything was
ok.  I have complete confidence in them.  Dr. Lee called about an hour
and a half later saying that John was extremely sick.  She had removed
some of the urine with a syringe and it was so "viscous that it wouldn't
come back out of the syringe".  "It looked like snot".  I ok'd
exploratory surgery.
 
He had a lot of blood in the belly and a tumor the size of a walnut.
She could not find the gland that's next to the bladder.  She thinks
that either the gland grew into the tumor or the tumor encased the gland.
But the tumor had grown into the urethra and bladder.  They were all
connected and working together.  The tumor would hold urine and pass it
back and forth with the bladder.  Eventually the urine stopped leaving
completely and some stayed in both the tumor and bladder - getting more
and more infected.  When she looked at it under a microscope, she said
it was full of cancer cells.  She and her husband (both wonderful) looked
at John, but didn't know if they could get all of the tumor and if they
could, they didn't know if anything would work again.  She called me
during the surgery and I had to tell her not to wake him up, just let him
go.  I couldn't do that to him.  He had a good two years with us but I
couldn't put him through more pain just to give me more time with him.
Amazingly, his adrenals were normal.
 
I like to think that he had to go be with Tink and Tigger.  That maybe
they needed him more than I did.  He didn't know Tigger very well, after
all he was just a "cat" too lowely to associate with.  Except as prey.
But I think that Tink needed somebody to snuggle with.
 
Knowing that he's with Tink and Tigger makes it a little better, but
damnit their lives are "too short"!
 
Goodbye, my little Johnny Boy.  My goofy little guy that always squeaked
when he jumped.  Your foot never slowed you down a bit but it won't be
the same without seeing you galumping around the house.  Tell Tink and
Tigger that I love them both and I'll see you all again one day.  I
love you, John.
 
Darlene
[Posted in FML issue 4329]