Hi there!
 
Thank you so much to those who wrote to wish Tarzee well!  I'm going to try
and thank each of you individually.  And more thanks to those who have been
writing and trying to help solve the enigma of Tarzan's symptoms.  We
finally have an answer, though, sadly, it's not the hoped for obstructing
socks :(..  .It's the day after surgery and I'm home playing nurse.
 
Tarzan is a fur kid to whom I've grown extremely close... one of those
wonderful, cherished bonds...
 
In the past month or so Tarzee has gone through various treatments and
diagnoses for ongoing vomiting, tiny poops, and wasting (diagnosis including
barium x-rays to checkfor blockage).  Yesterday we resorted to surgery,
which was as successful as could be hoped, given what we found.  His
wonderful vet called early into surgery and reported several small tumors
along his intestines (maybe mesentary nodes), and a large tumor near the
base of his tummy.  Plus she didn't recognize his pancreas until she sized
up its placement; it was extremely lumpy and fibrous.  She asked if I wanted
her to try and remove the large tumor, despite the grave lay of the tissue
lands, as it was our obvious answer to the vomiting.  She said that, once
she began disecting it, if it turned out to be part of the tummy, or
unremoveable... we might consider letting him slip away.  She sounded very
grave and I felt the world crashing in.  He'd given sweet little kisses that
morning and looked into my eyes, so we both thought it might be goodbye...
 
But the main tumor wasn't in the tummy but in the muscle near the duodenum -
thus the obstruction.  The tumor was removed and resection went well.  The
little tumors (maybe mesentary nodes) on his intestines resembled the
removed tumor, so the big picture will be painted by the histopathology,
done by Mike Garner, a colleague and friend of Bruce Williams.  The small
tumors are vascular and Tarzee had already lost blood from five little veins
that fed the also very vascular tumor being ligated, so the small guys
weren't removed at this point.  They aren't obstructing anything -- Dr. B.
ran a catheter through his intestines -- which is good.  His very weird
lumpy pancreas *could* be scar tissue, but we'll find that out, too.  Dr. B.
did the best and most thorough sewing job I've ever seen on an incision -
VERY comforting in taking him home that night.  Also, I've never seen a
tumor, but got to see Tarzee's.  It was much denser than I expected, about
1 3/4 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inches wide, brownish gray - EVIL!  The
pancreatic tissue was all lobular and dry looking.
 
So... it looks like I may have some time with my precious boy, which is more
than I was expecting.  At least I have one weekend before the histology
comes back... to dream... Dr. B.  has seen lots of lymphoma, but nothing
like this... still, we're prepared for less than great news.  Yet, from the
way he fondly and gently kissed me going into surgery, I count every moment
a gift.
 
Following Tarzee's surgery Dr. B.  had many more surgeries, so she curled
him in a bed near her feet to keep an eye on him.  After a while she noticed
a streak crossing the room - he'd pulled out his catheter and was going for
a run!  And later, moments before I arrived to take him home, he stood up
and looked eager (of course!  Dr. Bishop had cantalope in her lunch salad).
When I arrived he was up eating *lope*.
 
So my three-year-old fighter pilot isn't done yet.  Today he's eating turkey
soup and, along with peeing (body functions are such a thrill in ferretdom!)
he has even pooped three tiny dark piles, though he was so skinny and empty
Dr. B. said it could be awhile before much comes out - it's all being used.
She was thrilled, after all she did surgically, that he hasn't vomited!  His
catheter came out today (we'd been giving dextrose/sodium chloride) and I
swear he was smiling on the way home.
 
He's so brave and has been in such pain.  If it's lymphoma we just happen
to live in a city with a vet oncologist that's worked at the Animal Medical
Center, in New York, and has who has participated in research on lymphoma,
and treated lymphoma fuzzies with chemo.  I will seriously look into it if
need be, but I won't put him through torture... I've been there with
Squeekers and there is a time to let go.
 
Also, Troy Lynn, along with offering lots of support during this long trial
with Tarzeee -- bless your heart, you Saint of Ferrets! -- already sent me
the web url for Essiac, so I will look into that.
 
Again, thank you all for your thoughts, hopes, and prayers.  You're a grand
bunch!
 
Lynn
 
P.S.  Hours later, he vomited once, and is refusing food, so, after
consulting Dr. B., we'll be giving carafate (his stomach was also incised
so this will help) and gently "force" feeding small amounts of baby food.
I recall hearing that the second day following surgery is the worst, and
this was true with my dear dad - both surgeries last summer and he's going
strong!  - so we'll look for a bright upswing tomorrow.  L.
[Posted in FML issue 2352]