Shelley:
 
I've sort of been out of the loop of the FML recently, so I don't know what
ages were posted regarding survival times after surgery for insulinoma.  I
can tell you in my case, my ferret Ian survived almost two years after his
first surgery and 8 mos.  after his *second*.  After his second surgery I
knew we were fighting a losing battle and took him off all meds (he *hated*
pred) to let him go with dignity.  After the original surgery I had him on
pred and checked his blood sugar every month.
 
I'm not sure about survival times without surgery.  I know that while
surgery can be pretty scary at times, it's more likely to *solve* the
problem for a while than the meds -- they just *treat* it.
 
The one thing about insulinoma is it always comes back.  If your friend's
ferret is a good candidate for surgery (her vet should be able to determine
this) then I would definitely do it, even though your own experience wasn't
that great.
 
Amy, Dave & Sarah (and their gaggle of giggling ferrets)
RIP Ian and Elektra
[Posted in FML issue 2074]