Hi everyone,
 
Thanks a million for all of the good wishes, thoughts, encouragement, and
even a few e-cards for Nikita.  What a great group of people there are on
this list!
 
Our vet called a little while ago.  Nikita is doing fine.  She removed a
very large and ugly right-side adrenal tumor.  She estimates that she got
85-90% of the tumor.  The rest is on the vena cava and tucked slightly
under the liver, and it was too risky to take more.  This is fine with
me, as I have heard that it is sometimes good to leave a small portion
of the adrenal so that there is still adrenaline being produced and no
complications arise from insufficient adrenaline levels.
 
Nikki may not grow her hair back, that remains to be seen.  But even if
she remains my little bald girl, as long as she's happy and active, that's
all that matters to me!
 
Thanks again for all the good thoughts. Nikki thanks you too.
 
(By the way, if anyone in Massachusetts is looking for a great ferret
vet, try Dr. Lichtenberg in Pelham, Massachusetts, at the Lichtenberg
Veterinary Hospital.  Even if you are not in the immediate area, she is
well worth a drive.  This skilled and compassionate surgeon has performed
adrenal surgery on 4 of my 5 ferrets, and each has had a successful
recovery.)
 
-Heather W. in Massachusetts
[Posted in FML issue 3729]