I am wondering if those of you who have had ferrets with insulinoma pass
on would mind sharing with me your experiences at the ends of your
ferrets' lives.  I've read through the various insulinoma pages and
textbooks, but none of them go into specifics, and I feel like I don't
know what to expect.  I've read that insulinoma does not grant a quiet
death for the most part, and I want to do what's right by Amelia while
giving her the most time that I can.
 
Amelia is 7, on her weight's max dosages of both pediapred and proglycem
(has been for a couple of months).  Her blood glucose is still in the
upper sixties, even with these dosages (as a side note, she is one of
those ferrets who is able to get along with a lower blood sugar than you'd
expect; when she was diagnosed with insulinoma she was in the low 40s and
her symptoms were subtle).  We had a run in with an ulcer in September,
but she seems to have recovered from that.  Eating, drinking, and pooping
are all normal.  Until very recently I would say her quality of life has
been ok, although she sleeps subtantially more.  Recently however she has
started making pain noises in her sleep-- not that squeal that they
sometimes make, but little muffled whimpers that I have never heard from
my little tough girl before.  Occasionally she makes these noises while
awake, usually while being held.  She has _never_ in her life let pain
slow her down; she's always been the sort of ferret who after surgery is
banging on the cage door to be let out as soon as she's conscious.
 
I do have a vet appointment lined up this week; I wish I could bring her
sooner, but her regular vet, an excellent ferret doctor, is away, and in
my judgement it's better for us to wait to see the regular vet, since she
knows Amelia in particular and ferrets in general so well.  It kills me to
hear Amelia making those noises, but her behavior hasn't changed
dramatically otherwise, so we wait.  I've had experience with insulinoma
in one other ferret, but he also had lymphoma which ended his life before
his insulinoma reached the stage that Amelia's has.  So, if anyone is
willing to share their experiences, I would appreciate it-- I know it is
probably as painful for you to remember as it is for me to be
experiencing, so when I say I'd appreciate it, I mean that profoundly.
 
Thank you,
 
Regina
 
(copied to both Ferret-Health and FML-- apologies for the crosspost.  Also
I previously sent this to Ferret-Health but it never appeared, at least
not in my inbox, so sorry if there's duplication there)
 
Regina Harrison  [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
 
Gossamer into Spiderweb:
http://www.channel1.com/users/regina/~gossamer.html
 
           So keep your candles burning
        And make her journey bright and pure
           That she will keep returning
               Always and evermore
                  into my arms
[Posted in FML issue 3600]