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]