Hi there! First thank you, thank you to all the wonderful people who have written to me about Tarzee. Each message is appreciated so, and I'm slowly, but surely thanking you all via e-mail, not necessarily in chronological order for some reason. I've gotten some amazing info from people whose fur kids have been on chemo, really helpful! And some neat messages from a couple local people. And the lady who wrote that I didn't want my fur kid Tarzee to get better hasn't written anything else not-so-nice, so we've forgiven her. Friday saw a call the vet. Tarzee had lost almost three ounces since surgery two weeks ago, when a lymphoma (cancerous lymph node) was removed, while other small lymphomas along the intestines were left in. Those left were small and supposedly not blocking anything. Later, the pathologist determined them a slow-growing type, good news among the bad. But Tarzee continued to vomit at least once a day (once sometimes being a fit of vomiting and heaving), sometimes twice. It was also discovered during surgery that he has a pancreas with scaring (tissue looks like a dried brain; gross but true) and with pin-point insulinomas. The lymphoma we can tackle, but that darn pancreas, well, at least manage... I hope the pathologist (great as he is) could be wrong about the little tumors, and that maybe the pancreas has always been weird; at least no signs of low blood sugar yet... ah that wishful thinking that keeps me going! My wonderful vet called from her home Saturday. I thought we'd be discussing another surgery for lympoma obstructions, or obtaining a mercy shot for a nearing day. Or she wouldn't call, knowing there was nothing she could offer. But no. She was upbeat! She prescribed a gastrointestinal stimulant (Metoclopromide - say it like Cyclops; one of its brand names is Reglan), which stimulates the movement of the gastrointestinal tract, while not stimulating excess stomach acids or other secretions. Tarzan gained two ounces this weekend, almost three! I'm not going to mention he hasn't vomited since Friday night because each time I get my hopes up... well, I'm now knocking on the only wood I can find, my head... :) We also switched temporarily to the faster acting injectible Dexamethasone (a type of prednisone). And! Tarzee had a surprise visit from his Aunt Kate today who was heard to exclaim while we were outside with Tarzee, "Look, he's running!!!" Cousins Monty and Madison sent over HUGE cheerful daisies from Aunt Kate's garden (they smell just like ferret ears :), a beautiful card with a lovely message, and their favorite crazy ball (on loan they pointed out)... one of those perpetual motion balls with a weasel attached to it, which Lucy has been trying to hide with no luck. It was the sweetest thing! Gotta mention Kate's fur kids, the cousins. I think cousin Monty is related to Tarzee - it's those five-sided electric-alive eyes... and I love to point out that *I* spotted Monty at a shelter and nearly screamed across the city, "Kate there's an Emmet/Tarzee fur kid over at Sandi's (as in Ackerman) shelter!!!!" Emmett was Kate's precious lovey-boy and a spitting image of our Tarzee. Of course, cousin Madison is a doll, too. Anyway, we got Tarzee popping balloons outside and fetching balls inside and both of us were gooing and gawing over how wonderful he was doing. He gave Kate his best Rhett Butler look and she swooned appropriately, begging for kisses. He's my best kisser, as I've said, and he knows exactly how to dole them out to keep you coming back for more. So, it was a really great weekend. And mom has some hope of Tarzee packing on some pounds before his chemo session comes up in a week and four days. He's just one of those types everyone falls for (ladies, you know those guys...), devilishly handsome (even grows little black horns springtime), athletic and energetic, playful and sensitive... my little fighter pilot, called Eukanuba Boy cause he's eaten Eukanuba cat food self-fed since a couple days post-surgery... Not to mention how, after the major intestinal surgery, when he was curled in a corner at his vet's feet for observation, he got up, pulled out his IV catheter tube, and ran across the room! Then, a couple hours later, right when I got there to pick him up, he began chewing on piece of cantaloup (my poor underweight, overworked vet's lunch; he'd hopped up and begun staring at her) ---- Eukanuba Boy! Thanks again you wonderful group! Lynn and Tarz P.S. Forgot to say that this morning I was greeted by the sound of Tarzee pushing a ping pong ball around (Janos must have given it to him), and he currently had me treed in my chair, cause he knows the popped balloons are in my pocket! ---- Eukanuba Boy! [Posted in FML issue 2368]