how do you feel when you have leukemia

Luckman42

Mentally or physically?

gracie27

Physically. Also, what kinds of exams (bloodwork and other such things) are required to determine whether or not one has leukemia? I am woorried for my health as i am constantly exhausted (not normal for a swimmer,which i am) and sleepy. I have recently lost weight without dieting and find that i am short of breath a lot. I would appreciate any info so that i may be better prepared as far as questions to ask my doctor. Thank you.

Luckman42

Funny, I was a swimmer in H.S. & College and I can understand the exhausted thing!
Go to your Dr. and have a CBC (Complete Blood Count) done. If your white count is high they will suggest more tests to determine the cause. I was diagnosed in March with CLL after a simple, routine, Dr. visit. I had no idea what was going on because I felt fine but after blood tests and finally a bone marrow biopsy, they nailed it!
Don't be too concerned yet until you talk to your Dr. because there are other things that will make you sleepy so don't panic.
Hope this helps!

gracie27

Thank you so much! Yes it does help! My appointment is on Friday and i feel beeter at least knowing what to ask for. Thank you!

Luckman42

Keep smiling and it'll be all good!

gracie27

Thank you!

k2626

Does a cbc usually rule this out? My pains I have had have been so deep like a toothache also twitching etc. They did a cbc twice and no issues, it could be lyme but I just find it hard to believe

Luckman42

Sure doesn't sound like Leukemia to me? At least not the type I have. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is a blood cancer that affects your Lymphnodes and will show up first as a high White Blood Count (WBC). I felt nothing except for a little tiredness that I wrote off as working too much. A routine blood test back in January showed a WBC of 30.6 (3.8-10.8 is the normal range). A bone marrow biopsy confirmed CLL. My WBC increased to 40.2, 53.1, 93.3, 117.7 as well as swelling of the Lymphnodes in my neck, armpits, and groin. I started Chemo on 11/7 and things are calming down now. Lymphnodes are shrinking and WBC is coming down!
I'm sorry I can't be of more help with your question. Ask your Dr. to do a CT scan and maybe a PET scan to help diagnose the pain you're experiencing.
Best of luck & smile, it helps!

k2626

So glad things are calming down for you! I will say a little prayer for you

cheerus

Luckman Question Did your white blood cell count differential show abnormalities when your blood was taken? Just wondered. I Had a urinary tract infection & my blood wbc count was 19,000 and even after the infection went away well my doctor is very particular & just wants to make sure sending me to a hemotologist to just get everything checked out . I Get blood taken every 3 months for the last 11 years and always fine & the differential white blood cells are fine he says . this hapened 5 years ago when i had an infection a different doctor then just kept taking my blood & it went done eventually after infection was gone. This doctor is different. How are you doing with treatment? and is the outlook good? Its good to hear good stories. Bren.I Go to my hemotologist next tuesday I'm a little no a lot Anxious.

Luckman42

Good Morning Bren!
I just finished my 4th Chemo treatment yesterday and things are looking awesome! Blood counts are near normal, Lymphnodes have shrunk to zero and I've learned how to manage the side affects! Depending on how my blood counts go I may have had my last round of therapy or I may have 1 or 2 more? Either way, I'm optomistic about how things have responded and my Dr. seems happy with the results also!
As far as the WBC goes, it's what your body does to fight off infection so it's not the only indicator as to whether you should be worrying about Leukemia or not. CLL, I was told, could go on for years with no need for treatments. Mine, however, decided to get aggressive and it is what it is! I've accepted it but am not giving up hope that with continuing "Stem Cell" research, we can look forward to a cure in the near future!
With all the doom & gloom stories in the world today it's good to hear about a victory now and then! Best of luck and don't let yourself get too stressed out before you get some answers. We tend to expect the worst and often times we're wrong! Keep smiling and let me know how things are going.
Like I always say: In life you have to play the hand that's dealt and I'm all in!
Later, Gary

cheerus

Gary Hi & I'm so Glad to hear how your treatments going so well. Its people like you that inspire me>when ISee success stories so often cancer is a scary word so we think oh well were going to die. But just because you have cancer doesn't mean your going to die right away you can go on & live a very productive long life for many years. I Was reading about Ryan Oneal remember him married to farrah fawcett>well I'm not sure which kind od Leukemia he was diagnosed with like maybe 12 years ago but hes fine and living life and I Just think we've come a long way with different cancers>I Have 2 neighbors that have had breast cancer the one was Diagnosed at my age 41 and that was 20 years ago and shes just fine she inspires me >and my other neighborlady was diagnosed about 5 years ago & is fine as well>so those stories & people including you soo inspire me it makes me think yah I Hope everythings fine but If not It will be fine as well.I Also have faith In God and being close to God helps tremendously. Keep sharing and Hope your treatments keep coming along well so you can get a break from those treatments and hopefully not have to get anymore.How old are you by the way? just wondering. Whats it like to have Chemo treatments hopefully I Won't have to but just wondering you hear soo many stories? Is it not that bad? Is it tolerable? does it make you really sick? & How do you manage the side affects? keep in contact with how your doing and I'll keep in touch after my appointment next Tuesday.Thanks for your Advice you made it a little less scary .Oh & one more question my differential when my white blood cell count was taken was fine normal the doctor said.was your differential white blood cells abnormal? is that why they suspected leukemia?Bren In Pa.

Luckman42

Hey Bren,
I was diagnosed a year ago @ 54 and it's been a crazy year! Your body goes through some changes but nothing compared to what your mind goes through! Chemo is different for everyone depending on what disease and what chemicals are involved. Mine started out scary because I didn't know what to expect. You expect the worst and hope for the best but you don't know until you go through it. Keeping a daily log really helped me out. I write down how I'm feeling each day after treatments and now, after my 4th one, I know exactly what to expect and how to go about managing it!
Not sure about the "differential"? My Dr. suspected something was up when my WBC kept going up and I didn't show signs of infection. Just had another blood test today and things are looking good so we wait another week.
Have a great day!
Gary