A few more words about the CLL. I was fortunate that the CLL never really manifested in me the way it does with other people. When I started Rituxan treatments last year, I did some searches and found a CLL forum. Reading the comments from others dealing with CLL made me realize how lucky I really was. In the four years leading up to the beginning of treatment, I saw Dr. T quarterly, and with the exception of all the initial scans and biopsies, I didn't have any hospital visits to deal with.
My high white blood count was the only symptom that ever really showed itself. The white blood count peaked around 30,000, which I always thought was high, especially since "normal" ranges are between 4-11 (as I write this, I may have the top number wrong. I'll double-check that). When I began reading the experiences of other CLL patients, I was learning that my 30k was nothing compared to those who had white counts in the hundreds of thousands.
So, I felt lucky, and a little guilty, as if I wasn't fully immersed in this enough to even call myself a person with leukemia. With no other symptoms of CLL rearing up, I felt like this wasn't going to cut my life short after all.
Armed with that attitude, I set out to make sure I took better care of myself. I dropped almost 40 pounds and got myself in the best shape of my life. Along the way I met the woman who would become my best friend and my wife. Life with CLL was good, but I think it went that way because I felt like I had a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off inside of me, and while I was sure it wasn't going to go off soon, the likelihood that it would go off was still on my mind.
There was no time to waste time.
Showing posts with label white blood count. Show all posts
Showing posts with label white blood count. Show all posts
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
It Seems Like a Long Time Ago
It was not quite five years ago when I got the word that I had CLL. There I was, a 49-year old guy, who had never been to the doctor for anything more than a physical back in high school. I thought it would be good to see a doctor, since I was approaching 50. I remember thinking that I might as well as get in the habit of going.
So, in August, 2006 I went in for a physical. I had blood drawn, talked with the doctor, and I think I also mentioned that I thought I might be a good candidate for a sleep study. I got the referral for the sleep study and went about my way, figuring I wouldn't be back for another year.
That same day I got a call from the nurse, telling me that the doctor wanted another blood sample from me. I went to the hospital the next morning for the blood draw. I had to go out of town for a couple of days, so I didn't hear any more until I got back. I got the call saying I needed to go back in one more time for a blood draw. That wasn't the end of it. By the middle of the month, I was going in for two more blood draws. It never occurred to me that something was wrong. On Friday, August 18, I got the call.
The call at work came from the doctor. He apologized for the extra blood work he asked for and then said, "You have leukemia." Boom. My white blood count was higher than normal. If I remember correctly, I think my white count was around 18,000. The doctor couldn't believe what he was seeing, so that's why he had me take the additional test. I think we talked for a few more minutes, and he told me he would refer me to Dr. Tarantolo, "one of the best guys in town," he said. He also said he would have the nurse put together some information on leukemia for me. He told me it was CLL, which didn't mean anything to me just then.
After hanging up, it was all I could do to keep it together. I closed the door to my office, sat back down, and the tears poured out of me. Leukemia? How could that be? I didn't think abut asking that question when the doctor called me. So many things crossed my mind. .
There was no time to dwell on the news though. I had to go in for a CT scan the next morning. I'm not sure when I told my relatives. I wasn't married at the time, so I went home to my apartment, and did what every newly-diagnosed patient does. I went to the Internet for information. Nothing jumped out at me to make me feel any better. Probably because I was looking for answers where none really existed. I had leukemia and there wasn't anything I could read on the Internet that would change that.
I got my leukemia material in the mail within a couple of days. I felt a little better about what was happening inside my body after looking over the material in the package. I decided I would wait to tell my family about all of this until I understood it better, which I would have a better shot at after my first appointment with Dr. Tarantolo on August 24.
So, in August, 2006 I went in for a physical. I had blood drawn, talked with the doctor, and I think I also mentioned that I thought I might be a good candidate for a sleep study. I got the referral for the sleep study and went about my way, figuring I wouldn't be back for another year.
That same day I got a call from the nurse, telling me that the doctor wanted another blood sample from me. I went to the hospital the next morning for the blood draw. I had to go out of town for a couple of days, so I didn't hear any more until I got back. I got the call saying I needed to go back in one more time for a blood draw. That wasn't the end of it. By the middle of the month, I was going in for two more blood draws. It never occurred to me that something was wrong. On Friday, August 18, I got the call.
The call at work came from the doctor. He apologized for the extra blood work he asked for and then said, "You have leukemia." Boom. My white blood count was higher than normal. If I remember correctly, I think my white count was around 18,000. The doctor couldn't believe what he was seeing, so that's why he had me take the additional test. I think we talked for a few more minutes, and he told me he would refer me to Dr. Tarantolo, "one of the best guys in town," he said. He also said he would have the nurse put together some information on leukemia for me. He told me it was CLL, which didn't mean anything to me just then.
After hanging up, it was all I could do to keep it together. I closed the door to my office, sat back down, and the tears poured out of me. Leukemia? How could that be? I didn't think abut asking that question when the doctor called me. So many things crossed my mind. .
There was no time to dwell on the news though. I had to go in for a CT scan the next morning. I'm not sure when I told my relatives. I wasn't married at the time, so I went home to my apartment, and did what every newly-diagnosed patient does. I went to the Internet for information. Nothing jumped out at me to make me feel any better. Probably because I was looking for answers where none really existed. I had leukemia and there wasn't anything I could read on the Internet that would change that.
I got my leukemia material in the mail within a couple of days. I felt a little better about what was happening inside my body after looking over the material in the package. I decided I would wait to tell my family about all of this until I understood it better, which I would have a better shot at after my first appointment with Dr. Tarantolo on August 24.
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