I've had a mild CLL (chronic lymphatic leukemia) for quit a few years and didn't worry about it too much because the count was so low but it's jumped a lot since the spring and now my Florida winter might be in jeopardy. You know the news isn't good when your family doctor phones you at 8 A.M.
My brother-in-law, Gary, had the same blood disorder but his count was drastically higher than mine...over 100. Mine went from about 8 to 21 since May and that is cause for worry because it's normally only gone up an average of 1 point per year since I first found out I had the disorder about 5 years ago.
I can still go to Florida and get regular bloodwork done there to keep an eye on it but my concern is that, even though it doesn't present a health problem until it reaches 75-80, it wouldn't take long to reach that point if it's rising quickly now. I'll get bloodwork done again in two weeks and that's when I'll make my decision whether or not to leave the country. I don't want to be foolish!
Apparently there wouldn't be any symptoms to warn me before it reached a dangerous level, either. The danger is blood clots or stroke if it gets too high and that's a risk I'm not willing to take. There is treatment, including chemo which I wouldn't do. I would do the blood transfusions, though. CLL is a terminal illness but it usually progresses very slowly. At my age I could still have a lot of life left yet. I'm hoping.
Update: I know you shouldn't search the internet for information on your illnesses but it doesn't hurt to do it if it isn't scaring you. I was just sitting and watching T.V. and wondering what changes had occurred in my life before the "rise of the white blood cells" and I realized I'd had a steroid shot for my arm shortly before the bloodwork in October. I'd also had the second steroid shot about a week before the bloodwork last Friday. It got me wondering if steroids can increase your white blood cell count...and it most definitely does!!!
One lady's count jumped to 42 after a steroid shot and took 4 months to drop back to normal. Apparently it is well documented that steroids do increase white blood cell count so I phoned my doctor and left a message with his nurse to have him check on this. The lady I spoke of went through the discomfort of having a bone marrow test and that is something my doctor suggested to me.
I love my family doctor and have great confidence in him but no doctor knows everything. I'm going to assume he forgot I had the steroid shots because they were set up for me last summer.
I'm very proud of myself!
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