Diagnosis

As you all know by now, I have been diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). I've heard from lots of people that it would be a good idea to set up a blog and keep people updated and have a place to share things. Don't you love technology? So, I'm learning as I go, bear with me. My technical advisor, Kyle, says he can help with the computer part, but I'm on my own for content. So here I go.

In September 2009, I went to my family doctor for a routine blood test to check my triglycerides which had been high in 2008. So over the past 6 months, I have been exercising, and watching my diet, so I was pretty excited to go have my blood tested and see what changes had come about. When I met with Dr. Callahan, my triglycerides were great. But he had run a CBC too, and the white count was high. He seemed a little concerned, so he ran another CBC. The white count was even higher this time. So he had one more CBC 10 days later, and again it was higher. So he told me he wanted to refer me to a hematologist/oncologist. I was pretty nervous by this time, and had been scouring the internet to try to see what was wrong. I had been a little short of breath lately and had night sweats, but thought it was just from getting older. I was able to get in with Dr. Joseph Te, who I have a lot of confidence in. When I worked on the cancer floor at DRMC, the nurses and patients all loved him. So, Roger and I went to my first appointment on Monday the 26th. He found a few swollen lymph nodes; my neck, my armpit, and my groin. Then he looked at all my labs and told us he was "90 sure" that I had CLL. It was a very shocking moment. It was hard to concentrate much on what he was saying after that. He wanted to confirm his diagnosis with a CT scan and a flow cytometry on my blood. So Tuesday the 27th I had those 2 tests. Drinking two bottles of barium was one of the most unpleasant things I have ever done. It made me sick all day. Wednesday night, Dr. Te called me with the results. He confirmed the diagnosis of CLL and said we would talk more about the staging and treatment on my next appointment, which is tomorrow, the 2nd. So, it has been a week of trying to get a grip on this, and trying to come out of denial. It is totally bizarre to me that I have this and I feel fine. But, I know it was a blessing to have caught this early through a fluke. I have already received so much support and love from friends and family. I am very humbled and appreciative of all of it.