New Doctor

I have a new doctor and wow what a switch. He sat and listened to me. Several times during the visit he asked if I had any more questions. He was easy going and didn’t make me feel rushed.

Even better, after explaining the indications of CLL to me he saw that I didn’t understand everything he was saying so… he actually typed them up and printed me out a copy. I thought I’d share the info with you.

[Remember, I am not giving medical advise here. Anything and everything I mention on this site applies to me only. Always check with your doctor before you do anything (see “Disclaimer“.]

 

Typical indications for treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia include:
1. A low red blood cell count (anemia)
2. Low platelet count (little particles that clot your blood)
3. Low neutrophil count (infection fighting white blood cells)
4. Enlarged lymph nodes that are bothersome
5. Enlarged liver or spleen

Usually, in people who need treatment, there are multiple things going on. It is usually a slowly moving process.

So what does this mean? Basically, my test results will very in what my doctor calls a “sawtooth” pattern but the overall movement is slow. It is changes in multiple symptoms of the ones mentioned above that matters.

So, with all that in mind I’m changing my “Score Card” chart to reflect this new info. In addition to white blood cell count (WBC), red blood cell count (RBC), and lymphocytes, I’ll be tracking platelets and neutrophil counts.

I’m also starting a new chart as of August 2018 since the first chart dated from January 2005 is getting too full to read well.

You can go to my “Score Card” page for lab results and the new chart if you like.

[photo by Marcelo Leal]