Search Results
Peter
My story starts a year and a half before diagnosis when a serious body surfing accident led to blood tests showing significantly low red and platelet counts. My primary care physician (PCP) retested several times in a short period, and when the counts came back closer to normal, she chose to stop her inquiry without scheduling further tests or redoing the same test, say, six months later to see if the lower values were actually correct. There was no discussion of what it would have meant if the lower counts were, in fact, an accurate representation of my blood health.
Alice
In March 2023, while visiting my daughter and son-in-law in San Francisco, I saw the Climb2Cure trip to Patagonia listed on The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) website. They have always talked about their backpacking trip to Patagonia in Argentina and Chile as their favorite hiking trip ever. This event would be my 16th LLS fundraising adventure since going into remission from multiple myeloma (MM) in 1999.
Finding a Clinical Trial
If you're interested in the possibility of a clinical trial as a treatment option, talk with your doctor first. He or she can help you find an eligible trial.
Gwendolyn
Gwendolyn describes herself as a wanderlust who never likes to let the grass grow under her feet. After college, she moved from her hometown in Florida to Houston and spent the next few years moving around Texas for work. She started her new life in Texas where her son, Sterling, was born and raised. She loves traveling, but following a trip to Belize, she started to notice white spots on her skin and other strange issues happening with her health. After doing some research on her own and going to the doctors, she was told she likely had lupus.
Kendra
I first learned of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) when I participated in a Team in Training (TNT) event to walk a half marathon in San Francisco in October 2004. My friend in Michigan had lost her dad to lymphoma earlier that year, and she was training for the event from her home in Michigan. My training and participation were a way to support her during the loss of her dad. I never thought I could walk that far, and, through the support of the trainers and the motivation to support my friend, I had an awesome time completing that walk.
Megan
I am a 12-year-old girl who likes to play soccer and basketball, and I am in 7th grade. I was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS-EB) with monosomy 7. It is a blood cancer similar to leukemia. It is extremely rare for pediatric patients to receive this diagnosis, between 1-4 children out of every million.
Diagnosis
An accurate diagnosis is one of the most important aspects of a person’s care. Obtaining a precise diagnosis will help the doctor
- Determine the MDS subtype
- Estimate how the disease will progress
- Determine the most appropriate treatment
Since MDS can be a difficult disease to diagnose, you may want to get a second medical opinion by an experienced hematopathologist before you begin treatment.
T-Cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia (T-PLL)
T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is an extremely rare and typically aggressive malignancy (cancer) that is characterized by the out of control growth of mature T-cells (T-lymphocytes). T-cells are a type of white blood cell that protects the body from infections. T-PLL affects older adults with a median age at diagnosis of 61 years, and it is more common in men than in women.
Heriberto
I was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) on Friday the 13th ― August 13, 2021, to be exact ― seven months after being married, three months after my wedding reception, and going on my honeymoon.
Erika
I am a 36-year-old cancer survivor. In February 2014, I found a suspect lump and had become unusually tired. I was a career-driven single mother of a very active 10-year-old boy, so when I say unusually tired it was time to call the doctor. Within days I was thrown into the crazy and often times confusing world of hospital appointments and insurance company battles for various procedures and surgical biopsies. We became pros at the waiting game.
Amanda
"He was selfless, unbelievably selfless," said Amanda about her father, Andrew. "He did everything for everybody. He worried enough for our family plus more. And never showed it. He worked extremely hard to provide us with everything we could possibly need."
Treatment
Which side effects do I need to call my doctor about? Side effects of treatment are usually discussed with patients before the treatment is started. From the doctor's perspective, the side effects of greatest concern may be fever, breathing difficulties, hives or rashes, rapid heartbeat, confusion, and redness or pain at the IV site. From the patient's perspective, any side effect causing discomfort or limiting usual activity, such as diarrhea or nausea, is a concern. Report any side effects when they first appear.
Diagnosis
Many people with CML do not have symptoms when diagnosed. The most common sign of CML is an abnormal white blood cell count often found during blood tests for an unrelated health problem or during a routine checkup. To diagnose CML, doctors use a variety of tests to analyze blood and bone marrow cells. A pathologist, a doctor who specializes in identifying diseases by studying cells under a microscope, will examine the blood cells and the bone marrow cells.
Treatment Outcomes
With the current advances in treatment and supportive care, survival rates for myeloma patients have improved significantly in the last decades. It is not unusual for myeloma patients to live for 10 years or longer after diagnosis. Outcomes are influenced by a series of patient-specific factors, including disease stage, chromosome abnormalities, age and presence of other medical problems. Patients should discuss their own potential outcomes with their doctors.
Click here to access myeloma survival statistics.
Relapsed and Refractory
Refractory AML: Most patients achieve a remission (an absence of signs and symptoms) after initial treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, some patients have residual leukemic cells in their marrow even after intensive treatment. Patients who have not achieved complete remission after two cycles of induction chemotherapy are usually diagnosed as having "refractory AML."
Richard
“I have lost my hero, I have lost my friend, but for you, my darling, I would do it all again.”
I feel so blessed to have had the joy of meeting her and sharing our lives together. For so many reasons, it should have never happened. The words that start this story are from a St. Vincent song in New York because it succinctly paints a picture of what was and did happen.
Sara
In May 2019, I was surprised and delighted to find out that I was pregnant. Throughout the summer, I eagerly delved into extensive reading and research on pregnancy and the first-time mom experience. However, this period also brought about a challenging early pregnancy. I found myself short of breath after even short walks, relied on numerous naps, and surprisingly didn't experience intense pregnancy cravings. In fact, I wasn't gaining much weight.
Yesenia
My name is Yesenia and this is my story. I began my first semester of university in fall 2017. While I was away for college I started experiencing some symptoms. It started off with nausea, after the first couple weeks of fall semester I would experience this sensation that left me bed ridden. This led me to go back to my family home so I could be better taken care of. I knew at that point that something wasn't right, so I took a trip to Urgent Care where I was told I was Anemic, but with a better diet I would go back to normal.
Edie
My warrior daughter Edie entered the world on July 30, 2016 with eyes wide open ready to soak it all in and leave behind her indelible mark. From early on, we knew we had our hands full. Our first months as new parents were filled with the usual sleepless nights and anxiety, but Edie had a special way of keeping us on our toes. Our wide-eyed beauty did not take kindly to naps or bedtime, fighting vigorously to have her way, but we soon realized this was Edie’s world and we were just living in it.
Diagnosis
While certain signs and symptoms may indicate that a person has PV, a series of tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis. It is important to have an accurate diagnosis, as it helps the doctor to:
- Estimate how the disease will progress
- Determine the appropriate treatment
Evaluation of an individual with suspected PV should start with a detailed medical history and a physical examination.
The medical history should include information about the patient’s:
Large Granular Lymphocytic Leukemia
Large granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia is a type of chronic leukemia affecting white blood cells called "lymphocytes." Lymphocytes are part of the body's immune system and help fight certain infections. LGL leukemia is characterized by enlarged lymphocytes, containing noticeable granules, which can be seen when the blood is examined under the microscope. There are two types of LGL leukemia: T-cell (T-LGL) and natural killer cell (NK-LGL). Each type may be chronic (slow-growing) or aggressive (fast-growing).
Infections
Cancer patients, especially those undergoing chemotherapy, are more likely to get infections because of their weakened immune systems. Cancer and certain cancer therapies can damage the immune system by reducing the number of infection-fighting white blood cells. Patients with a low white blood cell count are at a higher risk of developing infections, and these infections can be more serious and harder to treat. In severe cases, infections can lead to death.
Side Effects
Both cancer therapy and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) can sometimes produce side effects. For most patients, side effects are temporary and subside once the body adjusts to therapy or when therapy is completed. For other patients, side effects can be more severe, sometimes requiring hospitalization. The side effects of chemotherapy may vary, depending on the drugs used and the overall health of the patient.
Talk with your child’s doctor about potential side effects. Medications and other therapies can prevent or manage many side effects.
Watch and Wait
Watch and wait (also called active surveillance) involves closely monitoring a patient's condition without giving any treatment until symptoms appear or change. Some people can manage their blood cancer — depending on the disease — with their doctors for years using a watch-and-wait approach. It is usually recommended for patients in early stages of indolent (slow-growing) or chronic forms of blood cancers.