Welcome to our little club. It'll be a bumpy ride but we'll all be here to help you thru it. Debra
Peter Muraki <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Peter Muraki <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Hi everyone,
I am fairly new to the site and would like to introduce myself. I
am a 48 year old male and I was diagnosed with CML on September 25,
2004. At the time of dx my wbc was at 425k. My rbc, hematocrit and
hemoglobin didn't register due to my high wbc.
I guess the way I found out I had CML was pretty uncommon (at least
the hospital staff, friends and family think so) so I will share it
with you.
In August 2004, I purchased a new home. In case something bad
happened to me, I went ahead and had my life insurance policy
increased. So I had the usual blood test. The blood test showed I
had an elevated ALP level. I was rejected for the increase in my
life insurance and was told to see my primary care physician.
So I made an appointment and went to the doctor. My doctor asked if
I was having any serious problems and I told him no. I didn't know
that the hard lump on the leftside of my abdomen was my enlarged
spleen; that the shortness of breath; the unusual fatigue and that I
could no longer walk/run 5 miles per day were symptoms of CML. With
the exception of the enlarged spleen (which I didn't know what it
was), I thought all the other symptoms were due to the stress of
purchasing a new house and my worrying about my business.
As a precaution my doctor scheduled an ultrasound to check my liver
and gaul bladder. The attendant conducting the ultrasound doesn't
find anything wrong with my liver or gaul bladder, but does notice
that my spleen is 24cm larger than it should be. My physician then
orders a full blood count and liver enzyme test. The next morning
(Saturday September 25, 2004), the attending physician from the
hospital calls me and tells me to check into the hospital. He tells
me what my white blood count is and that it is abnormally high and
should he send an ambulance to pick me up. I told him no. (At that
time I did not know that due to my high wbc, I shouldn't have been
able to walk). He also tells me that I need to have a bone marrow
biopsy on the following Monday. Since it was Saturday, I was
negotiating with him to come in on Monday to have the BMB performed
and that I didn't need to be in the hospital. The doctor got pretty
upset with me and told me "Do you know how sick you are?". (What
did I know, I just moved into my new home on the 20th. I needed to
unpack and get my house in order.)
To end the story, the entire weekend at the hospital the nurses and
attending physicians were surprised that I was walking around,
working on my laptop computer and chatting with them. I guess I
should have been in bed comatose or something. I met my oncologist
that weekend. He loves to laugh and crack jokes so that helped me
through a very confusing weekend and the ultimate diagnosis of CML.
I was placed on Hydrea for a week to get my wbc down and the placed
on 400mg of Gleevec a day. In December, I had to stop taking the
Gleevec because by wbc and platelet count dropped very low. My
oncologist had already warned me that he might have to adjust the
dosage during the first six months due to the low blood counts.
I just started taking the Gleevec a couple of day ago. The nausea
and stomach cramping has been more severe this time than in the past
three months.
My partner, friends, business clients and family have been very
supportive and helpful getting through the initial phase of my
diagnosis and treatment. I have been lucky to be able to continue
working. I am also back exercising 6-7 times a week (helps relieve
the side effects from the Gleevec). With the exception of the
garage (which is still a mess), I am settled into my new home.
Thanks for listening (reading) to my story. I am keeping a positive
attitude and I am looking forward to sharing in my and your journey
through a very difficult path.
Take care and everyone have a Happy New Year.
Peter
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