Guest guest Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 I was just curious about white blood counts at diagnosis time. And I think that one of you may have asked me what mine was. I had one complete blood count done on the recommendation of a pathologist who thought he saw something unusual in a fine needle aspiration sample. That was done but sat unnoticed on a vacationing doctor's desk for about 10 days. When the report was finally unearthed, there was panic...enough to get me admitted into the Penn State Cancer Institute at Hershey Medical Center within 24 hours. I was just stunned (especially when they started talking about blast crisis). My WBC peaked at about 190. But the good folks at Hershey had the diagnosis nailed (pending the BMB) within a couple of hours. No blast crisis...just the chronic stage. Took a few weeks of hydrea and allopurinol to bring the counts down to the 10-12 range before starting the Gleevec. Happy to report that even after just a month on the Gleevec, the doctors say my blood counts are just about normal now. Won't know about the rest until the next BMB in the fall. That'll be interesting! Is my experience usual, or am I just lucky? Martha B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Hi Martha, Your diagnosis is pretty usual. My WBC was 150 at diagnosis time. The CML was found because of a regular blood test. If they didn't do a PCR test at diagnosis time, ask them to do one at your next appointment. It is important to have one early so that you will have something to compare to later on. Looking forward to enrolling you in the Zero Club real soon, Zavie Zavie (age 70) 67 Shoreham Avenue Ottawa, Canada, K2G 3X3 dxd AUG/99 INF OCT/99 to FEB/00, CHF No meds FEB/00 to JAN/01 Gleevec since MAR/27/01 (400 mg) CCR SEP/01. #102 in Zero Club 2.8 log reduction Sep/05 3.0 log reduction Jan/06 2.9 log reduction Feb/07 3.5 log reduction Jan/08 3.6 log reduction Apr/08 e-mail: zmiller@... Tel: 613-726-1117 Fax: 309-296-0807 Cell: 613-202-0204 ID: zaviem YM: zaviemiller Skype: Zavie _____ From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Martha Sent: June 15, 2008 9:38 PM Subject: [ ] WBC at diagnosis I was just curious about white blood counts at diagnosis time. And I think that one of you may have asked me what mine was. I had one complete blood count done on the recommendation of a pathologist who thought he saw something unusual in a fine needle aspiration sample. That was done but sat unnoticed on a vacationing doctor's desk for about 10 days. When the report was finally unearthed, there was panic...enough to get me admitted into the Penn State Cancer Institute at Hershey Medical Center within 24 hours. I was just stunned (especially when they started talking about blast crisis). My WBC peaked at about 190. But the good folks at Hershey had the diagnosis nailed (pending the BMB) within a couple of hours. No blast crisis...just the chronic stage. Took a few weeks of hydrea and allopurinol to bring the counts down to the 10-12 range before starting the Gleevec. Happy to report that even after just a month on the Gleevec, the doctors say my blood counts are just about normal now. Won't know about the rest until the next BMB in the fall. That'll be interesting! Is my experience usual, or am I just lucky? Martha B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 252. I wasn't feeling so good at that point, big side pain, weight loss, delayed a month but had a deep dive scheduled so I eventually called Kaiser who gave me an appointment same afternoon (I wasn't hot about going to the emergency room to wait hours). I remember the nurse passed me to a md who told me : you are not doing well at all sir, you need to see a dr right now, and no you can't dive. The dr ausculted me, found my spleen close to bursting, and ordered chest xray and blood tests, then I got back to the office. In the evening I got a call from a nurse telling me to get to the hospital asap, what I negotiated into an appointment in the morning, where the dr gave me the dx. About two months later I was back diving Marcos. On Sun, Jun 15, 2008 at 6:55 PM, Zavie miller <zmiller@...> wrote: > Hi Martha, > > Your diagnosis is pretty usual. My WBC was 150 at diagnosis time. The CML > was found because of a regular blood test. > > If they didn't do a PCR test at diagnosis time, ask them to do one at your > next appointment. It is important to have one early so that you will have > something to compare to later on. > > Looking forward to enrolling you in the Zero Club real soon, > > Zavie > > Zavie (age 70) > 67 Shoreham Avenue > Ottawa, Canada, K2G 3X3 > dxd AUG/99 > INF OCT/99 to FEB/00, CHF > No meds FEB/00 to JAN/01 > Gleevec since MAR/27/01 (400 mg) > CCR SEP/01. #102 in Zero Club > 2.8 log reduction Sep/05 > 3.0 log reduction Jan/06 > 2.9 log reduction Feb/07 > 3.5 log reduction Jan/08 > 3.6 log reduction Apr/08 > e-mail: zmiller@... <zmiller%40sympatico.ca> > Tel: 613-726-1117 > Fax: 309-296-0807 > Cell: 613-202-0204 > ID: zaviem > YM: zaviemiller > Skype: Zavie > > _____ > > From: <%40> [mailto: > <%40>] On Behalf Of Martha > > Sent: June 15, 2008 9:38 PM > <%40> > Subject: [ ] WBC at diagnosis > > I was just curious about white blood counts at diagnosis time. And I think > that one of you may have asked me what mine was. > > I had one complete blood count done on the recommendation of a pathologist > who thought he saw something unusual in a fine needle aspiration sample. > That was done but sat unnoticed on a vacationing doctor's desk for about 10 > days. When the report was finally unearthed, there was panic...enough to > get > me admitted into the Penn State Cancer Institute at Hershey Medical Center > within 24 hours. I was just stunned (especially when they started talking > about blast crisis). My WBC peaked at about 190. But the good folks at > Hershey had the diagnosis nailed (pending the BMB) within a couple of > hours. > No blast crisis...just the chronic stage. > > Took a few weeks of hydrea and allopurinol to bring the counts down to the > 10-12 range before starting the Gleevec. Happy to report that even after > just a month on the Gleevec, the doctors say my blood counts are just about > normal now. Won't know about the rest until the next BMB in the fall. > That'll be interesting! > > Is my experience usual, or am I just lucky? > > Martha B > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Hi Martha, My white count was 86 when I was diagnosed but the white count itself isn't really the decisive factor when determining the phase of CML. I've seen patients with a WBC of 500 who were in early chronic phase and others with a WBC of less than 20 who were in blast phase. This is why we can't rely on just a CBC to monitor our disease. The other contributing factors that help determine which phase you are in at diagnosis are blast count, basophil count, spleen size, platelet count and whether or not there were other clonal evolutions on the BMB. The majority of patients do well with Gleevec and it sounds like you fit into that category. Take care, Tracey > > I was just curious about white blood counts at diagnosis time. And I think that one of you may have asked me what mine was. > > I had one complete blood count done on the recommendation of a pathologist who thought he saw something unusual in a fine needle aspiration sample. That was done but sat unnoticed on a vacationing doctor's desk for about 10 days. When the report was finally unearthed, there was panic...enough to get me admitted into the Penn State Cancer Institute at Hershey Medical Center within 24 hours. I was just stunned (especially when they started talking about blast crisis). My WBC peaked at about 190. But the good folks at Hershey had the diagnosis nailed (pending the BMB) within a couple of hours. No blast crisis...just the chronic stage. > > Took a few weeks of hydrea and allopurinol to bring the counts down to the 10-12 range before starting the Gleevec. Happy to report that even after just a month on the Gleevec, the doctors say my blood counts are just about normal now. Won't know about the rest until the next BMB in the fall. That'll be interesting! > > Is my experience usual, or am I just lucky? > > Martha B > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Hi Martha, My WBC was one of those over 500, and I was getting along just fine, normal CML markers screaming I had it, but was working hard and getting along fine. I ended up in the ER in A-Fib, due to my blood being so out of whack, you just never know. I went in thinking heart attack, come out a CML patient. Chris **************Vote for your city's best dining and nightlife. City's Best 2008. (http://citysbest.aol.com?ncid=aolacg00050000000102) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 539,000!!!! and only the chronic phase too!!! Donna x > > > Hi Martha, > > > > Your diagnosis is pretty usual. My WBC was 150 at diagnosis time. The CML > > was found because of a regular blood test. > > > > If they didn't do a PCR test at diagnosis time, ask them to do one at your > > next appointment. It is important to have one early so that you will have > > something to compare to later on. > > > > Looking forward to enrolling you in the Zero Club real soon, > > > > Zavie > > > > Zavie (age 70) > > 67 Shoreham Avenue > > Ottawa, Canada, K2G 3X3 > > dxd AUG/99 > > INF OCT/99 to FEB/00, CHF > > No meds FEB/00 to JAN/01 > > Gleevec since MAR/27/01 (400 mg) > > CCR SEP/01. #102 in Zero Club > > 2.8 log reduction Sep/05 > > 3.0 log reduction Jan/06 > > 2.9 log reduction Feb/07 > > 3.5 log reduction Jan/08 > > 3.6 log reduction Apr/08 > > e-mail: zmiller@... <zmiller%40sympatico.ca> > > Tel: 613-726-1117 > > Fax: 309-296-0807 > > Cell: 613-202-0204 > > ID: zaviem > > YM: zaviemiller > > Skype: Zavie > > > > _____ > > > > From: <%40> [mailto: > > <%40>] On Behalf Of Martha > > > > Sent: June 15, 2008 9:38 PM > > <%40> > > Subject: [ ] WBC at diagnosis > > > > I was just curious about white blood counts at diagnosis time. And I think > > that one of you may have asked me what mine was. > > > > I had one complete blood count done on the recommendation of a pathologist > > who thought he saw something unusual in a fine needle aspiration sample. > > That was done but sat unnoticed on a vacationing doctor's desk for about 10 > > days. When the report was finally unearthed, there was panic...enough to > > get > > me admitted into the Penn State Cancer Institute at Hershey Medical Center > > within 24 hours. I was just stunned (especially when they started talking > > about blast crisis). My WBC peaked at about 190. But the good folks at > > Hershey had the diagnosis nailed (pending the BMB) within a couple of > > hours. > > No blast crisis...just the chronic stage. > > > > Took a few weeks of hydrea and allopurinol to bring the counts down to the > > 10-12 range before starting the Gleevec. Happy to report that even after > > just a month on the Gleevec, the doctors say my blood counts are just about > > normal now. Won't know about the rest until the next BMB in the fall. > > That'll be interesting! > > > > Is my experience usual, or am I just lucky? > > > > Martha B > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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