How Did You Get Diagnosed?

On 2/21/2008 Jamilah wrote:

My experience was the opposite of yours. After an encounter with air freshener (I've been allergic to fragrances and their chemicals for over 20 years) I felt extremely fatigued and short of breath. That lasted for nearly three weeks. At the time I was a teacher (part-time) and the school wanted to know when/if I was coming back. Finally I scheduled a doctor's appointment.

A day or two before the appointment I began feeling much better and nearly cancelled, but I decided to go ahead. The doctor checked everything out and ordered a routine blood test. That was on a Friday. On Saturday the doctor called and said I would need to come for another test the following week. On Sunday I got a call to immediately report to the hospital because my red blood cell count was too high. They kept me for about 36 hours and ran some tests, including the bone marrow biopsy. Emotionally I felt like I'd been hit by a truck.

I was diagnosed with CLL but it's been two years and I'm waiting on treatment. I feel good (better than I did two years ago) and that's what counts. I can imagine your stress in waiting for results, but as long as you're feeling good you'll just have to put it into the back of your mind and try focusing on something else. (I know that's not easy!)