What is Leukemia?
When I was 21 years old and in the hospital for a kidney stone, blood tests were given and I was told to follow up on something big. The doctor said he saw something in my blood and told me, he thought it was Leukemia. I didn’t have insurance at the time, I wasn’t sick, but I did bruise easily and felt tired at times, but at 21, who believes something like this? I didn’t.
I was 44 before it all came to light. The doctor was close enough to win a cigar for what he saw really was Lymphoma.
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood. It is considered a kissing cousin to Lymphoma. They are so closely related yet, so different (in actuality), that an organization was developed to educate and to help those battling the diseases. It is called, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I have been volunteering my services to them for a long time. They are a good organization to contact for any help, or even for some financial support.
Leukemia starts in the bone marrow. It starts to produce too many white blood cells which in turn starts to cause a range of health problems from serious anemia’s to prolific bleeding, and serious infections which can become very life-threatening. It is a very serious form of cancer.
What causes Leukemia is still, after all these years, up-in-the-air. The “said” causes can be anywhere from smoking, to chemicals in the environment, genetic or from the effects of other chemotherapy done prior for another form of cancer, a secondary cancer which developed.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is the most common form with children. However, older and adult men or women can also, get it.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is the most common form with adults, and hardly ever, diagnosed in children.
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) normally, is diagnosed in adults and this one may be the one most people have heard of.
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) this normally increases with age, and is diagnosed in men more than women and usually, is inherited.
Things to watch for that may be symptoms of Leukemia are general things such as being tired, although it would be constant, with no amount of sleep providing any relief. Everyone bruises but with Leukemia it is to an abnormal degree, a small bump could cause a huge, dark bruise. Bleeding, just by brushing your teeth, yet no dental problems, or bleeding anywhere else abnormally. Waking up in a drenched bed and night clothes, this is called, night sweats and it is very unlike any other kind of sweating. The spleen is sometimes affected, and if it is, the part of the stomach where it is located will be tender to the touch. Not being able to shake a small minor infection, even something as simple as a cut on your fingernail cuticle, or having repeated infections anywhere on your body or repeated colds and sore throats and having swollen glands. Sometimes lymph nodes will become swollen on the neck, under your arms or your pelvis. Unexplained weight loss and rapid weight loss, increasingly, a feeling of no appetite.
These could be symptoms of a range of other things, but they could also be symptoms of all forms of Leukemia and Lymphoma as well.
To treat Leukemia is basically the same as treating all other cancers. Chemotherapy is usually involved as well as radiation, and stem cell transplants; and since, some of the Leukemia’s are hard to put into remission, and can become aggressive quickly, or be very chronic, taking advantage of using Clinical Trials is usually, a wise thing to consider.