CLL

March 2, 2005

Having blood counts quite often is important with CLL. WBC and

platelet counts are monitored closely. My mother-in-law was diagnosed

with it in 1985 and hers didn't get worse until about 9 years later.

She underwent some type of chemotherapy but I don't remember what it

was now. Her platelets got low and her WBC went to around 50,000.

Hematologically it gives a picture of elevated absolute lymph count

with smudge cells. When she was diagnosed her WBC was still in the

normal range - about 9.5, but the smudging and absolute lymph count

was high. After a pathologist reviewed her slide, she was sent to a

hematologist for a bone marrow exam, which is necessary to finally

diagnose this disease. Of all the leukemias to get, this one is

probably the " best " [no leukemia is good] but patients can live quite

a long time with this diagnosis. She was told she's probably had the

condition for at least two years before it was picked up on the blood

count.

She suffered a stroke after an open heart operation to replace a

faulty valve in '95. She had had a platelet transfusion prior to the

surgery, so her blood was in kind of a weird state. They were weaning

her from heparin to Coumadin when the stroke occurred. She was in a

nursing home for a year and a half afterwards and finally passed away

in '97 from a bowel obstruction. She was paralyzed and couldn't talk

after the stroke.

Good luck to your husband. Everyone's course is different with this

type of leukemia. Hematology isn't my specialty, although I studied

the basics when I became an MT.

I searched Google and found the above links. I know nothing about

them but you might want to check them out.

Judy Dilworth, M.T. (ASCP)

Microbiology

> My husband hasn't been too well, he has what is called CLL - chronic

> lymphatic leukemia. He was diagonsed approx two years but appears

to be getting worse as he now has to go to the hospital every 3

months for a check.

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