Like Mother, Like Daughter

I was the primary caregiver for my mother for about four years. A duty I would happily do over again! I watched my mother suffer as she spent all day in the chemotherapy room, 2-5 days a week for months. After eight years, of suffering from CLL and several other illnesses that come along with a compromised immune system, we lost her. One month later, my husband who was a real saint during my tenure as a caregiver for my Mother, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Four years later, in 2008, I lost my husband.

Elevated WBC

In late 2014, every morning I was dragging my body out of the bed to get ready for work. I would sit in my car to rest before getting the energy to walk across the street to my office. I did this for months, spending my lunchtime in an office library, napping on the sofa rather than eating lunch. Finally, I insisted on seeing my primary doctor on the same day I called. I was beyond suffering from fatigue! Labs showed my WBC was elevated! After speaking with my primary doctor about this he pulled previous labs and told me that my WBC had been elevated for about a year. I was not happy!

Like my mother, like daughter

He was going to refer me to a hematology oncologist that he knew, but I told him that I wanted to use the same HO that my husband used. I had a lot of confidence in him! An appointment was made and the HO was shocked to hear that I had the same leukemia that my mother had.

I took six months of chemotherapy, and completed treatments on 12/28/2015! I have never been the same…the fatigue keeps me from doing things I used to enjoy doing. Now, after taking the vaccines and booster, I suffer from illnesses that have attacked my entire body, including an elevated WBC. This too shall pass!