A Doctors Appointment....

January 7, 2016 ~ Late last year momma went to the doctor for a routine check up and blood work. Her doctor called and said that her white blood cells were high and wanted to repeat the blood work. She repeated the blood work and the white blood cells came back high. She was referred to Missouri Cancer Associates for some additional blood work testing.

While I wasn't going to share this information as this was something that we don't have all the answers to just yet I felt it was important enough to share because I want the information to be factual and come from our family instead of wrong information down the line. 

Pops went with momma to her doctors appointment this afternoon. Momma was diagnosed with CLL, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. She is in the very early stages which is good news. The doctor was really surprised that he was seeing her this early as most of the time patients are further along than she is. (That was great news) She didn't really have any symptoms per say as she was a little more tired than normal and she had some headaches which we have learned are symptoms of CLL.

What is chronic lymphocytic leukemia?

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is a type of cancer that starts from cells that become certain white blood cells (called lymphocytes) in the bone marrow. The cancer (leukemia) cells start in the bone marrow but then go into the blood. 

In CLL, the leukemia cells often build up slowly over time, and many people don't have any symptoms for at least a few years. In time, the cells can spread to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen.

Then next step is for momma to have a CT Scan to see if there are any tumors inside her body. Fingers crossed this comes back clear but either way this information will give doctors exactly what they need to know for her treatment plan. This has been scheduled for later this month. 

While this news was something we never wanted to hear we are a family that will stick together through thick and thin and show cancer that it's not welcome here! Momma has a great attitude about all of this and I'm not gonna lie... this is some scary stuff but we just take it one day at a time and enjoy every moment.

While many people don't know about momma's diagnosis (until now) however the few family and friends that do know have all asked the same question... How can I help? The answer is fairly simple... keep her in your thoughts and prayers but when you see her in person just give her a hug! There is nothing that we can say or do right now but knowing that she has the love and support of so many wonderful people makes this journey a little easier. (Oh but if you are sick and not feeling well just give her a big ol' smile... we don't need her to get sick!)

We will have more information in the coming weeks and right now we are just trying to keep her busy which keeps her mind off things. She really likes her doctor (which is important) and once we know a treatment plan we will have a much clearer picture of this nasty disease. Her doctor did say that if she had to have a cancer this is the one he would want because it's slow growing and  manageable. I can promise you that her family will make sure that she receives top notch service from her doctors. Again, this was something we never wanted to hear but this journey won't be one that is taken alone... we are ready to kick cancer's ass! We love you momma!