[livingwith]

I was just diagnosed with leukemia a mild form of it and very slow growing, needs at this time no treatment. My spleen is enlarged quite a bit. I would say i have had this for sometime by the spleen size. I generally feel good. But i am down and can’t shake the feeling.
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[shelliec]

Dear Joe,
Please take heart and do not despair. I am a 10 year survivor of hairy-cell leukemia (a slow growing very rare type of leukemia) treated successfully with a 7-day infusion of cladribine. I am in full remission and visit my hematologist only twice a year. Curiously, a close friend was diagnosed two years before I was with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (very common type of leukemia). She started in Stage 0 and is still in Stage 0. She has not required any treatment at all for 12 years. We both live in upstate New York, are in our late 50s, and remain close friends, although we live about 1.5 hours away from each other. My only suggestion would be to make sure you are satisfied with your oncologist/hematologist and are seen at a major medical center. You may also want to contact a patient services person at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They are very helpful. I am a First Connection Volunteer with them for other hairy-cell leukemia patients. They try to match patients for gender, age group, and specific disease type.

I wish you well and good health. This is only a bump in the road; I have been there too!

Shellie

[RENEE MALZAHN]

Shellie,
I would like to thank you for your information.
I am new to this forum. I was diagnosed with CLL in November 09 and now have an appointed this coming Monday with a Hemotologist to do more testing. I was told that if I had to have Leukemia this was the best one to have.
I am a Christian (Catholic) and I truly believe there is a reason why things happen. I just have to have faith and adjust my life to accept my illness.
Thank you again,
Renee'