Hey everyone.
I just found out last night that my dad is in the hospital with Chronic Leukimia.
According to the doctors they said that this is a very treatable disease and that the disease itself is non-aggressive.
The only thing that I don't understand is that my father had no symptoms. Such as acute pain, fever, and the only reason that the doctors had become alarmed was when he went to get routine blood work done(he has diabeties) and white blood cell count was extremely high. Normal being 10,000 and his being 300,000. He has been in the hospital since Thursday and they have already started him on chemo therapy meds and it has started working.
My father isn't really in the best of health, since before all of this he has had many problems associated with his diabeteis but he was getting better with that, that's why this came as such a shock to me and my family.
Im just wondering if there is anyone that knows about this type of Leukimia. Whether it be a doctor,nurse or Oncologist. Or even someone who had it themselves or knew someone who had it. Any information would greatly help me and I would be very happy for it.
Im just very distraught over this, I'm not ready to loose my dad.

Hi, bizygurl,
I am so sorry to hear about your Dad.
I do have experience with this, with my Mom, many years ago. She was in the Advanced Stages.
Here is a link, from the National Health Institute, if you would like to read more about Chronic Leukemia:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/l...ltchronic.html

I do wish you and him the very best.

Thank you very much Fedg I read the article and it did help me to understand it better. How did your mom do?

I am sorry to hear about your father being sick. I know that diabeties is hard enough to deal with. I have not heard about chronic leukemia. I looked it up and they said there are 4 different types. I would say that it is a good sign that he did not even have any warning signs meaning that his body is staying strong even with the extra white blood cells. I hope all goes well with your father.

Thanks for the kind words Jesushelper, yes he has had a few health problems with his diabeties. For the last five months he's been on temp disability due to having lost his eyesight in his left eye, now his right eye is getting to that point, he has to have eye surgery on his right to prevent anymore eyesight loss. And this is due to his diabeties. Its just so depressing.

Sorry to hear it kid. I wish your dad all the best. With treatment I don't think you have any immediate worries. Leukemia takes an amazing variety of different forms. Middle age men are prone to it as well. I don't know if his diabetes is a contributing factor. Leukemia is an immune system disease and is of the whole body.
I am on the other end. I don't have enough white blood cells. Sooner or later something will attack my body and that is when I will receive treatment. I see my oncologist every 4 months so she can make an assessment.
At first I was all doom and gloom. But what I have been given is not the normal protocol for bad news. I have had time to digest it, kick it around so to speak without the burden of immediate treatment.
I have come to accept the inevitable. I see all I have as a gift and not a commitment for future graces. The only thing any of us can do is live the moment. Think more and speak less, if truly we are seeded from Divinity, we carry all we need inside us. Even the courage to face the unknown.

You probably know my husband Alex is a doctor. Well, he says that if your dad has the most common kind of chronic leukemia (chronic myelogenous leukemia or CML), chances are that his treatment will go fairly well. It's a highly treatable and slow-moving kind of cancer. Of course not actually knowing all of your dad's medical history, it's just a general statement on his part. Unfortunately, the only cure is a bone marrow transplant, which many older people are not strong enough to endure. But with proper treatment most patients with CML can live for many years. He hopes that your dad is going to be getting a drug called imatinib mesylate (brand name Gleevec). Apparently it's the newest and best for treating CML, so maybe you should tell your dad about it or make sure somehow that that's what he's going to receive (baring any complications, of course). It doesn't hurt to be informed about these things when you see the doctor. And of course Alex isn't diagnosing or anything... but you did say you wanted some input from a nurse or doctor, and that's his input.

Myself, I just feel very sorry that this is happening to your dad and your family. It's very hard, especially since it sounds like you're close to your dad. I lost both of my biological parents as a teenager, and even though I didn't really like either of them that much, it was still very hard. I know what it feels like to not be "ready". I don't think anyone is ever ready, actually...

Well, take care, my thoughts are with you, and keep updating us on your dad!