- A good place to start reading is A CLL Primer . CLL diagnosis can be a time of emotional stress and confusion. You are told this is a “good cancer”, and at the same time that it is an “incurable cancer”. It pays to get your bearings straight before you do much of anything else.
- CLL comes in many flavors. You can hope to be one of the lucky ones with an indolent “smoldering” variety, or you could be looking at a much more aggressive version. Which is your risk bucket? What Type of CLL Do You Have?
- CLL is a blood cancer. Before long you will have a ton of blood test results to file. It really helps to be organized, get your paperwork filed in an easily accessible format. Here is an Excel spreadsheet that we developed that many of our members find useful. You can download Your Charts and modify it as you wish for your own use.
- Want to make sense of the results on all those blood tests? Here are some articles that will help you understand your results.
- One of the more infamous phrases that patients learn soon after the CLL diagnosis is “Watch & Wait”. It is understandable that most of us chickens re-phrase the “W&W” to mean a more realistic “Watch & Worry”. What are we watching for? How long should we wait? We address some of these issues in our article “To Wait Or Not To Wait“
- Skin cancer is the most common second cancer in CLL patients. Garden variety squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma can be a lot more dangerous if you also have CLL. Are you literally “Dying to get a tan?“
- Please resist the temptation to self-medicate yourself with massive amounts of vitamins and supplements. But many CLL patients are deficient in one crucial vitamin essential for their health; it may even help control the progression of their CLL. Vitamin D3: Make Sure You Are Not Deficient
- You had better start paying attention to those respiratory infections! Pneumonia is the single most frequent cause of death in CLL patients. Role of Pulmonary Inflammation in CLL
- When W&W ends and it is time to start therapy, do you and your oncologist know what to do? Here is how one world class expert treats CLL patients, upfront.
- Unfortunately, the standard of care can vary all over the map depending on how familiar your oncologist is with CLL. Here are the Best Practices recommended by CLL experts. Being familiar with these is your added insurance that your local guy is taking good care of you.
- Need a pep-talk? Want to put a face to my name? Watch the video of my talk at the recent Canadian CLL Conference.
- Times are tough and some of us are facing this cancer diagnosis without sufficient funds or health insurance. I would like to tell you about “a clinical trial perfect for our times“. World-class CLL expertise, state-of-the-art prognostic testing, compassionate care; all of it paid for by tax dollars of your fellow citizens. Be sure to read the comments of our members that follow this article.
Cancer diagnosis is often accompanied by bewilderment and loneliness. Suddenly, you find yourself in unfamiliar and dangerous waters. What to do? How to cope? Sometimes friends and family cannot understand what is happening to you, what you need from them by way of support.
Well, we understand. All of us on this site have been there and we have walked in your shoes. Only our registered members can post in the comments section, casual visitors cannot. You will find thoughtful, considerate patients and their caregivers here with no agenda other than becoming better informed, forming a more empowered CLL patient community. No snake oil, no political or religious food fights, no disrespect, no one selling you anything. I hope you will bring your own voice to this community effort.
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