History to diagnosis

A little history to get things started--

Jeff has been donating blood to the Red Cross since I met him. A few years ago the nurses started telling him that his blood pressure was pretty high.  After a year or so of him telling me his pressure was high at donation, I scheduled a doctor's apt for him. Jeff isn't one to run to the doctor (even when we should!) but because of family history, he agreed to go. At that point, the doctor was not concerned and said he should come back when he was 50.

Fast forward a few years and Jeff is still having the same problem at blood donations. However, he has gotten to the point in 2010 that the first time the nurses would check his BP he was usually too high. A few minutes sitting and he'd squeak by and they'd take his blood.

During a regular donation in July, his BP was too high both attempts and he was deferred from donating blood. He had been watching it periodically when he'd be at Walmart or CVS or anywhere else there was a blood pressure cuff. The middle of August we were at a street fair and he stopped in to see what his BP was at a tent set up by the hospital. The nurse was very concerned and only allowed him to leave after we promised he would see his doctor that week.

On August 18, 2010 he went to the doctor, was diagnosed with hypertension and started on medication. He was to return in a month to make sure the meds were working. So, on September 17, 2010, he did just that. During the exam his doctor discovered a swollen gland. Jeff denied sore throat or sinus problems but started antibiotics to fight whatever infection was brewing.  He went back for a recheck on October 6, 2010. However, at that point, the glad was still swollen so he was referred to an ENT.  On October 19, 2010 it was recommended that he have that one lymph node removed so it could be tested to find out what treatment was best.  I wasn't thrilled with removing lymph nodes but was reassured that that was the best way to have enough material to test for the best treatment.  We were warned at this point that there was a 10% chance of cancer. After blood work, x-rays, CT scans of the neck Jeff finally had surgery on December 2, 2010. Surgery and recovery went well.

On December 9, 2010 we returned to the doctor for stitch removal and pathology report. The site had healed well, but the report was NOT what we had ever thought possible. We beat the odds we had refused to even think about and got the diagnosis- Chronic Lymphocyctic Leukemia (CLL).