3rd Cancerversary

Today is the 3rd anniversary of the date we found out about Tyler's leukemia.  He'd been feeling ill all weekend and finally went to the doctor on Monday.  The doctor was immediately concerned when he saw Tyler's elevated white blood cell count.  Because Tyler also had pnuemonia or bronchitis, he was checked into the hospital immediately and started on IV antibiotics.

As I reflect on those early days, I remember the signs of cancer that Tyler was experiencing for months before his visit to the doctor.  I actually suspected something was wrong, although I would never have guessed that Tyler would be diagnosed with leukemia.  When Hans was diagnosed about 18 months after Tyler, we discovered that both men had experienced some of the same symptoms.  With that in mind, I wanted to mention a few of the warning signs that should get you in to see your own doctor.  These are not signs of cancer by themselves, but signs that something needs to be looked at.

• Unexplained Weight Loss
• Fever (especially Night Sweats)
• Fatigue
• Pain
• Skin Changes

Tyler had night sweats and fatigue for sure.  After soccer games, he would come home and shake and shiver for at least an hour afterwards.  This was definitely not normal for him, but he attributed this to getting older.

Please, if you have any of the symptoms above, make an appointment for a physical with your own doctor.  It is best to know what is causing the symptom and find out if you can do anything to make it stop.