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Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma- Watch & Wait Approach

Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: Oct 7 11:27am | Replies (234)
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@dani349

Hey ! I'm Afro American 49 and dx 2022 with CLL and dx 2024 with SLL was doing every6 month lab work until I went in for my mammogram and I had enlarged ax lymph nodes. That bx is what resulted SLL. I go back in 3 months for labs. No signs or symptoms of anything. This watch and wait takes a toll on you at times!

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Replies to "Hey ! I'm Afro American 49 and dx 2022 with CLL and dx 2024 with SLL..."
Patty, Volunteer Mentor | @pmm | Mar 14 4:25pm

@dani349 hello, Dani, I’m so glad you found Connect. Watching and waiting is definitely challenging, especially for those of us who typically do something. It’s hard sometimes to wait and see but certainly better when the alternative may carry side effects, I suppose. I watch and wait with MGUS as well.
Do you find that your anxiety has increased with the change in dx?

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Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Mar 30 9:01am

Hi @Dani359, I hope I can offer you some information and reassurance about your diagnosis of CLL/SLL. Both are a common form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma…a slow growing cancer in the immune system of the body. CLL occurs when the cancer cells are found in the blood, while SLL occurs when they are found in the lymph nodes. CLL can progress to SLL as cancer cells grow and spread.

I know that sounds frightening as heck! But this is very slow to develop. Doctors tend not to treat in the early stages because it has been shown not to add any benefit. And treatments for both are the same. None of this means the end of the world though. The watch and wait period, or active surveillance is a good thing. It means nothing is changing rapidly. Even having a 3 month period between labs is a good indication that things aren’t changing rapidly.
This is a good informational article to read about your condition:
https://www.healthline.com/health/sll/symptoms-treatment-sll
I’d also like you to read through this thread (posted below) in another discussion with, @joeeduffy and myself, about her husband’s early diagnosis of CLL. She was also very frightened about the unknown. Keep reading through several of the comments because they’re filled with great information about CLL and that you don’t have to fear this condition. As others in the forum have said, “This is something you’ll die with, not from.”
~https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/1007608/
~https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/1007740/

It’s important to fill your mind with forward thinking and positivity and to live each day to the fullest. Please try not to think of negative ‘what if’ thoughts…bad energy there! 😉I know, I sound like the good fairy but I’ve lived through a very aggressive and difficult form of leukemia…that was 5 years ago. Now I’m healthy and cancer free…no meds! So let’s get you in a good place with this, ok?

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