Question:
I posted on the cancer board a while back. I've been going to the doctor, but I'm still not sure what's wrong with me. My doctor suspects MS, but that's the only thing he's told me. When I went to college today and started talking to my friend, she told me that I had lost weight (which I have because I weighed 134 a few months ago and last I checked, I was 108). I told my friend at what had been going on, and what kind of symptoms I had, and she said that it might be adult leukemia. I was wondering if anyone could help me out and give me advice or just tell me if I'm overreacting.
* I've had a headache (constant one, basically), and have blacked out three times when it feels like a vessel's about to rupture, and after the third time I couldn't even form words not even the word 'recordings'.
* I vomit sometimes from the headache, if it's really bad. Or I just feel really nauseous if the headache is really bad, but sometimes I won't throw up, but I do have to lay down or otherwise I get really dizzy and sick.
* My vision and my hearing have been bothering me. Sometimes I can't see out of my right eye or I see spots. My hearing is like it has it's own volume control, and I can be listening to a conversation and it's like someone's turning up and down the volume on my hearing.
* I've had spasms. That's the worse! It sometimes occurs on the right side. My back will hurt, my right leg will flare up and my knee will go numb. My ankle will spasm, my right arm will spasm (and has gone completely weak more than once). I've also had spasms in my thumb and on my face, especially my eyes and my jaw has gone numb more than once, as well.
* I've also been really tired lately, and no matter what, I can't seem to make it go away.
I've had all of these symptoms for a months and months, except the back pain which has been there for years, just now flaring up really bad. I had blood tests done, too. My red blood cells were low, but my doc said that I shouldn't sweat it, that it was probably because of low iron even though after I started on iron pills, they didn't go up any. He said it might take a month or so, but I still worry. He did send me to have an EEG and an MRI done, though. I go back Friday for the results.
I want to know if this sounds like leukemia, or if I'm just overreacting to it, which might be the case anyways, but my mother died of cancer, and so did two of her brothers, so I don't want to take any chances.
Thanks,
Missy
Answer:
Hi there. You have a few more symptoms than me, but I have had hearing and vision problems, "the worst headache of my life" with vomiting, and have lost weight (I"m now 5'9, 107 lbs) and finally had an mri. It showed severe sinus disease, and I am starting a course of decongestants. I've also had bad neck pain, and have chronic lower back pain, but I think that is due to endometriosis and I am anemic as well. I have had tingling and numbness in my face as well. I think the diagnosis is correct. You would be surprised how sick your sinuses can make you. I am a cancer survivor,so that is always a worry, but I think it isn't an issue for me right now. By the way, I am 29.
My last episode with head pain and vomiting left me bed-ridden for 2 days, and I couldn't even lift my head. I was told my ear problems can cause nausea. I have also suffered from pulsitile tinnitus. I don't think you have leukemia at this point. You have gone through blood tests, and I don't think your results are indicitive of it. Good luck. The mri may help you. Mine did.