Before AML diagnosis
Before his diagnosis in September, Dad had been doing great
My dad was nearing 60 but was healthy and well. He was vegetarian, walked regularly, prayed and believed devoutly, and flossed daily. He eschewed the elevator and walked up 5 flights to his desk at work. However, for about 2 months before his diagnosis, he started to realize that walking up the stairs was more tiresome and he found himself somewhat out of breath.
He didn’t think much of it and continued to eat healthy and pray frequently. However, it didn’t quite go away.
Then, towards the middle of September, Dad got sick with what we thought was the flu.
He developed a fever, body aches, lethargy, and a sore throat. At that time, he also developed some bone pain in his pelvis.
Two days after his “flu started,” the bone pain in his pelvis resolved but then started to develop pain in his nose.
At some point, his fevers improved (which were not measured) but then they got worse. His sore throat worsened.
Five days after his “flu” started, he started to develop left oral gum pain and left cheek pain. This started to limit his jaw opening (trismus) to the point where he could only open his mouth 1 cm.
Eight days after his “flu” started, his fevers continued and would not abate. He went to urgent care in the afternoon where they drew a CBC (Complete Blood Count blood work) which showed the following:
WBC (White Blood Count) of 73 (normal is 4.5 to 11)
HGB (Hemoglobin) of 10 (normal for men is 13.5 to 17.5)
PLT (Platelets) of 60 (normal is 150-450)
The WBC shows how many white blood cells you have in your blood. There are two main types of WBCs, those from the myeloid cell line (which includes the neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, basophils, eosinophils, erythrocytes, and megakaryocyes) and the lymphoid cell line (T cells, B cells, and NK cells).
Based on his blood work, his WBC was very, very high and there was concern for acute myeloid leukemia. Blood smear showed blast cells and my dad continued to have a fever, up to 102 degrees F.
Hematology Oncology was consulted and he was transferred to the Emergency Room from where he was admitted to the hospital.