Welcome.  Sounds like you were diagnosed very early, since your white blood count (WBC) is fairly low.  That is a good thing.  If you have not seen this posting for the newly diagnosed, it might be useful:

http://community.lls.org/thread/2600?tstart=0

Jamar, welcome to our family.

All this will be new to you, and processing it all takes alot of time.  Know there are many people here who can help you wade through it to make it meaningful to you.

Blessings to you.

Hi Jamar:

     Welcome to our group. That sounds so odd everytime I have to say it, but as you get to know everybody you will feel better mentally.  You are scared because reality sunk in.  It will be 11 years for me this December, and I still can remember the day I was told I had CML.

Never thought I would see another Christmas, but here I am.  In remission and taking one day at a time.

     The side effects will be different to everyone.  Not everybody gets the same aches and pains etc.

     Just ask us anything anytime.  You were diagnosed early as Trey said, and I attribute my progress due to my early detection also.

     I had no symptoms.  Just went for my regular yearly work-up, and my WBC was only 14 and then 18.  They did a bone marrow biopsy on me almost immediately, and I am so grateful for my doctor.

    Let us know how your doing as you do your treatment.  You will be okay.

   God Bless You

Hi Jamar - I am sure by now if you have been reading in this site, you will see you don't have to worry about asking a dumb or stupid question.  We are blessed evan though we have this terrible illness in our choices of medicine.  You will hear about side effects being differant amongst us and that is true.  I was dx in Nov of 05 and was on Gleevec until July of 08 and have been on Sprycel since then with good results.  When I tell anyone now that about CML - I am able to say that "I have CML, it doesn't have me".  If I have a bad day now, it is not becasue of Leukemia, it is the medicine.

Keep posting with any question you have and read thru some of the older posts too.  You may see something that is true to your story.  Keep us informed about your doc and make sure he or she is a blood oncologist for sure and not just an oncologist if you can help it.

Take care and God bless.

Philippeans 4:6 & 7

Larry

Hi Jamar, Who is your Doctor at Mayo? Thanks, Frank

Jamar - I agree.   The people in this community are great.

As for "I truly for not have a monopoly..."   

As you have seen/heard already, the side effects of Gleevec hits some harder than others.  I feel greatful - so far - that I have had little to no interuption in my lifestyle.  I am able to work (with a decent amount of travel), manage a little leauge baseball team, and squeeze a round of golf in here or there.  My wife and I still have a social life as well.  Who am I to complain?  Don't get me wrong...I am sometimes reminded about my CML and my mind wanders.  But in the whole scheme of things, if this is my biggest burden I feel blessed.  There are others in my immediate network of family/friends that have bigger problems than mine.

RJF

Like the others, I too , welcome you to the boards.  Sorry to meet like this.  I was diagnosed July 21,  2008.  Surprise!  Not the best one you could get, but not the worst.  I asked a lot of what I thought were dumb questions, (still do). have presented some strange side effects, vented my ill feelings,etc. and no one has jumped on me yet!  This is a great group of folks who just happen to have CML.  We are here for each other and the support I have received over the last year has been tremendous.  I couldn't have gone through this first year nearly as well without them. (Ya'll are the best).

I am doing well on Gleevec (400) and you should too.  I was diagnosed early on and that's good for us. I understand the nervousness.  I found just talking about having CML was difficult at first. How do you explan to others what is going on and that you take a pill for cancer?  Well, you first tell yoursefl it's okay to be jittery and it's okay to take a pill for cancer.  It can be a roller coaster ride for sure, but it's life like it is.

Just keep talking to this group about how you are doing and ask anything anytime no matter how minute it may seem.  If you have questions, they are all important.  Likely, one of us has experienced what you are going through at one time or other.

I'm not the medical quesiton go to person, but I can offer prayers and encouragement.  Let us know how taking the G goes.

MomMom