Should I be worried? Would I know if I had leukaemia?!
Question:
Should I be worried? Would I know if I had leukaemia?
I have been suffering from increasing fatigue, unexplained weight loss, general aches and pains as well as frequent infections (diahorea and vomiting x 5, tonsilitis x 3, constant colds etc in last year) normally very good immune system. Recently noticed a huge bruise (looked like burst blood vessel) on left leg. But don't recall any injury. Is it possible I have leukaemia or something? I have had blood test about 8 months ago but for unrelated reason which came back normal.
Answers:
OK, I am seeing a lil misinformation in some of the above answers. While your blood test from 8 months ago would not have been tested specifically for leukemia, if you had leukemia at that time it could have shown. A big tell tale of leukemia is messed up blood counts. Almost all blood tests for anything for any reason include a CBC which is a complete blood count that measures the number of different cells in your blood.
Furthermore, anemia is one of the biggest signs of leukemia.
The bruising and fatigue could be from anemia. And if that is the case it is likely that you just have low iron and need to take supplements.
If you are really worried about leukemia ask for a CBC from your doc. It won't conclusivly tell, but the counts can say whether or not you need a bone marrow biopsy to test for leukemia or simply take iron vitamins.