How does your GP react to your concerns about ... - CLL Support
How does your GP react to your concerns about issues that could be CLL-related? Tick any boxes that may apply and feel free to add further comment
My GP (Nurse Practitioner, not my oncologist), put me on Prednisone for a bad cold. Blood counts doubled. On my next visit to the oncologist I was told....never take Predisone with CLL.
The GP knew about the CLL and had access to my records. After it wore off, my counts dropped, of course.
I was interest to read of your rather disconcerting experience considering Prednisone has been commonly used on its own or in combination with other drugs to treat CLL. See for example the section First-Line Treatment in:
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL): First-Line Treatment
by Michael Hallek - On Behalf Of The German CLL Study Group
asheducationbook.hematology...
Given prednisone functions as an anti-inflammatory and (more importantly for us) an immunosuppressant, I certainly wouldn't want to take it without careful monitoring, particularly if my immune function was already compromised by CLL.
I guess this underlines the importance of having ready access to a haematologist with CLL experience. Drugs that may help some with CLL may have an adverse effect on other CLL patients!
Neil
Thanks for that, although I consider myself well informed I had no knowledge about prednisone!
I have just changed GP so don't know what this one will be like, the last was very receptive. However, when hospitalised with a bad infection two years ago, in the same hospital I see the haematologist for my CLL, I had to tell them about the CLL and they did not inform the haematologist (Colchester Hospital).
The conference in Liverpool last week with Prof Pettitt was a real "eye opener" and a great morale booster, I would recomend every body tries to attend thier local conference.
Many thanks to all those that took part and those who organised it.Very well done.
I feel a lot better informed after attending the conference in Liverpool last week.Not only from the "professionals" but factual information gathered from other CLL ers.
