Keeping CLL a Secret

[andrewschorr]

A man I met at the Canadian Advocacy Group meeting in Niagara Falls is now a blog contributor on PatientPower.info using a pseudonym. Read and learn why he keeps his CLL a secret. I know he would welcome your comments too. patientpower.info/blog/pati...

[manzelka]

I can see exactly where this person is coming from. My husband had no support from his employers, other than expecting him to see their own doctor.

Why on earth would he want to consult a jack of all trades rather than the expert he was being treated by at the hospital. Needless to say he refused to do this and retired within the next 18 months after we had repaid our mortgage.

Telling our grownup children and close relatives was indeed hard.

[alexmcg48]

An interesting take on being told the news for the first time & that you aren't likely to need treatment anytime soon if you look after yourself. It also shows the difference between the UK & the US, because I don't think here it would be seen as such a stigma at work, although I'm lucky because I'm retired & didn't have to deal with this issue.

I do identify with not telling too many people though, because I'm not yet ready to have people looking at me with anything like sympathy. The fact is most seeing me wouldn't know anything was wrong & would probably think I'm "pulling their leg" (UK term for taking the micky), so I won't be telling the wider world until I'm beyond W&W & I'm determined to be on this for a good few years yet; although I'm fully aware that getting a serious infection might accelerate my leaving W&W sooner than I intend, so I do find myself shying away from situations that might cause me to get one.

Take care everyone & stay positive.