Cll follow up question for my mother

[ABHINAVGARG]

It's been 15 days that my mother is diagnosed with rai stage 0 cll. She has been started with a lot of vitamins with other things as the doc says she is on wait and watch, she also has diabetes. She has been feeling better then she was earlier now, I mean the strength. But she is just getting lot of acidity and her dry cough doesn't go away, what should we do? We haven't told her about cll news yet as she will get very scared and depressed. I still don't know what should we do. She will be doing short flight trips now also planning a holiday to hk and Macau. We are just waiting for her fish test report before talking to the doc again.

[AussieNeil Administrator]

Your mother really should be raising these issues with her doctor to determine the cause and hence how best to overcome them. While we can share our similar experiences, even for those among us who are medically trained, it would not be appropriate to suggest what your mother should do without knowing her medical history and examining her.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'getting a lot of acidity', but if she is bringing up acid from her stomach, there are techniques when eating that can help and a range of approaches to reduce the incidence and discomfort, from over the counter products from a pharmacy to prescribed drugs.

Of more importance is her dry (unproductive cough - not coughing up phlegm). It could simply be that a cold has left her respiratory system irritated and she is over the infection, or perhaps she has a lingering infection. Her doctor will need to examine her to determine what's happening. Importantly, if she has any sinus infection, she could find flying very painful if she can't equalise the pressure in her sinuses (due to blockages from inflammation/infection), when the plane air pressure changes.

With regard to taking vitamins, even with CLL, it is best to get our vitamins from a range of foods rich in them, rather than using supplements. Some of us with CLL do find that we are low in specific vitamins, typically vitamin D and B12, but the actual serum levels should first be checked by blood tests, so the appropriate level of supplementation can be provided and follow-up testing arranged to make appropriate adjustments.

Neil