CLL Regressed????: Had a haematology appt today... - CLL Support

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CLL Regressed????

TinyTattooedToes profile image

Had a haematology appt today, 3 months post partum. I have had CLL for 11 years. Not sure what to make of it, either is my consultant but my blood results are unbelievable. My son was extremely unwell after delivery and was ambulanced to another Nicu which is a National Centre of Excellence for Child Healthcare. They surmised after he was discharged, that my body had essentially ‘harvested’ from his blood supply to sustain the pregnancy but could not be 100% certain as my blood had not been tested on his admission to hospital. As a side note, I have had no illness since delivery (I would normally have had a cold or stomach bug by now) and I also get quarterly B12 injections, for which I am 2 months over due, and I really feel like I don’t need it. My energy levels (considering I have an 11 week old baby) are great! Also worth noting, my wbc was already down to 22 post delivery so it has continued to improve on it’s own. To my knowledge all the numbers are now within or near enough a ‘normal’ range. Haemo will see me again in 6 months time and we’ll see if this is a one off anomaly or if the reset button has been pushed on my CLL???

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TinyTattooedToes
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33 Replies
JoyfulJessica profile image
JoyfulJessica

This is so interesting! I wonder if she'd do a flow Cytometry on you to see how your cells are behaving. Before I had CLL, and when I was last pregnant with my youngest (she's 4), I had gestational diabetes and the same thing happened to me. It was so bad that I had to take insulin and then about 6 weeks before she was born it completely disappeared (no diet change). The doctors were baffled as they'd never seen that happen before (it usually gets worse at the end of pregnancy).

Anyway, that's unrelated, but interesting. I also have a condition called PCOS that resolved after my first pregnancy. Sometimes pregnancy changes things... or so it seems!

Hope you continue to have great numbers and no symptoms! With God all things are possible!

TinyTattooedToes profile image
TinyTattooedToes in reply toJoyfulJessica

If I had known pregnancy was a potential cure to all that ails me I wouldn’t have waited so long to have him! 😉😁 She didn’t seem overly interested in determining why or how it’s happening. Just to go with it and see how the numbers pan out in 6 months. I’ll take that!

Lola69 profile image
Lola69 in reply toTinyTattooedToes

All mothers that are pregnant are protected by the baby’s stem cells to sustain the pregnancy.

I wish a pregnancy can cure cll but FCR stopped my periods 2 months after I began treatment.

Had been regular every 28 days but the good news is I never had a hot flash nor know what pre menopause feels like.

Jm954 profile image
Jm954Administrator in reply toLola69

Lola, what do you mean by 'all mothers that are pregnant are protected by the baby's stem cells to sustain the pregnancy'??

Lola69 profile image
Lola69 in reply toJm954

Scientists think there's an evolutionary mechanism whereby the baby assists in protecting the mother's heart during and after pregnancy. This popular meme suggests that an unborn baby can send its own stem cells to its mother to repair damaged organs

Lola69 profile image
Lola69 in reply toJm954

spuc.org.uk/news/news-stori...

TinyTattooedToes profile image
TinyTattooedToes in reply toLola69

Mines is a different case, my body physically took his blood. His levels/haemoglobin was dangerously low post delivery as a result. New borns blood looks different to adults blood under analysis, which is why they would have been able to say for certain if the transfer took place if they had tested my blood at the time. They had to rule out life threatening conditions to him as a priority obviously so my blood was not tested during the required time frame

Lola69 profile image
Lola69 in reply toTinyTattooedToes

Maybe a C section would have been better?

Are you O negative ?

TinyTattooedToes profile image
TinyTattooedToes in reply toLola69

They now believe I had been taking from him potentially days before they induced me. I noticed reduced movements 1 week before I was induced, I personally think it had started then

Lola69 profile image
Lola69 in reply toTinyTattooedToes

How did they arrive at that conclusion?

if they knew u have CLL they should have monitored you closer no?

TinyTattooedToes profile image
TinyTattooedToes in reply toLola69

Like I say they can’t confirm it 100% as the test wasn’t done but having ruled out other potential factors that affected my baby they reached that conclusion. It is EXTREMELY rare, we both have the same blood type b-. To be honest my care throughout was pretty poor from the obstetrics side, I was denied an epidural in the delivery suite based on my CLL status which was a complete shock/disappointment to me, so I’m not surprised that they don’t want to look into these results further 🤷🏻‍♀️

Lola69 profile image
Lola69 in reply toTinyTattooedToes

A positive or negative symbol after your blood type indicates your Rh factor. ... This means that if blood cells from your baby cross your bloodstream, which can happen during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, your immune system will make antibodies against your baby's red blood cells.

Lola69 profile image
Lola69 in reply toLola69

You should get a RhoGAM shot within 72 hours of the possible exposure to Rh-positive blood for the shot to work best. RhoGAM is very safe. It is recommended for all pregnant women with Rh-negative blood type and has been used for about 50 years. midwife.org/acnm/files/ccLi...

Jm954 profile image
Jm954Administrator in reply toTinyTattooedToes

You're right, newborns have a different haemoglobin called HbF (foetal Hb) and so you can tell which is baby's and which is mothers using flow cytometry or a Kleihauer test.

Newborn red cells also have a MCV of about 125 compared to an adult's of about 90.

There are lots of interesting differences.

Glad to hear you are both so well. :)

Jm954 profile image
Jm954Administrator in reply toLola69

I'm not sure that's scientific evidence Lola, especially as it's on a pro life site.

Lola69 profile image
Lola69 in reply toJm954

I only realized after it’s a pro life site Maybe it needs to be researched more but I think there may be some truth to it.

cllady01 profile image
cllady01Former Volunteer in reply toLola69

Lola, There MAY be SOME truth to a lot of things we read on line, but to take them and state them as facts is not what I understand to be support. Just saying, please be a bit more cautious in presenting the unproven on a site trying to support and aid in situations we do not have expertise.

My numbers when down after giving birth.

78 days before giving birth. 2 months later 26. Then In a year I was back up to 112. Then last week when I started treatment I was 136. 2 years after diagnoses, to about the day, I started treatment.

I’m 11q deleted and unmutated which is part of the reason I needed treatment so quick.

I hope it is different for you!

TinyTattooedToes profile image
TinyTattooedToes in reply to

Here’s hoping 🤞🏻 Thanks for sharing though, I’m taking the results as a positive for now and will take whatever the future holds when it comes. Nothing else for it eh?! ❤️

DMary profile image
DMary in reply toTinyTattooedToes

For now you have two blessings!

Lola69 profile image
Lola69

Excellent results

Are u breastfeeding?

TinyTattooedToes profile image
TinyTattooedToes in reply toLola69

I decided not to. I was very fearful that my CLL could potentially negatively impact my pregnancy so removed myself from the feeding equation.

Lola69 profile image
Lola69 in reply toTinyTattooedToes

How is your baby feeling?

TinyTattooedToes profile image
TinyTattooedToes in reply toLola69

Progressing well, he has a follow up hospital appointment at the start of December, I hope I will feel much more reassured after that appt

Lola69 profile image
Lola69 in reply toTinyTattooedToes

I hope so too!

Do they have a diagnosis?

Mystic75 profile image
Mystic75 in reply toTinyTattooedToes

Great news regarding your counts!

Please keep us updated regarding Grayson appointment.

So glad to see he is progressing well!

Lola69 profile image
Lola69

Blood from the mother goes through the placenta then into the umbilical cord attached, before reaching the baby. ... It also helps to protect the baby from infections because it keeps the mother's blood and baby's blood separate by acting as an effective filter. The placenta produces a long list of hormones.

TinyTattooedToes profile image
TinyTattooedToes

Yeah I’m thinking I’ll have a baby every 10 years to keep my numbers in check 😉😉😂😂

Zamx profile image
Zamx

Hi TTT - this is so great to hear. I'm 37 and have just found out I have MBL. This is all new to me but needless to say, I'm in shock as I've been doing some research on MBL vs CLL and have thoroughly been checking my past blood results. Appears to me that my lymphocyte count has slowly gone up since 2015 with one interruption.. in late 2016, I fell pregnant (bub no.3) and during my pregnancy I noted it progressively came right down to normal (2.6 day baby was born). I breastfed for 16months and earlier this year when I decided to ween, I had a blood test to check my iron levels as they were low during pregnancy - this is when my slightly elevated lymphocyte count was detected... and several further blood tests later, here I am. I'm so worried because I have 3 young children. Your story has given me hope and reassurance. I hope all is going well for you.

Poodle2 profile image
Poodle2

Hi TinyTattooedToes,

I’ve read all your posts...I was diagnosed with CLL two weeks ago - it’s still very fresh - I’m 39 ...I’m also 29 weeks pregnant with my 3rd baby so it’s been very tough - I’m not gonna lie. I had a routine blood test done as part of the monitoring during pregnancy. The doctors examined me, took bloods, had a MRI, CT of chest. They will continue monitoring me during pregnancy of course but apart from that I’m w&w and the specialists want to see me in 6 months. My WBC has rocketed really high so I’m hoping it will settle after a give birth (and that it won’t continue rising any further!).

It’s just all so scary...how are you doing now? And how about your little boy?

Thanks xxx

TinyTattooedToes profile image
TinyTattooedToes in reply toPoodle2

Oh my dear, first of all I’m so sorry this has happened to you at a time you should be concentrating on yourself and your new arrival. I can only imagine how scared you feel right now. You have found a great community of support here and you must never feel alone, definitely come here and rant and rave, ask questions or voice your fears, there will always be someone here to listen! ❤️❤️ My little one is just about 11 months, he is doing fantastic!! Really thriving and no trace of his rough start. I am doing really well also, back at work and keeping well. I’ve had this long enough that I know my blood really well! I’ve not been seen for a few months but I know my wbc has remained stable. I hope, if nothing else, reading my past posts has assured you that you’re not on your own in this fight and anything I can do to help, please shout! If you’re on fb there’s a great group specifically for those diagnosed under the age of 50. Several women have given birth whilst having CLL, so it may be useful for you to reach out to those women too? CLL support group for younger aged people (18-50) Wishing you and your precious bump an easy journey! All the best ❤️❤️

Poodle2 profile image
Poodle2 in reply toTinyTattooedToes

Thanks for your kind words, your story is giving me hope that everything will be fine and I will have a healthy and happy baby again ...and also that I will be there for my beautiful children and my amazing husband...thank you, so so kind of you to message a complete stranger...❤️

JoyfulJessica profile image
JoyfulJessica

Hi TTT! :D

A couple of weeks ago that I went to the University of Virginia hospital (it's a teaching/research hospital) to see the maternal-fetal specialists there since I am pregnant with Stage 0 CLL.

Anyway, when I was talking to the doctors, they mentioned to me that they've never really had an expectant patient with CLL before. I mentioned to them that I've connected with a few of you (thinking of your story here and also some women I've met via the Facebook support groups). I also mentioned that my CLL has seemingly actually improved during pregnancy and that I have heard similar stories from others.

They were quite intrigued by this and called me today to see if any of us would like to fill out a research survey that they are creating for women who have experienced a CLL pregnancy.

I told them that I would reach out and see if others were interested. I got the impression that it would start as a survey and then be reviewed for potential further research/trials in the future. This is all very preliminary.

Please let me know if you're interested in possibly filling out a survey and sharing your experience. It may help other young CLL women in the future or even help on a broader level if they can pinpoint what about pregnancy causes CLL regression. <3

This is the division director who is interested in getting the ball rolling on this research.

uvahealth.com/findadoctor/p...

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