Can someone interpret this for me?

[GettinThruIt]

Regarding my blood draw that I do every two months, the oncologist says I'm doing well and the various items on the results page are within reasonable range. I'm pretty far from actually understanding what it all boils down to, especially considering the wealth of knowledge here, so here's my request: I joined a study for people with CLL that don't sleep well (I wake up a few times a night) because I figured why not. They sent me for a blood draw and I have the results. I am curious if anyone would mind having a look and telling me what they see? Thank you

[Newdawn Administrator]

I see excellent results all within range and couldn’t deduce insomnia reasons from those blood results. I’d be well pleased with those 😊

Newdawn

[GettinThruIt in reply to Newdawn]

thanks yeah its not insomnia i fall asleep almost instantly but wake up having to pee a few times at night, which somewhat predates CLL it got a little worse since the diagnosis and upon initial diagnosis there was a tumor pushing on my bladder if im not mistaken and I was in the bathroom constantly. So id like to learn how to stay asleep, I haven't quite gotten to eating dinner at four or five and not drinking water after that, and while I've tried it, I've never tried it with consistency so I think my habits are too ingrained ... thanks for the read, much appreciated

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to GettinThruIt]

Presumably your prostate and glucose levels have been checked out?

Newdawn

[GettinThruIt in reply to Newdawn]

prostate slightly enlarged - i didnt want pills as it interferes w sex life apparently and wasn't told of any other options, Im actually not sure on glucose but I know that consuming sugar or carbs at night means more urine production unless Im missing stuff there.....seems like a sleep study blood draw would have looked at glucose tho as its a factor

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to GettinThruIt]

I’m sure your glucose level has been checked but always worth having a Hba1c blood test done to eliminate pre diabetes and diabetes. The body copes with carbs and sugar in a system that can process it efficiently but glucose issues can lead to increased nocturnal urination.

Newdawn

[GettinThruIt in reply to Newdawn]

glucose is 92- acceptable range shows between 65-139

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to GettinThruIt]

👍

Newdawn

[Spark_Plug in reply to GettinThruIt]

Hi GettinThruIt, I don't know what pills you were offered and if you found this through trial and error, or your doc said it will.

There are more than one pill for BHP, The first I topped out at, the second did have some odd side effects but the third is working fine (all systems go).

So, don't be shy about asking about other meds. We are not talking procedures, only pills.

[RZ8983DV in reply to Spark_Plug]

I had BPH and was put on Tamsulosin .It did not have any effect on my sex life but even though my PSA levels were not that high I.needed the operatioñ 2 years later which resulted in retrograde ejaçulation

[LeoPa in reply to RZ8983DV]

I was taking tamsulosine for 6 years. For 2 years in combination with dutasteride. Which caused retrograde ejaculation frequently. Tamsulosine alone did not. A month ago the urologist stopped both for a year after he did a urine flow test. Instead of going back after 6 months for a checkup I only have to go back after one year. My urine flow was such that he told me I am peeing like a champ 😀. I noticed a marked improvement in urine flow when I started to really take the meat, eggs and nothing else diet seriously. I am convinced that plants, carbohydrates and dairy products are the root cause of prostate problems in aging males. But don't ask me for proof. It's just my experience. And unless one tries he will never know whether this might work for him too . Prostate is still enlarged at 43 mm. 6 years ago it was 36 mm. I don't need to get up during the night to pee.

[GettinThruIt in reply to LeoPa]

Can you describe your daily / weekly diet? And where did the idea come from?

[LeoPa in reply to GettinThruIt]

90% of what I eat is meat and eggs. And salt. All kinds of meat. The fattier the better. The remaining 10% is non-starchy vegetables, coconut flour, shredded dried coconut meat, occasionally salted roasted peanuts. Here and there I slip up and eat some dark chocolate. Which I know I should not but I'm not perfect 😔. Plus I supplement minerals and drink electrolytes. If you check my bio and posts & comments ,you will get a good grip of what I do. My goal is to keep insulin secretion at a minimum. Initially the idea came from an article I stumbled upon on the internet and was discussing that paleo diet. That was 12 years ago. It led me down a rabbit hole from which I never really re-emerged😀. One thing led to another and I am where I am now. For example: all I ate today are burger patties. Homemade of course. Ground meat (a mix of beef and pork), eggs, salt, and a little coconut flour. All mixed together. Formed into patties and fried in an air fryer. That's it. If I'm hungry I eat some.

[GettinThruIt in reply to RZ8983DV]

How or why do you go from pills to operation? Did pills work? Did operation? Thx

[LeoPa in reply to GettinThruIt]

It is my understanding that when the prostate grows too large and you cannot empty your bladder completely you are at increased infection risk due to the retained urine. And then one day you come to a point where you cannot empty your bladder at all and have to be catheterized. That's when the operation comes into play.

[RZ8983DV in reply to LeoPa]

Yes I went through that several years ago though I think it was more the way the prostate grew rather than its actual size. I was on a catheter for 3 weeks before having the operation

[RZ8983DV in reply to GettinThruIt]

I thought the pills had some effect but the urologists tried to persuade me to have the operation earlier. I was reluctant because of the side effects. I went into retention, had to be catheterised. This was not a long term solution as with a catheter I could only walk a few metres and I could not cope as I live on my own and had the operation after it was obvious that I could not pee naturally. I went to A and E and they drained a large amount from my bladder. After the operation I have had no problems but do have retrograde ejaculation

[Spark_Plug in reply to RZ8983DV]

Yes, I had no problems with Tamsulosin, just reached max dosage and had to switch. Urologist next went to Silodosin, that created R. E. result, so he said there were still more meds not to worry about procedures yet. So, now it's Alfusosin and been like that for two years, and not a worry about E. D., R.E., or urination difficulties (although I make an early morning trip).

We're all different, and our doctors are also. 🙂

[michaeledward in reply to GettinThruIt]

I am not sure what pill for an enlarged prostate that you reference but cialis will work to reduce the size of your prostate and certainly won’t interfere your sex life.

[michaeledward in reply to GettinThruIt]

Cialis can help with enlarged prostate and certainly wouldn’t hurt your sex life. But try taking vitamin d3 first. 1000 IU of vitamin d3 helped me for a few years independent of cialis.

[MisfitK in reply to GettinThruIt]

I'm not sure avoiding hydrating, even for only part of the day, is the way to go - normally, when you dehydrate (which is what you're trying to do), you actually feel the need to go more. On that point, are you drinking enough all day to not inflame your bladder and give you this sense of urgency overnight? Especially in the morning/afternoon hours? That's one possibility for why you continually feel urgency.

Another possibility - what do you drink in the hours before bed? Just water? Alcohol? Coffee? If it's soda/alcohol/coffee, I might drop that and stick to a water evening for a week and see how you do. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, so they would make you have urgency overnight sooner than just water.

[PennyLane2024]

Zoloft at noon, one hour of exercise, and trazadone before bed are my recipe for dealing with stress and sleeping well. My sleep has improved significantly since I started doing this two weeks after diagnosis.

[GettinThruIt in reply to PennyLane2024]

Do you see any side effects from the zoloft or trazadone? headaches and so on? I'm hoping to not have to ingest more meds but just from reading that it sounds like it's working for you, thanks

[PennyLane2024 in reply to GettinThruIt]

No side effects at all. Most importantly, it reduces anxiety which most of us CLL folks have.

[Spark_Plug in reply to PennyLane2024]

Trazodone is not FDA-approved for sleep disorders due to insufficient clinical data to justify its use as a sedative agent. {[3] Sateia MJ, Buysse DJ, Krystal AD, Neubauer DN, Heald JL. Clinical Practice Guideline for the Pharmacologic Treatment of Chronic Insomnia in Adults: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017 Feb 15;13(2):307-349.} ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK4...

That is a medication for major depressive disorders. Zoloft (Sertraline) is is another very specific medicine for treatments much different from insomnia. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK5...

These should not be suggest willy-nilly for someone who doesn't have a Dx. requiring it. SSRI withdrawal is a real problem among the list of adverse reactions are few that would counter indicate GettinThruIt's main concern to begin with - impotence, a disorder of ejaculation.

GettinThruIt go see a urologist or a sleep medicine doctor.

[PennyLane2024 in reply to Spark_Plug]

My CLL Specialist and my Primary Care Doctor prescribed these to me to help me deal with the anxiety that I experienced after starting treatment one month after diagnosis. Not sure why you are attacking me for recommending something that helped me sleep during the worst few months of my life.

[Spark_Plug in reply to PennyLane2024]

I am not not attacking you or anyone, I'm sorry if you feel that way. What you and your doctors decide for you may be perfectly acceptable.

However, even if you or anyone else states there are no side effects, and that is contrary to what the FDA cautions, it is not accurate. The OP deserves to know that, especially in the context of the way the discussion was headed.

I'm sure, just as well as your personal doctors looked into all of the factors for you case, before suggesting what you could take, you'd want any fellow patient to have the same good care. 🙂

[craterlake in reply to Spark_Plug]

i was thinking the same thing ,,, #1 on the list of questions for taking Zoloft is "do you have any bleeding disorder " that would have been me when I was taking calquence .. your reply to PennyLane is quite appropriate ... thanks

[Kingfish6 in reply to Spark_Plug]

"off label", trazadone is being prescribed for elderly sleep issues.

[MovingForward4423]

Complete Blood Count (CBC), Platelet, No Differential

• WBC (White Blood Cell Count): 8.1 x10E3/uL (Reference range: 3.4-10.8)

• RBC (Red Blood Cell Count): 4.47 x10E6/uL (Reference range: 4.14-5.80)

• Hemoglobin: 13.1 g/dL (Reference range: 13.0-17.7)

• Hematocrit: 40.3 % (Reference range: 37.5-51.0)

• MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume): 90 fL (Reference range: 79-97)

• MCH (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin): 29.3 pg (Reference range: 26.6-33.0)

• MCHC (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration): 32.5 g/dL (Reference range: 31.5-35.7)

• RDW (Red Cell Distribution Width): 12.6 % (Reference range: 12.3-15.4)

• Platelets: 224 x10E3/uL (Reference range: 150-450)

Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha

• Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha: Will Follow (Results pending)

Interleukin-6, Serum

• Interleukin-6, Serum: Will Follow (Results pending)

Interleukin-8, Serum

• Interleukin-8, Serum: Will Follow (Results pending)

C-Reactive Protein, Quant

• C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Quant: <1 mg/L (Reference range: 0-10)

Summary

• Complete Blood Count (CBC): All values fall within the specified reference ranges, indicating normal results.

• C-Reactive Protein (CRP): Less than 1 mg/L, which is within the normal range, indicating no significant inflammation.

• Pending Results: Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha, Interleukin-6, and Interleukin-8 results are still pending.

The re-evaluation confirms that all measured blood count values and the CRP level are within their respective normal ranges, indicating no immediate abnormalities. The pending cytokine test results will provide further insights once available.

[MovingForward4423 in reply to MovingForward4423]

This is using AI, please always check with your doctor. AI can make mistakes

[J1015]

When stressed or have anxiety, I wake up frequently to go to the bathroom. No clue why but I have figured it out through the years. Now that I am not freaked out about my CLL, I sleep a solid eight hours with one bathroom break that never disturbs going back to sleep. Your lab results look great.

[Kingfish6]

Looks pretty good