John,
Do you feel okay? Will you begin treatment? I am also in watch and wait. The fatigue is ovewhelming sometimes. The difficulty is my labs don't match how I feel. I have secondary issues caused by CLL. I have to see the gastroenterologist to see if I have developed colon cancer. My OBGYN is also treating me for some weird issue and said cancer may be the under lying issue, but she can't tell until they treat the acute issue. I think the CLL weakends the immune system and I believe this leaves us venerable to other health issues and secondary cancers.
It is so weird when your leukemia is not bad enough to treat but you don't feel good either. 😕

I hate the watch and wait period of time…my provider stated that I was stage zero and would not be put on medication except for the fact that they had just surgically pulled a golf ball size lymph node out of my armpit and so I was put on ibrutinib in 2021. Most recently 2025 after a surgical procedures (see my profile…the April surgeries) and migraine plus CLL flair (palpable nodule on the back of my neck)after 16 days of being off of ibrutinib (being off of medication for 2 surgeries instead of 1 and 14 days) and then going back on ibrutinib and within 24 hours my lymph nodes have settled down and shrank back. So my advice is listen to your body and make hemotology/oncology nurses and practitioners your first call with symptoms.

Thanks, answers are what I'd like to have after the watch & wait passed .I was given Hydroxyurea to lower my white blood count however It doesn't help with the pain that I experience 24 hrs day and nothing helps except Quell which stimulates the knee pain and it seems to help with pain as well as the neuropathy which has now also appeared. I have to remember one day at a time. I have my daily conversation with "God" which helps me keep my faith as well as my sanity .

I read about your health issues and I am truly amazed? I am 73 and I have known about my leukemia for 3 years? I think I hit stage 1 with 75,000 WBC. I requested medication and I am at 6,900 WBC. I am busy in the morning but by noon I want to relax? I noticed when I visit the gym after 10 minutes of moving weighs my breathing increases when I move weighs with my arms but not when I use my legs. My whole life I had been healthy and since I retired visiting the gym 3 times a week and doing a few hours of work at home. My first doctor practiced the watch & wait which meant during my 5 minute visits I learned nothing but "don't worry?" I wanted answers so I could fight this cancer? My new medical team uses "share & care?" and they provide answers and are interested in my health and welfare. I hope you can get answers to find a solution to your health issues so you can have a happy and healthy future.

Soultime12 has a good point. I wish we ould get rid of the fatigue but also like Soultime12 said, it could be other issues too.