I had been very pale and not myself lately. can that be a sign of leukemia?
My paleness was the key symptom that finally made a doctor listen to me and send me for blood work. I was severely anemic, hospitalized, had a bone marrow biopsy, diagnosed with AML and started on chemotherapy within 48 hours of the paleness being noticed. Paleness by itself is not a sign of leukemia. Added to weight loss (I lost 30 pounds over 3 months), fatigue (sleeping 16-18 hours a day), headache (severe, right behind the eyes and above the ears), muscle and joint pain (shoulders and hips mostly) it is certainly an indicator. The only symptom I had at first was the headache. I’d wake up in the morning with my head throbbing. It wasn’t until the end of the 3 months that I had all those symptoms. Anemia is usually the cause of paleness and not feeling yourself. You feel a little tired and worn out. Just means you’re not getting enough iron. Definitely see a doctor and make sure…it won’t go away on it’s own.
