I was diagnosed with CLL last year and I am currently stable and not on any treatment. I've been having ongoing neck pain for 7 weeks and have seen my GP who thinks it may be muscular/stress related. I am just wondering if acupuncture may be beneficial and if there are any contraindications to having this or a massage with CLL. Any advice would be appreciated. I live in the Camden area so any recommendations would also be helpful. Thanks.
Hi Paul787,
Thank you for getting in touch with us and welcome to our online community. I hope you find it helpful and supportive.
My name is Adrienne and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists at Macmillan.
It’s great to hear that your Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) is stable but sorry to hear about the ongoing pain in your neck.
Although complimentary therapy such as massage can seem innocuous, it’s always best to run this question past your hospital team. Even though you are not having treatment at the moment, it’s important to ask about things like acupuncture as there may be some contraindications with your platelet counts and risk of infection. I would suggest getting in touch with your clinical nurse specialist (CNS). If you don’t have a CNS then you can get in touch with your haematology consultant via their secretary.
Complimentary therapies such as massage can be a great way to help with things like stress, insomnia and even pain. If your hospital team think that it’s okay for you to go ahead with this, you can find a list of oncology massage practitioners here and acupuncture practitioners here.
Cancer and its treatment can cause significant stress and anxiety due to uncertainty and the emotional impact. Emotional symptoms can also affect you physically so it’s important to look after yourself and reach out for support.
There is a Maggie’s Centre at The Royal Free Hospital that offers support from a psychologist, support groups, sessions and workshops. You can read more about that and register your interest here.
You can also speak to us on the Macmillan Support Line. It’s free to call and you can reach us on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm). We also have a fantastic CLL online community forum where you can chat to others who are going through or have been through a similar situation to yourself.
I hope this information was helpful and wish you all the best going forward.
Take care and best wishes,
Adrienne
Ref: AMc/PL
