[Adam W]

Adam, age 48, diagnosed with multiple myeloma

by Adam W on Sun May 07, 2017 2:34 pm

Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed in December 2016 with MGUS when a routine blood draw for work showed a high level of protein in my blood. I had been feeling run down for the last 6-12 months but attributed it to "just getting older". After going to my family doctor and getting further blood work done, they found my numbers were sort of all over the place. In December 2016, my initial M-spike was 1.96 g/dL. I am IgA kappa at 2380 mg/dL.

In February 2017 it was determined I actually had smoldering multiple myeloma after a bone marrow biopsy showed 40% plasma cells. At this point without showing symptoms, my doctor thought to "watch and wait", even though I had been having painful rib issues since July 2016 that we thought were dislocated ribs. So we sought a second opinion and that specialist ordered MRI on spine, pelvis and hips. Lesions were found on hip and sacrum. PET scan followed showing more lesions/areas of concern on my ribs, scapula, hips. My specialist said this puts me into multiple myeloma.

My most recent blood work in April 2017 was -

[pre]M-spike 2.55 g/dL
IgG 549 mg/dL
IgA 2,469 mg/dL
IgM 42 mg/dL
Total Protein 8.7 g/dL
Albumin 4.2 g/dL
Serum kappa free light chains 18.90 mg/L
Serum lambda free light chains 10.20 mg/L
Serum kappa / lambda ratio 1.85[/pre]

At this point, my doctor has ordered another bone marrow biopsy for this coming week and she recommends starting induction therapy soon with a stem cell transplant to follow.

That's where I'm at right now. I've been reading a lot on here the last few months and finally decided to post my story. I'm thankful for everyone that has shared their stories, it really does help someone newly diagnosed.

[Jose]

Re: Adam, age 48, diagnosed with multiple myeloma

by Jose on Mon May 08, 2017 10:32 pm

At the end of this month will mark the second year of my diagnosis and believe me it's tough. I thank God for this site and for the people who shared their journey. The information (tons of it), their ups and downs with their experiences, I thank you guys so much.

[Adam W]

Re: Adam, age 48, diagnosed with multiple myeloma

by Adam W on Sat Jun 17, 2017 7:02 pm

Thanks Jose, keep hanging in there. I've only been dealing with this about 7 months now. There have already been a lot of ups and downs. There really aren't any options besides fighting this disease every day. Hope your doing well.

Adam