[jennifr1966]

Brand new, know nothing

by jennifr1966 on Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:34 pm

This is one of the scariest things I've had to do -- admit my mother might have a problem -- but I'm (trying to be) ready.

On Thanksgiving, I called my sister, who said we need to talk. She said that back in September, my mother asked her to go to the oncologist with her. He told her that she had an "M-spike" and that he wanted to see her back in six months. I guess that he did more lab tests, and my mother received a second call. This time they asked for her to come in January instead.

I don't understand what an M-spike even "is", but the words "multiple myeloma" were mentioned, so I found my way here.

I get that my mother just turned 91 in October and won't live forever, but she's never had anything wrong with her, except some arthritis in her fingers and one knee. She has always been incredibly independent and head-strong. However, she is also very "stoic" (a word used by my sister, and aptly fits to a tee), which means she only talks when she absolutely has to. She told my sister that she wants no one to know what's been going on, she wasn't even telling her best friend. (Unfortunately, that included me.)

I'm angry, but more concerned than anything.

Can someone please - PLEASE - help me understand what's going on?

EDIT - I just texted my sister, and she said that the given diagnosis was MGUS?

[Lev]

Re: Brand new, know nothing

by Lev on Mon Dec 01, 2014 5:08 am

MGUS may never "progress" to multiple myeloma. The standard procedure is to monitor the development. With a little bit of luck your mother will not get multiple myeloma.

" It resembles multiple myeloma and similar diseases, but the levels of antibody are lower, the number of plasma cells (white blood cells that secrete antibodies) in the bone marrow is lower, it has no symptoms or problems, and no treatment is indicated."

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoclonal_gammopathy_of_undetermined_significance

A very small percentage of MGUS patients – approximately 1% per year – will progress to multiple myeloma.

[Ron Harvot]

Re: Brand new, know nothing

by Ron Harvot on Mon Dec 01, 2014 1:20 pm

If she has MGUS then she will not need any treatment. They will simply monitor it to on a periodic basis. With her being 91, I doubt that it will progress, so I would not be too concerned at this point.

Ron