So recently I was having bloodwork done to try and get to the bottom of my going-on-10-years, worsening, chronic pain and the doctor noticed high M protein levels in my bloodwork. I did the 24-hour urine test after that, but those results came back negative.
So, does that mean I'm in the clear? Is there still a chance that it's multiple myeloma that's just showing up in the blood but not in urine samples? Is the only way to know for sure a bone marrow biopsy?
My doctor can take over a week to get back to me with simple questions and I've spent the past week and a half stressing out to the max over those lab results, so I'd really like answers.
Anyways, thanks for reading!
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Re: M protein in blood but not urine: is that good?
Hi jgill95,
Welcome to the forum.
When you say you have a high M protein level (also known as an M-spike) in your blood, just what is that value, including the units of measure?
If you haven't had the following tests done, you should:
Serum immunofixation
Quantitative Immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM)
Serum Free Light Chain Assay
If you already have the results of the above tests, it would be great if you also shared those results (including the units of measure and reference ranges).
It would also be good to know your serum calcium, creatinine, and hemoglobin levels from your CBC and comprehensive metabolic panel tests.
If you don't have copies of the lab reports that have all this information, you should ask your doctor's office for your own copies.
Unfortunately, just because your 24-urine test was negative, this doesn't put you in the clear for having a monoclonal gammopathy such as MGUS. All a negative 24-hour urine test result means is you are not producing enough monoclonal free light chains (which are different than the M-proteins measured in your blood) to show up in your urine. It's good that no monoclonal free light chains (also known as Bence Jones proteins) are showing up on your urine test, since high levels of these proteins can wreak havoc with your kidneys. But again, this test alone doesn't put you in the "clear" with respect to having a monoclonal gammopathy.
If you do end up having a preliminary diagnosis of some sort of monoclonal gammopathy, then you should really be following through with a hematologist that specializes in myeloma and related disorders to determine what tests to do next.
Welcome to the forum.
When you say you have a high M protein level (also known as an M-spike) in your blood, just what is that value, including the units of measure?
If you haven't had the following tests done, you should:
Serum immunofixation
Quantitative Immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM)
Serum Free Light Chain Assay
If you already have the results of the above tests, it would be great if you also shared those results (including the units of measure and reference ranges).
It would also be good to know your serum calcium, creatinine, and hemoglobin levels from your CBC and comprehensive metabolic panel tests.
If you don't have copies of the lab reports that have all this information, you should ask your doctor's office for your own copies.
Unfortunately, just because your 24-urine test was negative, this doesn't put you in the clear for having a monoclonal gammopathy such as MGUS. All a negative 24-hour urine test result means is you are not producing enough monoclonal free light chains (which are different than the M-proteins measured in your blood) to show up in your urine. It's good that no monoclonal free light chains (also known as Bence Jones proteins) are showing up on your urine test, since high levels of these proteins can wreak havoc with your kidneys. But again, this test alone doesn't put you in the "clear" with respect to having a monoclonal gammopathy.
If you do end up having a preliminary diagnosis of some sort of monoclonal gammopathy, then you should really be following through with a hematologist that specializes in myeloma and related disorders to determine what tests to do next.
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
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