Was found to have an M-spike about 15 months ago. All tests are completely normal except an M-spike — no bone lesions, etc. Have been going to my hematologist every 3 months for blood work. He is now stretching it out to every 6 months since everything has been normal. I feel comfortable with this.
When I asked if there is anything I could do to help keep me from progressing, he said he did not know of anything. I am close to a major university that has a myeloma unit. Do you think it would be a good idea to just get an appointment with them, just to see if they have any ideas, as I know that placees like this university are on the cutting edge of research.
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Re: Only have an M-spike - how to proceed?
Welcome to the forum, Nick.
I think that just about everyone here would agree that it would be useful for you to have your test results reviewed by a myeloma specialist at a cancer center, just to make sure that your diagnosis is correct. If you do go for a consultation, it may result in your having some additional testing done, but that will be a good thing, since it will give you additional peace of mind regarding your diagnosis and the direction you're taking.
Active treatment of MGUS is highly unusual, since the risk of progression to multiple myeloma or another, more serious, condition is quite low. However, some people with MGUS and smoldering myeloma do take supplements that are thought to have an anti-myeloma effect, and which may therefore lower the likelihood of progression. Curcumin is particularly popular, but you'll also come across others. Just do a search on the keyword "supplements" in the forum search box and you'll come across a lot of discussions on the subject.
Personally, I also would advise that you make sure you do whatever you can to improve your general health, including steps to improve the strength of your immune system. But I'm not a doctor, so please take that advice with a grain of salt.
There are several factors that can affect the risk of an MGUS patient progressing to multiple myeloma, and you should be familiar with them. You can find a discussion of them in this forum thread:
https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/percent-mgus-progress-to-multiple-myeloma-t3881.html
Good luck!
I think that just about everyone here would agree that it would be useful for you to have your test results reviewed by a myeloma specialist at a cancer center, just to make sure that your diagnosis is correct. If you do go for a consultation, it may result in your having some additional testing done, but that will be a good thing, since it will give you additional peace of mind regarding your diagnosis and the direction you're taking.
Active treatment of MGUS is highly unusual, since the risk of progression to multiple myeloma or another, more serious, condition is quite low. However, some people with MGUS and smoldering myeloma do take supplements that are thought to have an anti-myeloma effect, and which may therefore lower the likelihood of progression. Curcumin is particularly popular, but you'll also come across others. Just do a search on the keyword "supplements" in the forum search box and you'll come across a lot of discussions on the subject.
Personally, I also would advise that you make sure you do whatever you can to improve your general health, including steps to improve the strength of your immune system. But I'm not a doctor, so please take that advice with a grain of salt.
There are several factors that can affect the risk of an MGUS patient progressing to multiple myeloma, and you should be familiar with them. You can find a discussion of them in this forum thread:
https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/percent-mgus-progress-to-multiple-myeloma-t3881.html
Good luck!
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