Hi,
Have been reading all these posts and am wondering if anyone can help me. I have been to a hematologist as my doctor diagnosed anemia and they have done blood tests. I have the M-spike, also had bone marrow – 3% plasma cells. Still waiting on one more tests from bone marrow and having CT scan later this month.
My initial report says it looks like MGUS. Can it be that I have mugs and anemia?
All the articles I read say with mugs you don't have any CRAB symptoms. Anemia is the only one I have so far, although as I said, I haven't had CT scan yet.
Any opinions please?
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Re: MGUS but anemia?
Hi Worried,
Welcome to the forum.
You are correct that anemia is one of the CRAB criteria that help define "symptomatic" multiple myeloma -- i.e., multiple myeloma that physicians believe should be treated.
However, as is the case with all the CRAB criteria, the symptom is only considered relevant to the multiple myeloma diagnosis if multiple myeloma is the cause of the symptom.
As an example, let's say someone has a really bad automobile accident that causes a couple of bone fractures. When he is in the hospital, they do some blood tests and discover he also has MGUS. Even though he also has bone damage (fractures), since the damage was caused by something unrelated to multiple myeloma, the bone damage should not be viewed as fulfilling the "B" in the CRAB criteria.
So what your doctors will have to determine is whether your anemia is being caused by the disease process that is causing your MGUS, or if something else is causing it.
Even if the anemia can be traced to your MGUS, if it's not too severe, and you have no other signs that your disease is advanced, your doctors might decide to wait and monitor your disease to see if it shows signs of progressing.
I hope this clarifies things a bit. Let us know if you have any other questions we can answer. Good luck!
Welcome to the forum.
You are correct that anemia is one of the CRAB criteria that help define "symptomatic" multiple myeloma -- i.e., multiple myeloma that physicians believe should be treated.
However, as is the case with all the CRAB criteria, the symptom is only considered relevant to the multiple myeloma diagnosis if multiple myeloma is the cause of the symptom.
As an example, let's say someone has a really bad automobile accident that causes a couple of bone fractures. When he is in the hospital, they do some blood tests and discover he also has MGUS. Even though he also has bone damage (fractures), since the damage was caused by something unrelated to multiple myeloma, the bone damage should not be viewed as fulfilling the "B" in the CRAB criteria.
So what your doctors will have to determine is whether your anemia is being caused by the disease process that is causing your MGUS, or if something else is causing it.
Even if the anemia can be traced to your MGUS, if it's not too severe, and you have no other signs that your disease is advanced, your doctors might decide to wait and monitor your disease to see if it shows signs of progressing.
I hope this clarifies things a bit. Let us know if you have any other questions we can answer. Good luck!
Re: MGUS but anemia?
Hello,
I am new to the forum but I am recently MGUS and having anemia too plus other symptoms.
Doctor thinks mine is low iron and wants to give iron IVs.
Oncologist says after all my tests he still thinks MGUS, so I am hoping he is right, but I am sick and nauseous and losing weight as well and have eye troubles.
Hope all your tests will equal a good result. Hope you find answers. Let me know what you find out.
Cissellia
I am new to the forum but I am recently MGUS and having anemia too plus other symptoms.
Doctor thinks mine is low iron and wants to give iron IVs.
Oncologist says after all my tests he still thinks MGUS, so I am hoping he is right, but I am sick and nauseous and losing weight as well and have eye troubles.
Hope all your tests will equal a good result. Hope you find answers. Let me know what you find out.
Cissellia
3 posts
• Page 1 of 1