[Elephant memory]

The one in a million lab test

by Elephant memory on Wed Mar 01, 2017 10:52 am

Hi everyone,

This is my first post and a little overview of how I got here. Back in 2012, I was feeling a little more tired than usual. I work 12-hour night shifts, so being tired was nothing new, but this just felt different. So I thought I would mention it to the doctor, and of course she wanted the standard lab work. So labs were done and I had a slightly elevated MCV but otherwise was good. Somehow she got from there to I must have myeloma. Not sure how she made that leap, since I have yet to find another physician who would go looking for it just because of that.

Being a nurse, I dug my heals in and avoided all further testing until I realized that taking care of other people meant I had to take care of myself too (not something nurses are good at). The hematologist did all the right tests and said "I'm only doing this because you're a nurse, and I want to be able to write negative in your chart." Problem with that was his tests didn't allow him to write negative but instead said IgA kappa smoldering myeloma.

We opted for the watch and wait, test every 3 months and hope it would wait a long time to convert. Recently we found out that my genetic markers have advanced and the smoldering portion of the diagnosis no longer exists. Now we are waiting for a consult from the transplant specialist so we can proceed with a plan of treatment and stem cell harvest. Not sure I'm on board with it yet, but it's starting to sink in a little more that if I want more time I need to follow this plan.

Thank you for reading. I have been reading forum posts for many years now, but with this change I feel the need to talk to and find support and answers from those who are living with this cancer.

[Dippydoo]

Re: The one in a million lab test

by Dippydoo on Fri Mar 03, 2017 10:09 am

Hi, and welcome to the community, but sorry you have to be here. I can relate to your story about the feeling of being tired just felt "different". I too have a busy lifestyle and felt tired all the time, Then a few months ago it just felt like it was a different kind of tired. It is hard to explain. I am currently awaiting results that will tell us whether it is MGUS or smoldering multiple myeloma.

Best of luck to you and hope you are well today!