[mbell]

waiting for bone marrow testing

by mbell on Thu Jun 06, 2013 2:03 am

About a year or so ago i was hospitalized for 5 days. i had subdden chills, fever, cold & hot sweats. E.R took x-ray, thought they seen 'something' on my lungs did a biopsy in hospital, nothing conclusive. i have beeen seeing a oncologist since then, once every 3 months. Just recieved recent lab results that oncologists ordered, wants to order bone marrow testing....but in september. is this normal to wait so long? just some of the results:

total protein-8.4;
albubumin-3.9;
beta glogulin-1.2;
gamma globulin-2.7;
m-spike-absent;
iga-542;
igg-2703;
igm-54;
beta-2-microglobulin-3.34;
lymphocytes-17.8;
monocytes-11.9;
alkaline phosphates-131.

why wait 3 months for bone marrow testing; if i have something, wont it just get worse? or should i just wait? there must be a reason.....right? i also have pain in my knees & lower back. any advice would help.

thanks everyone

[terryl1]

Re: waiting for bone marrow testing

by terryl1 on Thu Jun 06, 2013 5:20 am

The bone marrow biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing plasma cell disorders. It does seem a long time to wait to wait for a BMB. Why don't you discuss this with him or seek a second opinion.
The numbers you presented show that your IgG is almost twice the the upper limit for normal. Total protein is at the upper levels of normal. However, the report says "M-spike absent" which is a good thing. Your B2M is high but can be caused by things other than myeloma and its precursors. Were urine tests (UPEP) done? Was a free light chain assay done?

[Multibilly]

Re: waiting for bone marrow testing

by Multibilly on Thu Jun 06, 2013 8:56 am

Agree with Terry. You would definitely want a UPEP and a Freelite Chain test and hook up with an oncologist that is a multiple myeloma specialist. I can't think of a reason why you want to wait for a bone marrow biopsy given your elevated immunoglobulins.

I assume you also had a basic metabolic panel that ruled out any issues with anemia, elevated calcium, etc?

[mbell]

Re: waiting for bone marrow testing

by mbell on Thu Jun 06, 2013 8:24 pm

thanks for the replies & advice...i will call the oncologist asap about getting earlier appointment. the other results are kappa lt chainsfree89.3; lambda lt chains-50.9 kappa/lambda-1.75 ; calcium 9.3; total protein- 8.4.{these words are truly foreign} would these results cause nausea? been getting alot lately.