I am sorry, MM is shorthand for the blood cancer, Multiple Myeloma.
I too have neuropathy; I am sorry yours has become debilitating.
Mine is just beginning to progress from sensory to some motor involvement.
If these symptoms led the physician to test for MGUS,
WHY are we not discussing the possibilities of neuropathy or treating them as serious symptoms that may be related to MGUS.
Yes.
We are most often told, “don’t be comcerned; the advancement rate is just 1% per year. MGUS is non cancerous and asymptomatic.”
(But we cannot donate blood with this condition. The reason being that our faulty blood plasma with its prolific monoclonal and unnecessary antibodies COULD trigger a malignant response in an otherwise “healthy” person receiving MGUS blood. Why aren’t we talking about this?” I have many questions that I tend to “feel” in my body as much as I may think them.)
Well, don’t you have symptoms?
Are they related?
I suspect so.
Depending on your age upon diagnosis, the likelihood of the MGUS actually progressing into any type of blood cancer is slim.
However, it is best to monitor because the progression rate is not necessarily steady or very predictable in reality.
The reality is simply that MOST, almost all, with identified MGUS, will die of other causes before the MGUS has a chance to develop into official malignancy.
(Simply not enough time with those statistics.)
Those are indeed the numbers.
There is no great reason to dread every blood draw as your levels are checked.
The statistics strongly support this.
Yet, those unanswered questions some of us have about the possibility of this condition being related to others bother my brain.
I wish you well!
I am hoping you see no further progression of that neuropathy!
Take good care of yourself.
With positive thoughts from the Northwoods of MN to you up in Canada!
Thank you SO much for your informative, helpful reply. Much appreciated. I feel very supported in my thoughts by you. Sincerely, Pam in B.C., Canada