@joh
Welcome to The Mayo Clinic Connect forum. It does send you into a tailspin when you get lab results that indicate that there may be a problem. And add to that, you hit the Internet and there is lots there to scare you.
Normal kappa free light chain is 3.3 to 19.4
Lambda is 5.7 to 26.3
His ratio is high, true and that is what they will look into.
I had high lab values over three years ago. There are so many variables to consider, including coexisting conditions and overall health. Although it took me several weeks to get into a hematologist/oncologist, when I finally got there I was diagnosed with MGUS. I’m not suggesting this is his diagnosis, but this was my experience.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mgus/symptoms-causes/syc-20352362
Like your husband, I have peripheral neuropathy which I attribute to the MGUS but it’s complicated because I also have type two diabetes which is very well controlled and my A1c is under 7.
With MGUS, we do what is known as watchful waiting. The probability of progression for MGUS to smoldering or multiple myeloma or other blood cancers is very low. So my blood was at first drawn every three months and now I’ve “graduated” to six month intervals between appointments with my hematologist/oncologist. I get routine scans to check for any lesions on my bones, I get blood analysis and my physician monitors for any of the telltale signs that there might be progression. So far so good! I am 72 and hope never to have actual blood cancer. And if I can be trained to stay consistent with the statistics, that’s very likely.
The important part for you, I believe, is to try and keep your anxiety at bay. There are members of the forum who have had MGUS for decades without progression to blood cancer. So I hope that when your husband sees the hematologist/oncologist, that’s what you will hear from him or her…but better yet, a retest within normal range. But since I’m not a physician, I can only reassure you from my own experience. I really don’t worry or even think about my MGUS anymore. And they have made remarkable progress with treatment for blood disorders so I’m reassured that even if my MGUS does progress, it is certainly treatable.
So to make a short story long, it’s going to require a visit with your hematologist/oncologist to figure out what’s going on with your husband, but I can offer you some general advice having dealt with this system for a few years now. First and foremost is not to get bogged down in information that you read on the Internet or from people you talk to about what may or may not be happening. It will increase your anxiety and chances are that when you do get the information you’ll be reassured. Make sure that your referral to hematologist oncologist is to someone who treats blood disorders every day as part of his or her specialty. This is indeed very specialized medicine and requires someone with experience and solid training. Since you’ve been through a bout of cancer with your husband I know I’m preaching to the choir when I recommend that you go with him to his appointments. So often anxiety will keep you from remembering everything that’s talked about so I write down questions and I take notes during my appointments so that I remember what was said. It also helps keep me on track to ask all my questions while I’m there and not be frustrated, trying to get someone on the phone later.
Being worried about someone you love is so hard. I hope that the diagnostic process will go quickly and go well for you. Take good care of yourself. You are living this with him.
Will you please let me know what you find out?