Does anyone else have MGUS?

Posted by mjlandin @mjlandin, Jun 4, 2022

I was diagnosed with MGUS last October and although I've done a lot of research, I feel there's still so much I don't know. Does anyone else have MGUS?

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@dondi2101

I was diagnosed with MGUS in 2015 at age 64. Since that time, my numbers have been stable. I will post later what they are. My question has to do with the above posting mentioning arthritis inflammation. I have pain in multi areas of body but not in the joints. More like sore areas in ligaments and muscles and random tissue areas. Pain in back, hip and SI areas. Anyone else experiencing this?

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Technically, MGUS is considered asymptomatic and idiopathic (no known cause, but possible causes or contributors). MGUS can be associated with neuropathy and various autoimmune diseases. It would be good to check with your doctor to see if you have any autoimmune or other diseases/syndromes.

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@pmm

@karishmananda
Your mom‘s blood analysis is very similar to mine. I have been diagnosed with MGUS based on my blood analysis. I have opted not to have a bone biopsy unless my numbers increase significantly. MGUS is a condition that is non-cancerous. It is a precursor condition to multiple myeloma and some other blood disorders. I hope never to get any of that.
The chances of progression to a blood cancer are very low. One percent per year I will post some information about it in the comments below.
My Kappa free light chains were inching up and a year ago was at 113.8. I started taking turmeric, which I’ll talk a little more about. It is very poorly digested so I take it in curcumin form. It brought my Kappa free light chain down to 88.8 in 6 months. At least that’s what I attribute it to. I did not change my diet or exercise patterns and introduced the curcumin. I’m going to see my hematologist/oncologist on 2 January so we’ll see what he says. He kind of rolled his eyes when I told him I was going to take it. As an empiricist, he wants more data to support the assertion that turmeric can alter the trajectory. I totally agree, but I’m very happy with the results that I have achieved. I’ll let you know if my numbers continue to go down.
So I would not be alarmed by her blood analysis. MGUS is a “watch and wait“ kind of disorder. She should go in for blood analysis on regular basis to make sure that there is no progression. Otherwise, she should live her life and enjoy every day. If the statistics ring true for her, she may never progress to a blood cancer. She will get very good medical attention because they will watch her carefully and MGUS for most people has no symptoms.
You have choices about a bone biopsy. Many have had them. I personally have not by choice. I am in agreement with my oncologist that we can wait. If there are any signs of progression, then we will do the bone biopsy. I get periodic scans of my whole body to look for bone lesions, which would be a telltale sign that the disease has progressed. So far I’ve had none of that. I was diagnosed three years ago.
I hope this is somewhat reassuring to you. It’s good to do some reading about MGUS and and then you are better prepared to talk to her physician when you have appointments.
I am not a physician so he or she may have different ideas about this, but I’m giving you my perspective as a patient.
Try to stay calm in your heart amid the chaos of a new diagnosis.

What did your hematologist/oncologist say the next steps would be?

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Hi Patty. I was diagnosed 20 months ago and have been reading your posts since then and appreciate your willingness to share your experience. I also started taking circumin several months ago. I figured it can't hurt. Would you be willing to share the dosage you are taking? I know in some studies they have used very high doses. I have started with just 600 mg/day to make sure I didn't experience any side effects.

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@scalm

Hi Patty. I was diagnosed 20 months ago and have been reading your posts since then and appreciate your willingness to share your experience. I also started taking circumin several months ago. I figured it can't hurt. Would you be willing to share the dosage you are taking? I know in some studies they have used very high doses. I have started with just 600 mg/day to make sure I didn't experience any side effects.

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@scalm
Welcome to our Mayo Clinic connect group! I was a little reluctant to start any turmeric dosage because I have celiac and diabetes type two. I take metformin which makes my digestive system kind of cranky sometimes. The pharmacist attached to my primary care practice sat down with all my medication’s and looked for any interaction that would cause me trouble. Finding none, I started out with 1000 mg a day. The first few days I had some Gastro issues but my system evidently decided not to fight this with much bigger and within three or four days I was having no side effects from the thousand milligrams. I have stayed with that because I got good results when I went for my semi annual bloodwork six months ago. I also read with interest the experience of other members in this group who have also had success with turmeric. I’ve added a picture of what it is that I am taking. This has worked very well for me.
You might have your pharmacist or physician’s nurse take a look at any medications that you’re taking now to see if there might be a negative interaction with any of them and the turmeric just to be safe.
I’m so glad you found this forum and I hope that you will contribute with your experience because it’s so benefits other members. And I hope that you find the information helpful. Will you let us know how your MGUS journey is going?

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@pmm

@scalm
Welcome to our Mayo Clinic connect group! I was a little reluctant to start any turmeric dosage because I have celiac and diabetes type two. I take metformin which makes my digestive system kind of cranky sometimes. The pharmacist attached to my primary care practice sat down with all my medication’s and looked for any interaction that would cause me trouble. Finding none, I started out with 1000 mg a day. The first few days I had some Gastro issues but my system evidently decided not to fight this with much bigger and within three or four days I was having no side effects from the thousand milligrams. I have stayed with that because I got good results when I went for my semi annual bloodwork six months ago. I also read with interest the experience of other members in this group who have also had success with turmeric. I’ve added a picture of what it is that I am taking. This has worked very well for me.
You might have your pharmacist or physician’s nurse take a look at any medications that you’re taking now to see if there might be a negative interaction with any of them and the turmeric just to be safe.
I’m so glad you found this forum and I hope that you will contribute with your experience because it’s so benefits other members. And I hope that you find the information helpful. Will you let us know how your MGUS journey is going?

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Cute dog for fun. 😂

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@pmm

Cute dog for fun. 😂

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This is what I take.

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@pmm

@scalm
Welcome to our Mayo Clinic connect group! I was a little reluctant to start any turmeric dosage because I have celiac and diabetes type two. I take metformin which makes my digestive system kind of cranky sometimes. The pharmacist attached to my primary care practice sat down with all my medication’s and looked for any interaction that would cause me trouble. Finding none, I started out with 1000 mg a day. The first few days I had some Gastro issues but my system evidently decided not to fight this with much bigger and within three or four days I was having no side effects from the thousand milligrams. I have stayed with that because I got good results when I went for my semi annual bloodwork six months ago. I also read with interest the experience of other members in this group who have also had success with turmeric. I’ve added a picture of what it is that I am taking. This has worked very well for me.
You might have your pharmacist or physician’s nurse take a look at any medications that you’re taking now to see if there might be a negative interaction with any of them and the turmeric just to be safe.
I’m so glad you found this forum and I hope that you will contribute with your experience because it’s so benefits other members. And I hope that you find the information helpful. Will you let us know how your MGUS journey is going?

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Patty, Thanks for posting this. This is exactly the type of information that I've been searching for. I've was taking turmeric with black pepper for years. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with MGUS and put on "wait and see" with 6 month testing. At that time I went to a curcumin complex and per day took 3g turmeric (300mg curcumin). My last blood tests showed M protein and IgM continue to rise exponentially. I just started supplementing the 3g turmeric by taking an additional 1g turmeric (950mg curcuminoids C3 complex). This should now be about 4X the active ingredient I had been using.
I did hint my plan to my Hematologist/Oncologist. She made it very clear that she wasn't going to comment or recommend anything other than the standard protocol. Glad to read you are having positive results.

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@dcuste

Patty, Thanks for posting this. This is exactly the type of information that I've been searching for. I've was taking turmeric with black pepper for years. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with MGUS and put on "wait and see" with 6 month testing. At that time I went to a curcumin complex and per day took 3g turmeric (300mg curcumin). My last blood tests showed M protein and IgM continue to rise exponentially. I just started supplementing the 3g turmeric by taking an additional 1g turmeric (950mg curcuminoids C3 complex). This should now be about 4X the active ingredient I had been using.
I did hint my plan to my Hematologist/Oncologist. She made it very clear that she wasn't going to comment or recommend anything other than the standard protocol. Glad to read you are having positive results.

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@dcuste thanks. My hem/onc doc kind of rolled his eyes but my PCP supported my effort to do something besides watch my numbers inch up. It’s very early in my curcumin experiment but I am hopeful. I suspect it is not going to work the same way for everybody, just as the pharmaceuticals vary by person in their effectiveness, but having investigated potential for harm and finding none…why not try?
I get my 6th month blood draw this coming Thursday. We’ll see.
Best of luck with your efforts. Will you let me know how it goes?

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@andrew1955

Hi Patty, I’ve just been diagnosed with MGUS, have read & learned much about it, found this remarkably helpful online forum, and am scheduled to see my local hem/onc of choice Dec. 19. I wonder what goals I would be wise to have for that first appointment, given what others have learned from their experience.

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Hi @andrew1955, you're right. @pmm knows what it is like to be diagnosed with MGUS and to have loads of questions.

How did your appointment with the hematologist go last week? What did you learn about next steps for you?

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@4kleo

Thank you so much for your response. It’s just so hard to accept. I am healthy in every other aspect of my life and have not taken a prescription, ever, so this is a huge blow and I feel like something had to cause it. Please say something other than my age I’m 75.😉

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@4kleo
I’m circling back and reading some posts I missed. First let me say that I’m 72 so don’t shoot the messenger when I say that age is a factor with MGUS. Typically, those diagnosed fall into the retirement age category. We don’t have the market covered completely as younger folks are diagnosed as well. Almost everyone who is diagnosed had an incidental diagnosis when they were looking for something else.
The etiology of MGUS is indeed a mystery. There is no known connection between vaccines or medications and MGUS. Maybe one day they will discover what causes it, but so far, they don’t know.
The good news is that the risk of progression to blood cancer is very low and you will get very good medical care with frequent blood analysis and other diagnostic tools so if you do get sick, you will get early diagnosis and treatment.
Do you mind letting me know when you will go back to see your doctor?

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@andrew1955

Hi Patty, I’ve just been diagnosed with MGUS, have read & learned much about it, found this remarkably helpful online forum, and am scheduled to see my local hem/onc of choice Dec. 19. I wonder what goals I would be wise to have for that first appointment, given what others have learned from their experience.

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@andrew1955
I’m so sorry I missed your post. Yes, how did your appointment go?

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