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SMM: What's a reasonable monitoring schedule?
Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: Sep 16 12:22pm | Replies (6)Comment receiving replies
I'm fine with annual visits, especially if he's sure I'm low risk. But he wants 3 months, which seems like a high risk schedule to me. And, given that there aren't any known triggers for progression, catching it before it causes any damage seems to involve more luck than skill anyway. I just think I have better things to do with my time than to go in to have someone explain labs to me that I already understand.
Replies to "I'm fine with annual visits, especially if he's sure I'm low risk. But he wants 3..."
@kansasjayhawk, I’m sitting at MGUS, with my “numbers” stable and low. I was diagnosed five years ago and did quarterly appointments for the first two years. I’m now seeing my oncologist every 6 months. My appointments do seem a little redundant.
Yay! Whew! Glad to see ya, doc, see you at Christmas time.
Since my MGUS diagnosis was purely incidental to an injury, I had no idea that pesky paraprotein was hanging out in my body. So I’m good going in twice a year for a check in. It’s painless…well except that my hematologist/oncologist is fairly stuffy and humorless. I view it as preventative maintenance. If my MGUS ramps up to Smoldering or MM, I want to know and want to be able to take advantage of all the good stuff that is coming out of research in the way of treatment.
That’s my plan, anyway. I hope that a discussion with your provider will offer an option that works for you.
Do you get anxious related to your appointments if I can ask?
Patty
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@kansasjayhawk
You need to have a discussion with your doctor about the interval between checkups. Find out the reason behind the 3 month interval. No one here can tell you what is right for you, only what their doctor has decided for them. Personally, I would rather go too often than not often enough. You and your doctor must decide what is best for you.