Welcome Sheryl, I think it’s safe to say that MGUS is usually diagnosed accidentally. As time goes on it gets put on the back burner if you have other health concerns because it is generally asymptomatic.
When I was diagnosed they were looking at a “lesion” on my C2, nodules on my thyroid and thickening of arteries. Yay! Turned out all of that was benign and nothing that requires treatment. “Lesion” related to arthritis, benign nodules and clogging of arteries minor.
So I’m lucky in that respect. I get bloodwork every three months and my oncologist/hematologist checks the results and compares them to the previous results. Watch and wait. I have learned not to worry about it.
By now you’ve probably read or heard from your physician that MGUS rarely progresses to smoldering or full-blown multiple myeloma. They will monitor you and in the event you do need treatment, there has been exciting progress (at least my HEM/ONC doc is excited) developing treatment. Try to keep this in mind and enjoy your life.
This forum is great for getting information. It is anecdotal but shared human experience makes me feel like others understand what I am experiencing.
Best wishes!
Patty