MGUS with bone pain?

Well, for being a train wreck you’re keeping up a good front! In your other posts regarding your neighbor, your sense of humor is flourishing. 😅. Maybe she’s your much needed distraction right now. I hope you had a lovely time with your friend today! 10 years is a long time not to see each other. That’s a lot of life to hash over in a few hours!
The homemade bread sounds yummy and I love that it came out in the shape of a heart. Sometimes we get little symbols that we can interpret anyway we choose… this one made me smile for you.
Whatever happens next you’re going to get through this! I can feel the ability in you to toss things aside like Wonder Woman with her shiny cuffs…warding off one evil after another. And anyone who can write a ‘nyah nyah’ in German to their nasty neighbor…ha, gurl you have mad skills! 😅. Now, take a deep, slow breath and then exhale. You’re strong, stay positive…you’ve got this!

Frances, so much to worry about it’s hard to stay centered and keep your fears at bay.
When I get anxious, I find that it helps to do some guided imagery. There are lots of guided imagery YouTube videos that may be helpful. I just do it inside of my head now I’ve been doing this with clients and friends when they are sick for so many years. For me the sound of waves is soothing and so I imagine myself on warm sand with gentle waves lapping at my toes. I do a lot of mindful breathing in and out and just let my body get heavy and relaxed. When I am highly anxious, this helps a lot. I’ve mentioned before on this board that anxiety can actually boost your white count in response to your fear. It can literally make you feel sick when there would otherwise be a few symptoms.
Getting some definitive answers will hopefully let you know exactly what you’re dealing with and what proposal your physician it has for dealing with it. Information is power. I shake my head because so many times physicians don’t realize that we take their words so seriously. When your rheumatologist spoke so ominously, I’m sure she didn’t realize how upsetting that would be. And it may be something a lot less scary than what you imagine.
Just try and relax as much as you can and make your list of questions for your medical appointment this week. There are no dumb questions.

Hugs, try and have a good day.
Patty

Don't be afraid of MM. I had diagnosis of MGUS last year May and numbers change in 6 months so had 2nd bone biopsy which determined MM. Finished stage 5 of 6 treatments and still working and living life as normal! May be on a treatment for rest of life but my hematologist shared there are many who live 20 plus years after diagnosis. Just find a good Hematologist Oncologist who will keep you informed and take care of you! Blessings!

Thank you for your information. I noticed you mentioned Raynauds Syndrome and I have had this condition for many years. I would be very interested in knowing what your Rheumatologist has to say about this condition.
Gina5009

in reply to @loribmt Thank you. I think you are exactly right in that my neighbor has actually helped me more than she may have intended to hurt me. I spoke to the apartment manager yesterday and explained I was not operating a wood shop on my patio, that I was doing these projects in an effort to cope. The apartment manager thinks she is a nutcase. Good. I am not alone. However, I have to admit that yesterday I was outside exercising my first amendment rights, which I often do if I am angry about something. I will spare the details, but did say loud enough for my neighbor to hear, "this is an apartment complex, and if you don't like the noise then you need to go back to working in the office." Furthermore, I also made two more signs in French, "tu ne peux avoir mon povoir" and "tu n'as aucun pouvoir." I realize this may all sound so juvenile, but I am still a bit bruised by her behavior because I trusted her and really thought she was my friend. How wrong. I need to listen more to those voices in my brain that say, "wait." The red flags were there, but I ignored them.
I am a wreck this morning because I am getting ready to see the hematologist and also the PA in my PCP's office. On Monday I landed in the ER because a wound on my leg that occurred while gardening 2 weeks ago became infected, and my doctor friend insisted I go to the ER. I should have had stitches, but since I could not call my "friend" I patched myself up with bandages and the results were official. I feel better today, having been on antibiotics. Live and learn. Oh well, just another $95 down the drain.
Thank you for your continued support. I have been doing some amazing art to help me through this period of my life, now working on a water color of my digestive system. Whatever works, right?

in reply to @loribmt I have not checked out the sites you recommended and will go to my appointment today "blind." However, I have seen several posts about bone pain, and I have been having similar symptoms. I will discuss this with the doctor later today. My father died from MM and therefore, my anxiety about this appointment is heightened. I am still maintaining my positive attitude, figuring that any day above the ground is a good one, albeit the pain which is calmed with medication. I have survived many difficulties in this sorry life of mine, and I will not let anything destroy my gratitude, sense of humanity and things of that nature. And, while my mother always told me to "pull yourself up by your bootstraps", if I have a meltdown following today's appointment, so be it.

👀 There are so many reasons to love this post. ☺️
While it’s unsettling for you, your neighbor is providing for some amusing stories. In our former neighborhood we had a very disagreeable neighbor and truth be told, I wasn’t above a little juvenile passive/aggressive behavior in a subtle attempt to get even…though it was under the guise of “I have rights too.” 🙃. Putting out little signs in a foreign language has me bowing to your prowess!

I think that $95.00 was well spent if it got you patched up and some antibiotics! If you have a suppressed immune system, those pesky germs can get out of control in short order. So thank your friend for insisting you go to the ER.

And now to this sentence you wrote that made eyes and mouth pop open! “I have been doing some amazing art to help me through this period of my life, now working on a water color of my digestive system.” Well, if that isn’t a cliff hanger! I’d love to see some of your art work and especially this visceral piece. (See what I did there? Haha) Have you been to the “Art for Healing” discussion?? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/art-for-healing/

I hope your appointment went well today…with no meltdown ensuing. Hugs.

in reply to @loribmt Thank you for your ongoing support. My appointment today went well, I do not have MM. However, I must tell you how the appointment started. I am sitting in the exam room, doctor walks in and says, "Hello Betty and how are you since our last visit?" I say, "I am not Betty." He says, "Why are you here?" I say, " I am here because my PCP is unable to interpret my lab results." The doctor says, "What lab results?" I say, "All of them, especially the IGG test and the light chains." He says, "You are so thin, why?" I try to explain why, that I have dilation of my bile ducts, but I have no definitive answer as to why because the hepatologist does not know why. He further says that my red blood cell count is very low, which I am well aware of. He says, "How long has your red blood cell count been low?" "For many months, I say." "You should be on iron supplements." "My PCP told me not to take iron." I am shaking my head as I type this because this is why I do not want to go to any other doctors.
In any event, the labs are all skewed because of the weight loss, and I will now begin iron supplements. He is also ordering many more labs to check to see if I have iron overload because that too showed up on a lab test, and both my father and nephew had/have this problem.
I felt like I was in the twilight zone. At least he did not ask if I was constipated, because that has been a common question every single doctor asks me when I first see them. What is that about?
I am happy he does not see any cancer. This is very good news. However, after I got home I began thinking about those IGG results and what, if any treatment is needed.
I received the results from the labs drawn today, and it appears that my LDH lab result is especially high. I understand this could be for a number of reasons, those of which I will learn more about during a phone call visit in two weeks.
I think now I just want to crawl into a cave and begin chalk drawings on the walls.
I will present the water color painting once I have completed the same. Truth be told, I am still a wreck. However, I will get through all of this one way or another, even if it means painting more signs, but I will not direct any more to my neighbor. I have a strong feeling she will move. Now I am redoing my health care advance directive for the third time in a year. Oy vey

Well, Betty…snicker snort! 😂 Your doctor not having your name correct doesn’t do much to inspire confidence. Oy vey is right!
But your news was great! No MM! I’m doing a happy dance for you! I know the glee is being overshadowed by the Twilight Zone-esque appointment you had and maybe the feeling that the doctor missed something. There are other reasons besides MM and MGUS for light chains to be outside of the normal ranges. But it was important to rule out MM. Besides plasma disorders, conditions like chronic inflammation or an immune system disorder can also cause high levels of free light chains in your blood. You have a number of other health issues that might be causing this. So for now, if this were me, I’d put the MM discussion on the back burner and take try the iron supplements and hope for no constipation. ☺️ By the way, that does seem to be a standard question…

I was happy to see you posted in the Art for Healing support group! ☺️ There are so many of us who rely on our creative side to bring much needed distraction and peace to our body and soul. Wishing you a delightful day. Hopefully you’re feeling much lighter after the non-diagnosis.
Peace ☮️