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DiscussionDoes anyone have any info on MGUS treatment or risk of progression?
Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: Nov 13, 2023 | Replies (34)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "Thanks so much for your reply. I like the weather analogy and it certainly feels that..."
No worries.
I’m glad using weather as an analogy helped (I used to explain the principles of statistical analysis to my former students using weather very often, because it is a system of statistical analysis that we are all quite familiar with in that the further away it is, the much less accurate it is. This may indeed be helpful regarding analogous thinking which could be applied to the understanding of calculated projections into the future..it’s not the same calculations as used for MGUS, but it will conceptualise the process of predictions, I’m hoping: https://scijinks.gov/forecast-reliability/#:~:text=A%20seven%2Dday%20forecast%20can,right%20about%20half%20the%20time.
Here is a test result tracker and explanation of tests tool, where you can record your data over time and read about the specific tests in more detail: https://www.velcade.com/files/pdfs/Lab_Test_Tracker.pdf which may be helpful in learning what it is you’re wanting to keep watch of, and the measured changes over time…anything changing quicker than expected is a flag for further investigation when you’re otherwise asymptomatic (not noticing any body changes).
You’ve mentioned IgG Lambda..this talks about the immunoglobulin isotypes, including their function in the body. When you have an isotype that isn’t working properly because it’s made wrongly (your IgG), keep in mind that you may have less ‘properly functional’ IgG, and so you may get infections easier (but this also depends on if you do or don’t have other isotypes that are involved - eg: in my case, I have reduced IgA along with lots of wrongly formed IgG, so my immunity is reduced across both isotypes): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK27162/#:~:text=IgG%20antibodies%20are%20usually%20of,and%20activate%20the%20complement%20system.
And then there is lambda..there are two things that pretty much matter and that is the ratio of kappa to lambda, and the overall volume of lambda (that second one is a bit controversial in my understanding, because lambda light chains have a much higher molecular weight than kappa, therefore less of them can cause more damage, like kappa is rain, and lambda is a hailstorm: both are precipitation, but one washes away the garden, and the other smashes the house, given the same volume, because the individual mass of a hailstone is greater and not malleable like the raindrop): https://healthtree.org/myeloma/community/articles/kappa-lambda-light-chain
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1895159/#:~:text=Patients%20with%20a%20kappa%2Dlambda,having%20a%20monoclonal%20kappa%20FLC.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/22369-kappa-free-light-chain-test
Don’t worry about the discussions regarding myeloma - the important take-away is learning what to look for, considering MGUS is not as critical as myeloma, and that you’re living with MGUS, and that watching these criteria can help you be informed if any changes occur. If they don’t, great! If any do start, then you’re ahead of the game in terms of flagging things to your Gp and haematologist. And anything in general where you feel lethargic for days, have night sweats (which could be low grade infection), or ache/pain that wont go away, go to the doc and tell them the symptom characteristics (there all the time, doesn’t change with rest for eg), it’s impact on your function, and how long it has been present. Also, if your Gp is smart, they will know that inflammatory markers like CRP and ESR may not be high when IgG or other isotypes of immunoglobulins aren’t reacting/working properly to result in increases of inflammatory markers (meaning inflammatory processes can be present, but the non functional immunoglobulin/s aren’t responding - an indicator of this is sometimes responses to vaccines: if you have a reduced or absent response to vaccines, then your immunoglobulins aren’t responding accordingly to the vaccine, and not building immunity to it..a blood test can show if a person responds appropriately to a vaccine. In my case, I do not respond to many vaccines - my Ig’s don’t build immunity because they’re not the properly working Ig’s - so I have no or only very minimal/temporary responses to vaccines).
I hope this helps with some of what to look out for.