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Yes! We have to remember that all treatment options carry risk. Personally, I prefer to embrace the least intrusive approach until such time as my oncologist/hematologist taps his foot and says “it’s time.”
It is a bit maddening to wait, for those of us who are proactive in other aspects of our lives, but you are so right that chemotherapy in particular is harsh.
We can live life well, eat healthy, exercise, take nutritional supplements (if supported by our medical team) and keep our heads in a good place. MGUS is not a pronouncement of dreadful bad things to come. We hope to beat it and die peacefully in our sleep after our 100th birthday celebrated by a gubernatorial proclamation and a party in Time Square.
Or…at least a cake at the nursing home.
😂😉
Replies to "Yes! We have to remember that all treatment options carry risk. Personally, I prefer to embrace..."
@pmm I definitely agree with you. And if you all would allow me to relate my story here, you might see my point of view.
In 1988 I was diagnosed with systemic lupus, and they have evaluated it to be "mild" as far as presentation. I had the classic symptoms, and went through more than 6 months of testing, narrowing down what was going on. Since before that diagnosis, and ever since there has been pronounced high protein values in my urine, no matter the test. In the ensuing years the following additional conditions have been added to my repertoire: gout, fibromyalgia, arthritis [osteo and "general"- whatever that means!], a very rare autoimmune/ideopathic kidney disease [not associated with MGUS or multiple myeloma], MGUS that morphed to SMM in a year, that then advanced to multiple myeloma a year later. Add in the now-daily dialysis for end stage renal disease caused by that kidney disorder. "Over achiever" is how I classify myself, and feel my depressive disorder has been well-earned [and under treatment, by the way].
We can choose to dwell on the what-ifs in life, or we can get onto living. I have chosen the latter. While there may well be supportive treatments for MGUS, often times a person is dealing with multiple heath concerns, and treatment overall has to take all factors into consideration. We do not want our medical team, and that includes ourselves, to address one issue and put aside other things, with the possibility of throwing everything off-balance. And believe me, that is very easy to do. Surrounding ourselves with medical experts who can communicate with you and each other to offer the best pathway is crucial.
At the moment I am on a "vacation" from chemo for MM, because my body was getting so beaten up with everything. It's a matter of time before I go back to that regimen, but for now, it is okay by me. Do I play the "what if" game? Not so much anymore. Do I make an attempt to enjoy each day and make a difference to myself and others? Absolutely.
Off my soapbox, now,
Ginger
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I think that you have a rare gift - to see a sunnier side! Thank you. Best wishes