[K9Lover]

Hi,
It has been awhile since I've checked in. Quick background...3 yrs ago, ref to neuro for numbness/tingling, MRI shows mult lesions in the right place for MS. Have had follow up MRIs with no changes & although sx are here to stay, & a couple minor ones added, no dx. Anyway, had a f/u MRI last wk b/c my arms & legs fall asleep with no positional reason. The "waking up" pain was getting annoying, so neuro wanted to check. No changes on MRI, but she wants to f/u a blood test I had in Oct that showed elevated levels of kappa free light chains. I am having blood & urine test tomorrow to recheck levels. Insight on this test & the results impact would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Sue

[SallyC]

I've never heard of it. This is what I found..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serum-f...in_measurement .

I hope & Pray your test is negative.

[Mariel]

I guess this is something I have. It's called MGUS. Gosh I forgot what the MGUS stands for, but the test for it is that light chain business. My hematologist gave this test to me six or more years ago, simply testing out a spectrum of diseases. I already had been dx'd with Polycythemia Vera, a myeloproliferative disease. I was positive for MGUS as well.

In its early stages, MGUS has no symptoms. And it may never turn into Multiple Myeloma. It is much more common among the general population than are my other illnesses. In fact, my pcp who just left the area with her family to work in another state, has MGUS. She too, is in an early non-symptomatic state, which may never turn into Multiple Myeloma. If the disease does turn into MM, it is serious. Tumors begin to form in various places. I probably could not tolerate the chemotherapy for it, so I am hoping I will not advance into that during my life.
I am tested yearly to see if the illness has advanced, and it has not. In fact, my scores were lower this year. Nothing going on. Thank God.

I googled compete name for MGUS: Monoglonal Gammopathy of Unknown Origin

[K9Lover]

Thank you for the great information! I am not worried about MM, maybe b/c my kappa FLCs are not dramatically high. I am curious, though, on its association with MS. I have heard that it may be another way to test if O-bands are not found. This is similar to that?? Not sure. Anyway, I'll be back to let everyone know.

Again, thank you & if I do have MGUS, onward I go!

[Mariel]

K9Lover, I am not sure MS has an association with MGUS. I am unaware of having symptoms with MGUS, but then I do have other diseases which give me spasms and spasticity. So it would be hard to discern if any of these came from MGUS. It may be that they do, and I am not aware of it, because I've not paid much attention to MGUS in myself.
If it is in the early stages with low counts, in your tests, I hazard a guess that it is not producing your spasticity. But I plead ignorance.