1st BMB - a piece of cake! : )

Hi All - 

Thank you for all your great advice you guys...you were right! I had my first BMB and it was a piece of cake. The guy who performed it at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, was an angel from heaven above! I couldn't believe how fast the process went. I was so busy talking with the nurse about teaching - that everything was over and done with before I knew it!

When he was finished he asked if I wanted to see my bone marrow!! I said YES! I thought it would be liquidy - but it looked like a single strand of twizzlers! Very cool.

As far as all the weird sensations I've been experiencing (Steven) he said he doubted there was a link between all my other symptoms and MGUS. I asked him then if he thought the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia was correct - he said NO - he didn't think that was the cause either.

He told me that he felt there could be many things causing my myriad of symptoms. He attributed my nerve pain to my disc problems. He attributed my headaches to a deviated septum (sp?) and told me to see an ENT doc. My rash he said looked like a fungal infection - but I've been told via a biopsy that it was not...so he told me to see a dermatologist for that.

One interesting thing I learned is the difference between the SPEP and the IFE and that is the SPEP is quantitative (how much) and the IFE is qualitative (what kind). I didn't know that.

Another thing he told me was that my high SED rate could be the result of the monoclonal proteins and is not always an accurate assessment of inflammation. However - my C-reactive Protein (another indicator of inflammation) is high also - which causes him some worry about the chances of my MGUS turning into MM.

On the flip side of that...he said that because my type of M protein is common - IGG Kappa - that this is generally a good sign that it won't progress to MM. 

So....anyhoo....the results of the BMB and new labs will be back in a few weeks. Then I'll know something for sure - finally - about this MGUS creature.  And that will bring me a great deal of peace of mind.

Hugs,

Amy

Congrats Amy and hopefully you will stay where you are or get better. MMS

On 6/30/2009 artsyamerican wrote:

Hi All - 

Thank you for all your great advice you guys...you were right! I had my first BMB and it was a piece of cake. The guy who performed it at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, was an angel from heaven above! I couldn't believe how fast the process went. I was so busy talking with the nurse about teaching - that everything was over and done with before I knew it!

When he was finished he asked if I wanted to see my bone marrow!! I said YES! I thought it would be liquidy - but it looked like a single strand of twizzlers! Very cool.

As far as all the weird sensations I've been experiencing (Steven) he said he doubted there was a link between all my other symptoms and MGUS. I asked him then if he thought the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia was correct - he said NO - he didn't think that was the cause either.

He told me that he felt there could be many things causing my myriad of symptoms. He attributed my nerve pain to my disc problems. He attributed my headaches to a deviated septum (sp?) and told me to see an ENT doc. My rash he said looked like a fungal infection - but I've been told via a biopsy that it was not...so he told me to see a dermatologist for that.

One interesting thing I learned is the difference between the SPEP and the IFE and that is the SPEP is quantitative (how much) and the IFE is qualitative (what kind). I didn't know that.

Another thing he told me was that my high SED rate could be the result of the monoclonal proteins and is not always an accurate assessment of inflammation. However - my C-reactive Protein (another indicator of inflammation) is high also - which causes him some worry about the chances of my MGUS turning into MM.

On the flip side of that...he said that because my type of M protein is common - IGG Kappa - that this is generally a good sign that it won't progress to MM. 

So....anyhoo....the results of the BMB and new labs will be back in a few weeks. Then I'll know something for sure - finally - about this MGUS creature.  And that will bring me a great deal of peace of mind.

Hugs,

Amy

YEAH Amy!

Good Evening Amy;

I had my first BMB and it was a piece of cake.

Did you have it with or without sedation? 

I wanted to see my bone marrow!! I said YES! I thought it would be liquidy - but it looked like a single strand of twizzlers! Very cool.

When I saw mine it resembled the juice off of a good steak but with tiny bits of specks floating in it.

Did you ask to see the needle? That's pretty cool too.

SPEP is quantitative (how much) and the IFE is qualitative (what kind). I didn't know that.

Me either. Thanks for sharing that.

Which causes him some worry about the chances of my MGUS turning into MM...IGG Kappa - that this is generally a good sign that it won't progress to MM. 

Don't borrow tomorrow's troubles. We'll have that conversation in 15 years.

And that will bring me a great deal of peace of mind.

Congratulations! You're getting to be an 'old salt' at this!

And don't forget to update us on those results.

Take care;

Kevin 

On 6/30/2009 K. C. wrote:

Good Evening Amy;

I had my first BMB and it was a piece of cake.

Did you have it with or without sedation? 

I wanted to see my bone marrow!! I said YES! I thought it would be liquidy - but it looked like a single strand of twizzlers! Very cool.

When I saw mine it resembled the juice off of a good steak but with tiny bits of specks floating in it.

Did you ask to see the needle? That's pretty cool too.

SPEP is quantitative (how much) and the IFE is qualitative (what kind). I didn't know that.

Me either. Thanks for sharing that.

Which causes him some worry about the chances of my MGUS turning into MM...IGG Kappa - that this is generally a good sign that it won't progress to MM. 

Don't borrow tomorrow's troubles. We'll have that conversation in 15 years.

And that will bring me a great deal of peace of mind.

Congratulations! You're getting to be an 'old salt' at this!

And don't forget to update us on those results.

Take care;

Kevin 

Hi Kevin!

Without sedation - just local. I'm telling you..this guy must have been quite the expert!

I'll let you know the results when they come in!! Hope all is well in your corner of the world!

Hugs,

Amy