[4236perkinsParticipant]

Im generally a unwell person ! However because ive had chronic kidney disease and the symptoms are mainly – fatigue, tiredness, pain kidney area, pains in legs/joints etc.
My HB is normally low, so i need to have Epo to try to boost it up, however i still feel rubbish!! Just the effort to move around & walk is hard work.

I used to be able to cope when i was younger! My general health is just assumed its all related to my poor kidney function, plus caused by the multiple open surgeries and various invasive treatments ive had over the past 40yrs….. I believe this is the case as well, BUT like many people i always think have we missed something 🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️

Anyway, i was looking through my past blood tests and noticed my FREE LIGHT CHAIN ASSAY was noted as abnormal/high i.e. kappa 82.4 Lambda 40.5 ratio was 2.03 and Protein/creatinine 74.
When i looked this up a possible reason/diagnosis came up as Myeloma ??.

Ive obviously had blood tests every 6 weeks but this FREE LIGHT CHAIN ASSAY has only been checked twice before? Both are high/abnormal results. On one letter it just states that a high result is down to poor kidney function.
Anyway reading between the lines your official information does imply that GP,s don’t always understand or look for Myeloma , so im just now checking with forum members who would obviously know much more then me!!!

I guess im being stupid, but before i take time at the doctors I thought i would check first!
I don’t have any other noticeable symptoms

THANK YOU 😊

[4236perkinsParticipant]

Oh i forgot i was also told that i had osteoarthritis due to poor kidney function….

[mulberryParticipant]

Hi 4236perkins
I would raise this with your GP.
However I don’t think elevated light chains are conclusively associated with myeloma, I’ve read that they can be associated with CKD, and inflammation, both of which you unfortunately have from your diagnosed health issues.
Many myeloma patients have CKD as part of their Myeloma but in my patient experience, the CKD gets worse until the myeloma is under control, so if you have had reasonably stable CKD for a long time, this may suggest that myeloma isn’t amongst your problems. The test that flagged myeloma for me was electrophoresis, which looks for a spike of monoclonal proteins,which you could ask your GP to do (unless he or she can reassure you that your CKD explains the light chain abnormalities) but the conclusive test is a bone marrow biopsy which looks for cancerous plasma cells in the bone marrow.

[4236perkinsParticipant]

Hi Mulberry
Yes, thank you for your kind reply and i agree with you advice & views. I think we all sometimes second guess our doctors & consultants and as you say my raised levels are most likely my CKD. Ive had CKD for 35yrs plus now so if Myeloma was ever a concern i think it would have been spotted by now!!
Plus i should be grateful it hasn’t been spotted !
Thank you 😊👍🏻👍🏻

[Author]

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