I haven't posted an update on my M-protein level for a while, which I know is the highlight of the month for many of you. The reason is that I don't know what it is.
You may recall that in September I got no M-protein number and my doctor told me it was because the lab doesn't report anything if it's zero. Hooray! But no, a couple of days later the lab did report a result: 0.12.
In October it happened again, and this time I never got a number. However, my doctor was on vacation so I figured I'd just wait until the next month for a result and not worry about it.
Now it's November, and once again I got no M-protein number. But then I noticed something on a different test called a serum immunofixation. In the notes it said:
Huh. Coelution. What's that? It is, as you'd guess, when two things elute at the same time. To elute something is to extract it from something else by washing with a solvent. In my case, apparently, the M-protein and something else are being extracted simultaneously and can't be resolved, so there's no way to measure either of them.
Generally speaking, this is probably good news. It means that the amount of M-protein is less than the resolution of the test, which in turn means it must be pretty low. It's not zero, because the test also says it still detects IgG Kappa monoclonal gammopathy, which is a fancy term for the precise version of multiple myeloma that I have. But at least it's low.
Hang in there Kevin. We are all pulling for ya, numbers or not.
You've been posting at a furious rate. I think your posting rate is the inverse of your M-protein level. It's got to be pretty low. Hope you get some lab confirmation soon.
ok, now I want to see the chromatogram
You actually know how to interpret it?
No. Not even sure if they're doing HPLC or running a gel--maybe capillary electrophoresis???
I co-elute with the others here and wish you congrats and all the best.
Here's hoping no news is good news! (Sorry it's taken so long to respond; I was pondering which cliche to go with.) "Thoughts'n'prayers"® has been copyrighted by the Republican Party, and also, I'm an atheist.
Huzzah. Uninterpretable data is static...
The absence of data.
Thanks for the update. And I am not an atheist. I will continue to pray that you live a long life of posting to this blog.
With r all due respect to our respective Kaiser doctors, they all seem to communicate mostly by lab results, but not always offering detailed explanations or reassurance.
But I'm glad that your knowledge does seem to support a positive view.
Other than that, as noted by another poster, your flurry of activity is always heartening - but doggone it, I don't always expect you to work seven days a week (for NO pay & sometimes considerable backtalk!). Take it easy when you can.
"It's not zero, because the test also says it still detects IgG Kappa monoclonal gammopathy"
Glad to hear it's still low. One question: If it can still detect your form of myeloma protein, how is it below the level of detection?