MGUS may be an exception

To be accurate, MGUS can be an exception. One may have MGUS without obvious symptoms, usually discovered through a blood test. In that case a “sick” plasma cell won’t quit producing identical antibodies that are harmless. In our case MGUS results in antiMAG IgM antibodies doing the damage we experience. Only then can it be considered a CIDP variant. This is my understanding of it.

MGUS can be a [U]symptom[/U] of or be [U]related[/U] to underlying diseases including lymphoma and myeloma. It says in the literature that it may [U]develop [/U]into these but I think my way of describing the relationship is more accurate. Lymphoma and myeloma in their advanced stages show more serious symptoms including repeated coughs; colds and other infections; unexplained bruising or bleeding; swollen lymph glands; pain; night sweats; and weight loss. Fortunately, The B-cell lymphoma I have apparently got caught at a very early stage.

[B]Andrew[/B], your reaction to the Rituxan isn’t that unusual. After all, it is a foreign protein your immune system obviously is trying to fight. I don’t have a clue why I didn’t react as strongly as you did. Maybe your immune system is more vigilant than mine. 😮

Happy holidays, better get some leather gloves that aren’t quite that tight. I looked at the CIDP store in NeverNeverLand but they were all out. Have to put up with them a while longer until the Rituxan finally kicks in.