SPEP March Test Results

Again, the March results were essentially the same as previous three months -- in the .2 something mg/dl territory. One has to ask, what would cause the monoclonal protein level to fall so dramatically over the initial five months then essentially hover at this low level for the following four months? I am sure I could come up with various theoretical explanations but the only way to prove this out is to either continue on the present course of drug therapy and see what happens or stop the drugs and see what happens. In terms of quality of life, stopping the drugs is most preferable. I have chosen to stop the drug therapy to see if the numbers stay essentially the same from month to month or if they begin to rise sharply. You have to realize that even if the monoclonal protein goes to zero, that does not mean I am cured or that that number will not rise up out of oblivion to create more havoc. It just means current detection devices can't detect what is left over inside the bone marrow in terms of plasma cell activity.

Therefore, the question becomes, has the drug therapy I have been on for the last nine months produced a stable plateau sourced by ten fold fewer plasma cells which are content to just sit it out for a while and take it easy or are the drugs holding back an army of angry but sleepy avengers who only need a brief intermission as a wake up call to resume production of their potentially deadly monoclonal protein toxins? What I am about to say is based on numerous accounts I have read from multiple myeloma patients who have been down this road before. Most MM patients who get in a similar situation as mine opt to stop the drug therapy for as long as possible and monitor the disease monthly. Some of these accounts include advice from highly respected doctors who have a great deal of expertise with myeloma making this suggestion to their patients. Essentially we do not know what will happen on an individual basis so we just have to stop the medication, check it once a month with a SPEP test, see what will happen, and hope for the best which is a long remission if you want to call it that -- most refer to it as a plateau.