Rick,
I went to my Primary Care Doctor in 2011 because I didn’t feel great. He did blood tests, and to,d me they were normal, but a year later when I returned for my physical again and got blood tests, I realized I never saw the first one so asked for copies of both. Even though he told me they were both normal, they weren’t. My white blood cells were low. I might have had MGUS back then. In September 2020 when my hip was hurting a Rheumatologist did blood tests and sent me to an Oncologist. Diagnosis with MGUS then. SMM March 2023. I have t(14;16) which is high risk when I progress to MM, which is why I progressed quickly.
Paula🌹

No, my older sister has had mgus for years. She is fine. I ignored symptoms and landed up with active myeloma with over 95% of my marrow involved 😤 So are you getting treatment now?

Hi Donna, yes I am getting treatment and doing quite well. I just don't know my progression timeline. Maybe it is a good thing, since I see a lot of symptomatic patients with MGUS and SMM worried to death about progression with no real known way of slowing it down.

Paula, that was my other question, if you knew when you thought you had MGUS or SMM. I don't recall any symptoms that would make me suspect I had either, guess because usually they don't have symptoms. For all I know, I could have been going thru the stages for 20 years or more.