Fw: [MM] MGUS DIAGNOSED IN 1996......JUST FOUND OUT. (6/5/00 11:59:52 PM EDT)

[Guest guest]

This wonderful man is a doctor and he feels that the Spleen is the # one

organ in our bodies. ( I am still so sick...it might be the flu...back to

bed for me). Lymphona is usually found in the Spleen, but it can spread. I

met Vaughan on the MM site.

Sending love to all..........Lea

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> > << My tongue is constantly inflamed which would be consistent with a

> swollen

> > SPLEEN. >>

> >

> > My dear Lea:

> > I am not sure what you mean by " inflamed " . Do you mean thickened

or

> > enlarged? If so, you should certainly be checked to see if it is due

to

> an

> > accumulation of amyloid, an abnormal protein often associated with

> excess

> > globulin production. Amyloid may be deposited anywhere in the body

but

> the

> > tongue seems to be a favored spot. Possibly your doctor has already

> checked

> > for it; ask him!

> > A swollen spleen could also contain amyloid but this is not the

usual

> > cause of enlargement. The spleen is a filter and nursery for blood

cell

> > production, both red and white, and is the site of both breakdown

and

> > storage of red blood cells. It can enlarge very quickly and shrink in

a

> > similarly short period of time, depending upon its content of

migratory

> cells

> > as well as those being made and destroyed. An enlarged spleen is

seen

> in

> > many diseases of the blood and immune system but an associated

> " inflamation "

> > of the tongue is not a common finding, in my experience or memory. I

> could be

> > wrong about this but don't have time right now to check on it.

> > " SBE " , sub-acute bacterial endocarditis, used to be seen a lot

more

> than

> > it is today, mostly because of the use of effective antibiotics and

> because

> > there is much less rheumatic heart valve disease which predisposes

one

> to the

> > infection. A prolapsed mitral valve could mimic that damaged by

> rheumatic

> > disease. If you don't understand the blood circulation very well, you

> might

> > profit by going through the exercise proposed in one of my recent

> postings; I

> > am not sure I sent it to the MM list but will try to find it and

insert

> it

> > below or as an attachment if it is too long.

> > The mitral valve is located between the left atrium and the left

> > ventricle. If it is narrowed or " stenosed " , it blocks the passage of

> blood

> > into the left ventricle and the left atrium will become enlarged and

the

> > pressure will be increased by the right ventricle as it attempts to

> overcome

> > the added resistance to flow through the lungs and left atrium into

the

> left

> > ventricle. If the mitral valve does not close tightly when the left

> > ventricle contracts, the high pressure produced will be transmitted

back

> into

> > the left atrium and into the lungs and the amount of blood available

for

> > distribution to the body with each heart contraction will be

lessened.

> The

> > high pressure present in the pulmonary part of the circulation

secondary

> to

> > mitral valve disease may cause breakdown of capillaries in the lungs

and

> the

> > resultant coughing up of blood. You can use the diagram to figure

out

> most

> > of the possible problems of blood and lymph circulation but it

requires

> a

> > little thought.

> > Bacterial endocarditis or any other chronic infection will cause

the

> > immune system to work overtime producing and distributing white blood

> cells

> > of several varieties, one of them being the plasma cell which makes

> gamma

> > (and other) globulins and other substances. Ordinarily, more than one

> type of

> > globulin is produced by these cells and each one is given a name,

such

> as

> > " gamma " globulin and they may be further defined as sub-types. When

one

> type

> > is present in a large quantity, it may produce a striking peak on the

> chart

> > showing the various types and is assumed to have been produced by a

> single

> > family or " clone " of identical parent cells. Thus we have a

" monoclonal

> > hypergammaglobulinemia " , for example, and if there is no apparent

> associated

> > disease, it might well be called a " monoclonal gammopathy of

> undetermined

> > significance " . Some such problems will progress to " multiple

myeloma "

> which

> > means many tumors (-oma) of the bone marrow (-myel).

> > This is off the top of my head, produced as fast as I can type and

I

> do

> > not have the time to revise or confirm the correctness of what I have

> said.

> > However, it can be used to give you a ball-park idea of the answers

to

> the

> > questions you have raised and maybe we can just let it go at that.

If

> it

> > helps with your general understanding, I will be satisfied, knowing

that

> I

> > have tried to be helpful.

> > Possibly more later but I have to quit now! Good luck!

> > Vaughan

> > P.S. Rather than try to fit in the piece on circulation I will send

it

> as a

> > separate message when I find it!

> >

>

>

>

>