Hi Mary Jo (and everyone), I did a bit of scouting online, but didn't find much: mainly that these dyes are not good for those who have kidney disease/problems. That is why they are not recommended for mm patients. You can check out this National Cancer Society page: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_3x_how_is_multiple_myeloma_diagnosed_30.asp

Sorry, not much help! Good luck tomorrow! (or is it today?)

Margaret. Florence, Italy. Blog URL: http://margaret.healthblo...

Mary Jo,

 When I had an MRI in July, no dye was used. A MM friend who had an MRI just two weeks ago also had no dye. Peter Tischler wrote an excellent article for newly diagnosed patients on the IMF web site. Here's what he has to say about taking care of kidneys and about dyes in particular: Take care of your kidneys

• Drink at least three liters of non-carbonated, non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic liquid each day in order to flush your kidneys.

• Avoid ionized contrasts that are typically used for CT scans. Ask for alternative contrast or don't let them use contrast. Failing to do this could cause your kidneys to shut down and the only solution would be dialysis. Injections for MRI and PET/CT scans are okay.

• Read labels on medications and over-the-counter products. Especially avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. Ibuprofen). Here's the link to Peter's entire article:
• http://myeloma.org/main.jsp?source=link&source_link_id=2162&type=article&tab_id=23&menu_id=0&id=1730
  

 Best of luck tomorrow!

Cathy