bone marrow biopsy

bk1950
bk1950 Member Posts: 43
edited March 2014 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
i am having a bone marrow biopsy soon and could anyone tell me if it is a painfull procedure? thanks for any help you can give me on this. my doctor says it is nothing but i have heard it is very painful.

Comments

  • lees1953
    lees1953 Member Posts: 20
    #2
    bone marrow
    yes, it is very painful. DR prescribed a mild "relaxant" but it was bad; but it is very short...not long lasting pain which is why I think they don't put your under. My DR said there would be a slight discomfort; I told him the last time a DR told me that I brought home a baby.
  • catwink22
    catwink22 Member Posts: 281
    #3
    lees1953 said:

    bone marrow
    yes, it is very painful. DR prescribed a mild "relaxant" but it was bad; but it is very short...not long lasting pain which is why I think they don't put your under. My DR said there would be a slight discomfort; I told him the last time a DR told me that I brought home a baby.

    Painful
    I had mine 2 weeks ago, Doc told me not a big deal. I will drive myself there and home, go to work after and I will feel nothing, just pressure and movement. I felt most of it, it was extremely uncomfortable to the point where I couldn't talk for about an hour after. I had about 6 shots of Lidocain which did help, but not enough. I would not repeat this proceedure without some sort of stronger anesthetic. I still have tenderness in the area 2 weeks later. I was told everyone's pain threshold is different so take that into consideration. Good Luck!
  • DennisR
    DennisR Member Posts: 148
    #4
    bk,
    Mine hurt, every time,(3
    bk,

    Mine hurt, every time,(3 times), but not so bad I couldn't bear it with the local anesthesia they used to numb the site. Oddly, they have never found any cancer cells in my marrow, when I mentioned that fact to my Onco Doc, he said, " Well, the cancer is in there somewhere, I can find it if you want me to keep looking, there's lot's of bones and places I haven't looked at yet.". I declined.
    Mostly there's just a lot of pressure when they puncture the pelvis, and it just seems like it Should hurt. There's usually a cute Nurse there though, so I always feel like I should be Macho, and not complain.
    DennisR
  • lees1953
    lees1953 Member Posts: 20
    #5
    DennisR said:

    bk,
    Mine hurt, every time,(3
    bk,

    Mine hurt, every time,(3 times), but not so bad I couldn't bear it with the local anesthesia they used to numb the site. Oddly, they have never found any cancer cells in my marrow, when I mentioned that fact to my Onco Doc, he said, " Well, the cancer is in there somewhere, I can find it if you want me to keep looking, there's lot's of bones and places I haven't looked at yet.". I declined.
    Mostly there's just a lot of pressure when they puncture the pelvis, and it just seems like it Should hurt. There's usually a cute Nurse there though, so I always feel like I should be Macho, and not complain.
    DennisR

    bone marrow
    I didn't have a cute nurse!
  • merrywinner
    merrywinner Member Posts: 626 Member
    #6
    Good luck
    I wish you the best of luck with your bone marrow biopsy. I had one in January 2009 and it was fine. My MD puts his patients under lightly for this procedure because for Lymphoma they need to take marrow from both sides of the pelvis. I did not feel anything and don't remember anything. I just woke up releived it was over. I can't imagine staying awake for it. Ask your MD about MAC sedation. I'm sure he would be agreeable. I believe that stands for monitered anestetic control, very commenly used and quick to recover from. I was sore for a while afterward but like I said was just glad it was over. I worried about having it so much and it was all good.
  • bk1950
    bk1950 Member Posts: 43
    #7
    merrywinner said:

    Good luck
    I wish you the best of luck with your bone marrow biopsy. I had one in January 2009 and it was fine. My MD puts his patients under lightly for this procedure because for Lymphoma they need to take marrow from both sides of the pelvis. I did not feel anything and don't remember anything. I just woke up releived it was over. I can't imagine staying awake for it. Ask your MD about MAC sedation. I'm sure he would be agreeable. I believe that stands for monitered anestetic control, very commenly used and quick to recover from. I was sore for a while afterward but like I said was just glad it was over. I worried about having it so much and it was all good.

    thank you for your comment
    thank you for responding. i will be going for my bone marrow biopsy on the 9th. i talked to the nurse and she said they will give me med in an iv and that will help the pain so i am counting on that ha. i will be glad when it is over. i guess if it turns out to be in my bones, i will be in stage 4. eigther way i am going to start treament and will find out exactly what on the 15th. this is my second doctor. i find it amazing the difference in the information you get from each oncologist. who is right or wrong? i guess it is the luck of the draw. not very comforting unfortunatley.
  • catwink22
    catwink22 Member Posts: 281
    #8
    bk1950 said:

    thank you for your comment
    thank you for responding. i will be going for my bone marrow biopsy on the 9th. i talked to the nurse and she said they will give me med in an iv and that will help the pain so i am counting on that ha. i will be glad when it is over. i guess if it turns out to be in my bones, i will be in stage 4. eigther way i am going to start treament and will find out exactly what on the 15th. this is my second doctor. i find it amazing the difference in the information you get from each oncologist. who is right or wrong? i guess it is the luck of the draw. not very comforting unfortunatley.

    Good Luck
    I'm sure you will be fine with the iv meds. I am stage 3, I have it in all my lymph nodes, expected it to be in my bone marrow, but my biopsy came back clear so you never know. Sometimes the waiting is the hardest part. Good Luck bk!
  • merrywinner
    merrywinner Member Posts: 626 Member
    #9
    bk1950 said:

    thank you for your comment
    thank you for responding. i will be going for my bone marrow biopsy on the 9th. i talked to the nurse and she said they will give me med in an iv and that will help the pain so i am counting on that ha. i will be glad when it is over. i guess if it turns out to be in my bones, i will be in stage 4. eigther way i am going to start treament and will find out exactly what on the 15th. this is my second doctor. i find it amazing the difference in the information you get from each oncologist. who is right or wrong? i guess it is the luck of the draw. not very comforting unfortunatley.

    Thats the one
    If your nurse said IV meds then I am sure its the same as I had. Since its not the same as a general anastetic they can't tell you you won't feel anything but I believe you won't. They told me I was talking a little bit and said "oh that stings" and they just gave me a little more medicine. Like I said I don't remember any of that or anything about the procedure at all just waking up and them telling me it was all over. I've had this type of sedation three times now in my 15 month journey with the same result. Trust it, it works. Through the bone marrow biopsy the discovered it was in the marrow but my MD had prepared me for this by saying it will not matter. I trust him completely. Now I will be starting R CHOP on the 6th not because of the marrow but because of a large lump in my neck that they feel is my lymphoma command center (where it all started). I'm nervous about it. I don't like taking anything and this is above and beyond my comfort level...nurses are not the best patients as a little knowledge is a dangerous thing as they say. But another part of me is so thankful that they have treatments! I hope in some small way this helps some and wish you the best.

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