About a month ago I was hospitalized with a hemoglobin level of 4.2. I was admitted for four days and given two units of blood. They were watching to see what my hemoglobin was going to do; they were concerned about my bone marrow not producing enough red blood cells to keep up.
My hematologist ordered a bone marrow biopsy, which I had done yesterday. I was pretty anxious about the procedure. I had mine done as out patient. I went in for a blood test at 9:00am then checked in for the procedure that was scheduled for 11:00am.
Normally they have you lay on your stomach, but with both my hips in the state they are in from severe avascular necrosis (AVN), I can’t lay flat like that; so they had me lay on the side that was most comfortable for me; which is my left side. They then began the procedure on my right hip, just above my buttocks. They administered a sedative and pain medicine through my IV before they began. Honestly, I wish they had given me the sedative an hour before, but oh well.
They then numbed the area with lidocaine, and also numbed the bone. That part wasn’t too bad. I felt the pressure of them working. They then told me they were going to extract the bone marrow and not to move. When the extracted the marrow, that HURT, a lot. And they had to do it twice. They gave me more pain medication and also took a sample of the bone, which I felt, but not as badly as the extraction; it was just uncomfortable. Not long after, they were all done. I think from the time they actually began the biopsy to the time they finished, it probably only took ten minutes or less. Preparing me for the procedure, the procedure, and then dressing the wound, in all it may have taken a half hour.
The pain from the extraction began to subside pretty quickly. They had me lay on my back with a towel behind me on the dressing to add pressure on the wound. They kept me for observation for about another half hour. I had a family member with me who drove me home. The drive home was painful because the lidocaine was wearing off and I felt every bump in the road. I live almost an hour away from my doctors and hospital, so it was a long painful ride home.
By the time I arrived home I was very tired. Between the sedative and pain meds they gave me, accompanied with the pain, I was pretty exhausted. Today, I’m still a little tired and a bit sore, but not too bad. I was instructed to keep the wound dry and clean for 24 hours. After 24 hours I could shower, but no baths for a few days. There is danger of infection; after all, they did dig into and remove part of the bone in my hip.
It will take 2 days to get some results of the test and two weeks to get other results. So I will see my doctor again in a couple weeks. Thankfully, when my hemoglobin was tested yesterday it was 8.6. So I’m praying that’s a good sign that my bone marrow is working as it should.
So I’m sharing my experience so others can know what to expect. I think a lot of my anxiety came because I didn’t know what to expect. I was told by the doctors performing the biopsy that most people don’t feel the pain I did from the extraction. The severe AVN of my hips probably contributed to the pain. I don’t know if I believe them. A few days before I had the biopsy, I watched one performed by a doctor on YouTube; which probably wasn’t the best idea. But the doctor in the video said the extraction is the part that “HURTS.” The doctor in the video was correct.
Though I don’t want to have to repeat the procedure anytime soon, I know what to expect next time; which hopefully will reduce my anxiety. If you, or someone you love, has to have a bone marrow biopsy, know the extraction of the marrow is the worst part. The upside is, the pain from the extraction begins to subside pretty quickly and the whole process doesn’t take that long.
I am going to do my best to take up writing regular posts again. Until next time....
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