I am having a bone marrow biopsy and i want to know if anyone has had one and if it is painful?

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If you're fully aware of the process, you'll understand why it should hurt. However, there are local anesthetics that are used and, in some cases, conscious sedation is available.

My husband has had numerous bone marrow biopsies over the years. The first one he ever had was on an exam table in a doctor's office -- not the best venue for such a procedure. However, to reiterate what another answerer said: the information obtained from such a diagnostic procedure is absolutely invaluable. The slight discomfort that you may encounter is worth every detail. Good luck!

Other Answers:
It is, but it doesn't last. And you really need to put up with the discomfort for the information that the bone marrow biopsy will give you.
Hey -- you can do this!
Keep thinking positive, and best of luck to you. I hope it comes out negative.

unfortunatly,yes.my aunt had one a few years ago to diagnose fibro myalga.they cant freeze bone so it will be painful.you'll be fine though it won't last forever and hopefully it will be worth it in the long run.

I had one a few months ago. It is a painful but not as bad as I thought it would be. I'm sure your doctor has told you it is very necessary in certain cases. Good luck and God Bless You!

I have done plenty of bone marrows. Here is the trick: AFTER they put in the local anesthesia, make them wait a full ten minutes before taking the core. The perisoteum (tough covering of the bone) has plenty of nerve endings, but is poorly vascularized and it takes the anesthesia a while to get it numb.

Also available is Versed, a "twilight" anesthesia drug that causes amnesia for the event. I would only recommend this if you are one of the overly nervous types who does not tolerate this type of thing well.

Best wishes, I hope you get good news from your procedure.

Yes,

they hurt - I agree on the "wait thing".

Also - get your doc to give you a vicodyn - take about an hour before you go in, helps cut the anxiety too; but be care full with the drive if you do (and don't try driving home after cause you will be dopy)

Good luck - BMB is not "routine" ; hope the results are negative (my first one showed myeloma cancer)

Jewells
28 months and still here

I have had four bone marrow biopsies from my pelvis, and they have all been painful to one degree or another. The second two were done with 'conscious sedation' using the drug Versed, and they were much easier to bear.

For me the painful part is not so much the initial puncture of the pelvis. The topical anaesthetic and the Vicodin take care of that. Rather the real pain is caused by the 'aspiration', which is the part where the doctor or physician's assistant tries to draw out a syringe of the fluid in the middle of the bone. For some reason even the slight pressure difference that this causes inside the bone is just agonizing. Although I can still feel this happening while under the influence of Versed, it seems shorter and less intense. Versed also can cause mild amnesia -- you may remember little or nothing of the half hour or so that the whole procedure takes. That also helps because then the next time you will not be unnecessarily stressing yourself by remembering the pain of the previous biopsy.

I also have to say that the skill of the doctor or PA can make a very large difference. In one of the biopsies I had, the person doing it was having difficulty getting part of the solid bone marrow sample needed, so the whole thing took some minutes longer than usual. They kept going back and starting over with the aspiration, which was extremely painful. I was lying prone on the bed at the time, and I was squeezing the frame so hard trying to hold myself still I was sure I was going to bend it. I did this biopsy without conscious sedation.

Since I will be getting bone marrow biopsies every few months for the next year or so, you can be sure that I will insist on conscious sedation for those.

I have had 2.

It hurts but it is quick. relax and think positive thoughts

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I am having a bone marrow biopsy and i want to know if anyone has had one and if it is painful?

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