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So on the normal pain scale of 1-10 with 10 being passed out, where does a bone marrow biopsy rate?

Doc wants me to have one. The same doc who says I might have ITP. The cure for that is the steroid I've been taking for the last 2 weeks at max quantities so I'm a little nervous about the biopsy.

Basically he's saying I might have something that I've already taken the cure for but still have the issue. Makes no sense. It's like claiming your car ran out of gas while doing 90mph on the highway, 15 minutes after filling up and the needle is resting on full.

Makes no sense.

Anyway - how bad's this gonna sting?

Let's put it this way: you won't like him any more than you already do, but you will learn something that you'd hope the interrogation fellas use on AQ detainees.

Dont know bout biopsy, but donating marrow aint too bad, they drilled a hole in my hip and sucked a bunch out, stinks like hell though.

Gunner

actually it does make sence.....you may have cured the issue but the damage that issue caused may not be healed yet......atleast i think thats what they are getting at from the info....

never had a bone marrow biopsy so no clue there....have heard they arent fun

From what I understand it does not beat childbirth pain, but it's not a walk in the park either. They will freeze the area, and partially sedate you if your pain tolerance level is low.

Somewhere between an infected corneal laceration and blowing the bicep tendon off of your shoulder and the subsequent surgery.

Any more questions?

Real answer; I don't have a clue, but my son, who had it done when he was 16, said that it hurt less than the needle biopsy of his liver. He said the pain was mostly gone in a couple of hours, just some soreness.

Ed

Hmm - I guess we'll ride the ride and see what happens then. Nothing I can really do about it. Said they'd take it from my hip area.

RE: ITP Are you a bleeder? Do you have any rash?

No personal experience with bone marrow biopsy, only anecdotal. It's not fun, but not as bad as it sounds either. Again, only anecdotal.

Before or after? Maybe should have put a little oil on that drill bit. Cooked meat smells mo better!

Cure and treatment are two different things. You are only cured if the treatment works. Sounds like the treatment is not working, at least as well as they hoped. I can tell you steroids are first line therapy for ITP, but they are not always successful. Especially if the diagnosis of ITP is not correct.

I don't know much about the pain other than it's usually associated with some, but my loose understanding is that the pain is variable and dependent on stuff.

Wish you well man, hope they get you figured out and healed up soon.

No a bleeder - had a rash when I started this journey.

Little pissed they didn't do a platelet count today.

3/3 my count's 151
3/5 my count's 110 (IIRC)
3/11 my count's 91

All while on prednisone which is supposedly given to people to INCREASE the platelet count.

3/13 we actually cut my prednisone dose quite a bit as it wasn't doing anything for the inflamation/pain.


Seems to me, as a curios creature that if a person's platelet counts kept dropping while on massive doses of steroids designed to increase the count, I'd want to know what it was now that the steroid dose had been reduced to see just how far it's dropping.

Just me and maybe I'm wrong and maybe he's just planning on seeing the biopsy but that's an indicator that takes a ton of time - simple draw and count and he'd know before he left for the day.

I assist on a lot of Bone Marrow biopsies. The short answer, depends on you.

They numb the area pretty well, but anyone who's had numbing shots knows they sting like hell until the crap kicks in.

Then the doc, makes a little cut, about 2mm with the tip of a scalpel and begins to probe the anterior hip to find the spot he's looking for. When he finds it, he starts with a tool that looks a lot like one of those things they use to push rubber plugs into tires to seal a nail hole. This tool is sort of a mini auger. He's making a hole and will take a couple of core samples with it.

After he has a hole, he's got to suck out some marrow. This is the part that some people find a bit painful. At the same time, I've had patients who don't even feel it much. Other's react like they're being murdered.

He uses a little pump to draw a bit of marrow into a receptacle. Maybe does this twice. Then it's over. A pressure bandage and a little ice pack and you're done.

Most patients don't even ask for tylenol later. Some residual soreness.

Dan

LOL

Gunner

I'm gonna bring my own bullet to bite down on.

I'd go with a wooden spoon.

Seriously, I really hope the docs get you fixed up properly, Andrew.

I'm pulling for you..

Teal, haven't had one but had some hip bone chipped off to provide a fusion and it was a two bullet deal coming out of surgery.

The right meds at the right time would change that...

It's not as bad as a doctor telling your mother that you might have pancreatic cancer,I can tell you that.
It's a soft 5. Getting to the bone is what is uncomfortable.
I'd rather deal with that than a root canal.

From actual experience I can tell you that on it's own, it's about a 5 to 7.

Compared to a liver transplant, it's a 1.

My aunt said the bone marrow biopsy was way worse than childbirth.

Claim to be a pain wuss,it can't hurt to try.

They will make it feel about a 5-7 like was said and you will feel like someone ran a truck over your hip for a few days.