Hi Jeannie, from my personal experience with 13 bone marrow biopsies and nuclear medicine testing, I would have had no problem returning to work the next day. You won’t want to be out in the school yard playing basketball for a day or so but most other activities return to normal. ☺️

The biopsy site will most likely be a little tender but shouldn’t be painful the next day. It feels more like a bruise. Depending on the biopsy site, you’ll lie on your side or your belly. The most common bone marrow biopsy site is the back of your hip bone (posterior iliac crest). Basically, near one of the large dimples above your butt.

This is done with an aspiration/biopsy needle so there’s no large, open surgical area. You’ll have a compression bandage on there for 24 hours… bandaid with a larger piece of gauze under for the compression. There shouldn’t be any residual bleeding; the compression is there just in case. After 24 hours you can shower.

Seeing that you’re having this done at a large clinic, did you opt for mild sedation for the biopsy?

I had mine and had no pain, no issues afterwards.
Positive thoughts❤️
Kathy

Jeannie, I will be having my third BMB at Sloan on the 19th. My first was in my hometown of Asheville, NC. My Oncologist did it himself after providing me with 1 mg of Ativan IV push, 1 mg of Dilaudid IVP and topical Lidocaine. It was very comfortable, unlike my second one (first at MSK) which they only gave me a total of 1 mg of Ativan by mouth (PO) broken up in 0.5 mg followed a half hour later with another 0.5 mg and apparently some topical numbing factor. I'm sorry to say that was inadequate coverage. I found it to be very uncomfortable to the point of painful, but for a short duration. I have told my Provider that I do not want a Fellow/Resident doing my upcoming one - only a seasoned professional. I allowed a novice to practice on me the first time. Not again. Guess it depends on your tolerance for pain? I had no complications otherwise and no residual issues.