What was your experience with bone marrow biopsy?

FOLLOW UP- I had the BMB with sedation at the hospital and everything went very well. I was sore in my left hip the next 2 days. Great staff at this local Hospital in Ocala.

I had one about five months ago. I was very apprehensive because I had looked at biopsy videos on you tube and read a lot of negative comments.
I received a local anesthetic, felt no pain and it was over very quickly. Do not be scared of it and sedation is not necessary!

That’s excellent news, @kmacky. I’m so glad everything went smoother this time around. Wishing only good news with the results! It usually takes a good week or so for those to return. Will you let me know what you find out, please?

Yes I will post results as soon as I get them. 😊

I had a biopsy last week. I was fully conscious even though they told me it was "conscious sedation" and had a local anesthetic. It turned out ok. My hematologist is associated with a hospital, so it was done in the CT room. They billed my company-sponsored insurance $16,500 (I assume that includes the pathology). I looked up the charges on Medicare, and it looks like they would pay about $1,200. My wife had exactly the same procedure done in January in the same location and it cost $9,000. Ouch!

Same for me! I personally will always request sedation.

my jack2 mutation comeback positive but in a very small percent while in the other hand my platelets was normal and i have no probs with bone marrow that's what my GP told me but why is that my mutation result is positive if my platelet is normal I'm worried about this my doctor said that i have to do blood test every 8moths. I'm so worried about this. please anyone can help me here?

Over the past 7 years, I have had 4 bone marrow biopsyies and aspirates. They were each done with local anesthetic in my doctor's office. I had no prior warning for any of them. Each one lasted about 30 to 40 minutes from start to finish. I experienced no pain and very minimal discomfort with each procedure. I drove myself home without any issue.

Good morning, @irishgoff82. It’s always so jarring when we get news about our health that we don’t understand, isn’t it? I’ve been there myself and until we learn more about the facts it leaves us rattled and feeling uncertain. I’m so glad that you found Connect. Hopefully I can shed some light on what the mutation in the JAK2 gene could indicate.

The JAK2 gene directs cells to make the JAK2 protein, which stimulates cell growth and division. When there’s a mutation in this gene, it can, for lack of better words, override the control switch to shut off production of certain blood cells which can potentially lead to various health issues. For example, some people may have an over production of red blood cells leading to a diagnosis of PV (polycythemia vera) or a proliferation of platelets in a condition called ET (essential thrombocythemia). The mutation can also cause changes in the bone marrow over time.
However, there are medications which can help control this over production and people live long and healthy lives.

There are quite a few members in Connect who also have the same mutation. We have some lively conversations within the support groups where I think you’ll find you’re not alone We’re all here to share our experiences and to offer hope so that you won’t feel as worried about your recent news.

I’d love to direct you to the right group though so I’ll need a little more information if you don’t mind sharing. You mentioned that your platelets are normal, which is great. Were there other blood test numbers such as hemoglobin or hematocrit that were elevated?
Can you tell me a little more about what led your doctor to order a bone marrow biopsy?

I had one with a local and was awake..resident did under my oncologist's direction. I felt a little digging but nothing intolerable. My 89 year old husband was nervous about having one and his was fine under twilight sedation in hospital as outpatient..no problem