Posterior Iliac bone marrow biopsy (BMB): What is it really like?

The fear is worse than the procedure. I will say I believe the skill of the person doing the procedure matters. I had my two done at Mayo Rochester where they have certified nurses do the procedure. Highly skilled and painless, so I asked how long had the nurse been doing them.....15 years at 15 BMB per day. That's a lot of experience.

Thanks @drbart86. I'm really sorry to hear you've had to go through so much but it's clear you have a dedicated team and a will to survive... be your own best advocate. I too share the drive to study and stay on top of things. With AI now available it certainly ups the information flow. Why others remain blind to its capability is amazing to me. Best of luck with the new trial. God bless!

@marcwall no need to be sorry, this is essentially voluntary on my part.
But be careful with AI, it can be a decent tool, but it has many biases (and these vary by the platform). I was recently writing a white paper and had to do over 20 queries for AI get a correct answer, and in the end was almost answering the question with my query. And in biological /medical science I have seen many incorrect / misleading answers. Still no replacement for your own knowledge and for specialists in an area (believe me, you would probably not want to fly in a plane that I designed with AI or go to a rocket scientist for medical help. . .)

Oh, what are those grab bars over the gurney for? "If you need them for anything, just grab on and pull hard! Don't worry. We'll be holding you tightly."
Will you stop if I ask you? "
Oh, it won't last long...." (...whisper, whisper....chuckle, giggle)
Oh, Grandma, what a huge T-shaped needle you have!
"Better to gently prick you with, my dear."
##$!&#**!!*## Ouch!
"Please stop screaming! They can hear you in the parking lot and patients are driving away! And you won't be able to hear us tell you that you DO have blood cancer!"
All jest aside, mine was very painful. The nurses were (as always) very compassionate and helpful but it did hurt a lot. I'd suggest, really, getting a sedative or having anesthesia or having a bourbon breakfast.
The earlier you have a diagnosis, the better.
Good luck.

@cindyem
Good comment! I had first one with concious sedation in radiology, out for about 2-hours, no pain and don't remember anything. 2nd was bedside in hospital, I had to request sedation before procedure, but it was given too me. If you have a low pain tolerance or anxiety, I recommend get the sedation. Thanks for your comment.

I had my first bone Marrow biopsy 4 days ago, male age 78. Had it at a nearby hospital. I had sedation with versed & fentanyl. It was easy and I have had zero pain.

I am a 69 year old female with a PV diagnosis for about a year. I was very nervous about my first bone marrow biopsy. I had it done at a hospital. I had to request and insist on conscious sedation. They gave me Versed and Fentanol. When I was "under" I heard myself yell out three times. THAT I remember! It must have hurt, but afterward, the only thing I remembered was me yelling out three times. I don't remember the pain during the procedure. The ironic thing was that they didn't get a good sample to evaluate, so I had to hace a second biopsy done two weeks later. For that procedure I was more relaxed and requested conscious sedation again. Versed and Fentanol. I did much better the second time around. I don't remember any pain and don't recall me yelling out. They were able to get a viable sample, and results confirmed the PV along with scarring in the bone marrow (fibrosis, level 1). Now that I've had two BMB, I will definitely not stress about it. I do know that "conscious sedation" is the only way I would ever agree to that procedure again!

I'm 65 and male. I had my first one a little over two weeks ago. I wanted to drive myself so I had a local anesthetic. I also had Zofran so I didn't feel nauseous.

The procedure was done in an out patient recovery room. I was put on my side on a bed that could lay flat and be raised a comfortable height for the doctor to work. He and his nurse were the only other people in the room.
After I was put in position the had me grip the bed rail on the side oppiste the doctor. He clean the area and then gave a shot to numb just the area he'd be working on and after it had taken effect did another shot of the local that was deeper.

The first draw was the Aspirate. There wasn't any pain when the needle went in. Maybe a small amount when it went into the bone but that felt like a pinch. When the Aspirate was sucked into the syringe it wasn't painful, just a bit weird. I could feel fluid moving down from my back and up ftom my hip. I suppose it was weird because mu body still felt solid, but the fluid just felt like in was moving through a sold and then disappearing. They did a small aspirate pull for the local pathologist and a larger one to send out to the lab.
Then the doctor when for the tissue biopsy. It was firrm steady pressure. Since I was awake he probably took things slower than he would with an unconscious patient. Anyway when I started to feel some pain I told him I thought he was hitting a nerve. He back off and changed the angle slightly and finished the procedure. Then the nurse confirmed the tissue sample was big enough and he put a bandaid on the procedure site. I had to lay on my back after that to put pressure on the wound and so they could make sure it wasn't still bleeding but that was it. I didn't think it was any worse than a trip to the Dentist. Your mileage may vary.

I had a bone marrow biopsy in connection with diagnosis of B Cell Lymphoma. I did not go under any type of anesthesia. Doctor numbed site while I was lying on my stomach. He asked if ok if resident glowing him could do and I agreed. My husband was in the room. I was numbed but did feel some sensation almost like some form of drilling but no pain. Years later when being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, my husband would not have BMB without general anesthesia 🤣😂😅

@tomatack This is what I would say also. I had mine done in a hospital with a doctor experienced in the procedure. I had mild sedation, and he explained that I would feel some pain and pressure when he inserted the needle and drew out the sample, but it would only last a few seconds. So I was prepared for it, and like you said, worrying about it before hand, was a lot worse than the actual biopsy.