What was your experience with bone marrow biopsy?

@beanglow

I have had 4 bone marrow biopsies in the last 5 years. I have been given either propofol or versed along with fentanyl. With propofol I didn't have any pain at all with the versed and fentanyl I did feel some pressure but no real pain. The day after I had some pain when I sat down but nothing that a couple of Advil didn't take care of. If you have any more questions I will be happy to answer if I can. Good luck.

I’ve had 3 biopsies and all were done under sedation. My experience is that the hematologists will initially recommend the procedure be done without sedation. I’ve told them ‘no’ and assertively asked for the sedation. There is no pain, you are asleep. I hope this helps guide your decision making.

^This is sound advice to pass on.

I have had 3 with no sedation. No problem at all. It feels like a little pressure but nothing you would need anything for.

Hello, I was sedated and felt no painful during the procedure or afterwards.

@beanglow I had one done, in Sept 2017. That dr routinely uses versed, however there was none given to me. It was a pain-free procedure for me. There is another one scheduled in 2 weeks, different dr, different facility. Their protocol is no sedation, and I do not expect any issues. You might experience some discomfort from the pressure bandage when you sit for the next 24 hrs, but not much else. Has your dr told you the reason for the bone marrow biopsy, and how long the results will take to get back to you? I hope you can see by these replies, that there may be unwarranted concern about pain.
Ginger

I have had with and without what they call “conscious sedation” and much prefer with some. They numb the skin and tissue, but can’t numb the bone. Pain is very personal, but with the stress of my diagnosis and not sleeping well or feeling good, I was more sensitive to it, so sedation was preferable to me. The doctor’s technique and experience can also make a difference...I had one drop the sample and have to repeat the bone marrow aspiration. One thing with sedation is you feel pretty tired after. My first one I did without because I had a surgical consultation right after it and needed to be thinking clearly. If you want sedation, ask for it in advance. My experience is most centers routinely offer it. Good luck!

Thank you for your reply. I was not going to have it done because I had heard how painful it was without sedation. I will probably have it done now that I know that I can have sedation. I feel relieved.

Thanks for your reply. I am definitely going to ask for sedation. This has been helpful.

Thanks for your reply. The doctor suspects MDS but I also have CIPO and Sjogren's and have lost a lot of weight and have been on Boost (no solid food since May of 2019) and can't imagine going through treatment for this too. I don't know how long the results will take to get back to me. Your response has been helpful to me.