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!