Bone Marrow Biopsy & Aspiration

Thank you and good luck to you as well

I wanted to chime in. I am nearly 2 years from active treatment. I have a blood clot from a surgery that ys in my back thigh. I have been on many blood thinners, currently Plavix. I have three pills left of my 3 months prescribed. I wear a thigh high compression stocking most days throughout the day.
About my bone marrow biopsy. I am at the City of Hope in Duarte. My platelets have fluctuated as has all my blood components. I was a platelets donor for 25 years, so seeing my platelets hover at 135 or so is scary. My white cells have never been steady at the lowest and have been 2.34, last was 2.9. Lowest is 4.1.
Bottom line is my Mom had chronic leukemia when she passed, as well as breast cancer and more. She had had Melano 50 years before that. My genetic test said Brca2.
I asked my COH docs to send me to the Hematologist. This Dr. said the best way to see what your blood numbers are as they are to test the bone marrow. I went on Sept 27th. Oct 2nd, I had my aspiration. For me, I did not think of it as painful. Pain for me, was when the "visiting dentist" in my dentist's office hit a nerve. That was painful. This was pressure. Also, the nurse who checked me in had the discussion on the process of the procedure and how talking clothes off was the norm at COH. Well, i did move my pants down, covered by a blanket, but behind area exposed 3/4. Four persons in the room. The PA who completed the process was honest and calm. Funny to. She explained again the process and they put on the lidocaine. As I said it was an odd downward pressure for the 1st portion and then more for the bone. I was asked multiple times if I was ok. I said i was good as my face rested on the pillow. As it was almost done, they asked again and i giggled.
Seems few have laughed during this procedure. I told them not having this test before I did not know the process. I found it funny that it was manageable. Crazy really that fluid can be taken from my hip area that will give info on my bone marrow and how it is working. Quite possibly I would come out ok and not need further testing.
I did not have any pain, just a slight headache the same day. I was though, bugged by the tape residue from the compression bandage. Based on the hip area, it took me a couple days to get it off.
Today, I received the email from the test about results. It is the 13th. The test looked to have been done On October 9th. One week for results.
The only real message I was able to read was unremarkable in a number of findings. That I know from my cancer biopsy is a good thing. I do not see the doctor again till October 27th. I have a friend whose husband was a blood doctor, and forensic pathologist. I am going to send her these results. She is MBC patient for 4 years at MD Anderson in Texas. She read my original pathology report. I think she could have been a doctor too. It is comforting to talk to her.

Saw new haematologist on Friday and she was totally opposite in her approach compared with the lacklustre efforts of the last one (whom I jokingly refer to as the ‘office decoration’ due to that being the only useful attribute to his being there hehe!)..BMB/A early November, along with nephrology referral for a kidney biopsy (due to developing stage 3a CKD over the last 7 months), fat biopsy, more urine (24h Bence-Jones), and ultra comprehensive bloods. BMB also checking for pathogens since I keep having recurrent infections/fever.
She’s also instantly put me on a trials register - something which the last one lied and told me the register wasn’t open, several times, thus delaying my participation for over a year (despite me having confirmed with the head researcher at the university where the register is being reviewed that she really wanted me on the register over a year ago..it may now be easier to see just one of the reasons why I referred to the former haematologist as mere office decoration! Haha). Former haematologist wasn’t interested in any of this, never mentioned, and acted like I was a pain, had nothing wrong, and that frequent infections, elevated calcium, and newly developed chronic kidney disease was all totally unrelated to having MGUS.
Anyways, more tests, and hopefully a better idea what’s going on (particularly if it’s moving towards SMM), so I can manage my condition in much more ‘real time’ as opposed to waiting till I get much worse (I like to stay on top of illness because I live alone so it makes no sense regarding maintaining independence to put head in sand and imagine symptoms and signs don’t exist..eg: kidney changes, calcium increase, M-spike jump, etc).
The first BMB was easy, so I’m expecting this next one to be pretty much the same, no probs driving there and back, and I personally don’t feel that the local anaesthetic is necessary considering I don’t really respond to it, but they insist (while I feel it regardless).
I just hope they sanitise well because I got an infection at the site of the last one, with pus coming out for a week or so afterwards (which I treated with iodine directly into the wound, of which I informed office decoration, however during that follow up he just kept talking at me in a such a high fervent pitch that I’m sure only cats, bats, and those in direct earshot can hear, that his clinic didn’t start till 9am - when he was already 30mins late on his arrival at 9:30am, in his gym clothes…me and the student doc were sitting awkwardly waiting, and then when he said that in front of said student, I was doing my best not to look directly at her, shake my head and laugh). I digress.
Anyhow these tests should be helpful in determining if things have changed over the last little while from MGRS to SMM 🌺

Ugh! These stories of incompetent and or uncaring physicians, make me crazy. I’m glad that you left “office decoration“ in the dust. You need proactive physicians to diagnose what ails you. I long ago lost my filter when it comes to friends or loved ones being treated poorly by medical staff. When that happens to anyone I am advocating for, or when it happens to me, I am very quick to put my foot down. I am nice about it, and I try to be fair, but I am definitely clear about my expectations. If that isn’t palatable to my caregiver then I move on to another one. I left in the middle of a podiatry appointment once when the doctor was patronizing. She may find my discomfort due to neuropathy to be trivial, but I assure you she would not if she experienced it.
From a practical standpoint, you want a physician to like you when you are going to be disadvantaged by sedation, and the fact that they are wielding sharp objects. That’s all well and good, but if they don’t treat you well and give you adequate information in their offices, then I don’t trust them in the OR.
Physicians are not gods. They need to be held accountable just as you would anyone else who is in your employ.
Best of luck with this new one. It sounds very promising.
Patty

Well said - thank you! 🌺
And I’m sorry you’ve had to go through such poor health services you’ve had to walk out..that just shouldn’t happen.