Pain after a bone marrow biopsy: Is this normal?

Hi Leah, that sounds a bit excessive. I’ve had 13 bone marrow biopsies and can only remember one keeping me up at night from discomfort but that was mostly because there was extra padding tucked under the bandage to prevent bleeding. Even though I didn’t sleep on my back, it still radiated pain in my entire backside from the pressure. I wonder if this is what’s happening in your case.
Have you checked the site to see if you had any bleeding? If it’s been 24 hours you can remove that bandage to see if the pain diminishes for you. It can be tender for a few days to a few weeks though. If the pain doesn’t subside in a day or so it’s a good idea to call the number given on your post-op papers.
Have you checked to see if you have an elevated temperature? Did you try an ice pack or Tylenol?

Welcome @leah107, Did you see @loribmt’s reply to you?
I see from your profile bio that you have been diagnosed with multiple myeloma and that you have stage 3 kidney disease. I’d like to also introduce you to @gingerw who also has MM and a rare kidney disease, managing cancer treatments and caring for her kidney function.

Leah, it’s been a week+ since your bone marrow biopsy. Did the pain subside? How are you doing?

Hi @leah107 I am glad to meet you. First question that came to mind, is if the bone marrow biopsy and kidney biopsy were done at the same time? That might cause lingering discomfort. Have they determined which type of multiple myeloma you are dealing with? I have IgM kappa, which often includes kidneys as a side effect.

If your doctor had to "search" a bit to get to the ileac crest for insert the tool to start the bone biopsy, he/she might have come too close for comfort to a nerve. If they had to reinsert and start again because they couldn't withdraw a good sample, that might cause cause some prolonged effects. That happened to me on my last bone marrow biopsy. My oncologist offered to reschedule me for another time, but I told him to go ahead because he was "already in there" Yes, it caused more discomfort that I would have liked, but it was done, and I didn't have to make a second two hour drive!

As to your kidney issue, has that been confirmed it is related to the multiple myeloma? I don't recall the name of the test they did for me, and they were looking for specific protein in my kidneys/urine. In my situation it is two separate issues. Below are a couple of links, one from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, that explains the connection between the two. And one from the International Myeloma Foundation.

As @colleenyoung said, I hope you are feeling better. Please feel free to reach out to me to ask any questions you have.

https://www.myeloma.org/what-is-kidney-failure
https://themmrf.org/multiple-myeloma/symptoms-and-side-effects/
Ginger