What is doc looking for with a Bone Marrow Biopsy?

@doglover2 welcome to Mayo Connect. Bone marrow biopsies sound scary and many of our members in the blood disorders group have had one or more to either diagnose or check for progression of a broad list of blood disorders, or to rule them out.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bone-marrow-biopsy/about/pac-20393117
Once your procedure is over, you will have better information about your health.
I jot down questions I have for my hematologist/oncologist and make sure that he answers them all before any procedure. If I’m not going to see him before, I call. I try not to sit with my anxiety. And I try to stay off of Dr. Google. Dr. Google is such a pessimist… Mostly gives you worse case scenarios.
I would love to hear back from you to hear about your experience with your bone marrow biopsy. When is your Biopsy scheduled?

I agree about Dr. GOOGLE. I had a bone marrow biopsy because of low remaining white cells and platelet numbers after my treatments all ended . Plus, a genetic mutation. I was told it is the window into my blood from the foundation.

If you have slowly rising platelet counts but no other blood levels that are off, your doc may suspect ET. Some essential thrombocytosis (ET) patients test neg for the three known genetic driver mutations. So I am guessing that your doc wants to see if any of the megakaryocytes in your bone marrow show the telltale abnormal nucleus shape that indicates ET. The bone marrow biopsy will also determine any scarring in the bone marrow that might go along with the ET and related diseases.

My bone marrow took 10 minutes and felt about like a bee sting. Doc was very good about numbing everything as he went. I was given Xanax ahead of the procedure. I would not fear another one based on that experience, but everyone is different.

If you have ET, you are likely in the early stages, given your platelet count and age. I was diagnosed at age 60 after 5 years of elevated platelets. I am 70, so have had it for 15 years. I started an oral chemo six years ago that suppresses platelets, and I stay in the normal range now. No side effects from the drug or bleeding/clots from the ET.

It's not fun going through the anxiety of the diagnosis. But this is manageable. My dad also had ET. Lived to be 82 and died of something unrelated to ET. Hang in there!

I had high monocytes for a number of years and then low platelettes (not terribly) and oncologist ordered a bone marrow biopsy to find what was happening. (Due to a cancelation I got the biopsy the next day!) It is a little unconfortable but we've all had much worse and they do use a local anesthetic. They found two mutations and gave me a diagnosis of Myelodisplasia Syndrom (MDS). My oncologist is following it and I receive shots to boost my RBCs or WBCs accordingly. I receive IVIg every 3 weeks so it all happens together. Interestly, my monocytes are still going up (now at 40%) yet no one seems concerned about them. I have been a little anemic but just using the monoclonals to date. No tranfusion. I guess not that bad a anemia. It is still not the worst thing I am dealing with.

I'm 69 years old and had a bone marrow biopsy last November after a blood test revealed rising platelet levels. I was anxious about it but between the mild tranquilizer and the numbing medication, the biopsy itself was no big deal. I had some soreness at the biopsy site for a day or so but nothing that kept me from normal activities. I have the JAK 2 mutation for ET and my doctor wanted the biopsy to make sure nothing else was going on other than the ET. And the biopsy was negative for everything else. I would not hesitate to have another one if needed. Good luck!

I wanted to add because of my genetic mutation and the findings from the bone marrow biopsy, I have been on blood number watch for 6 months. Knowing what they found leads to leukemia. I was on the low to med in my possible road to develop leukemia.
But, I have Brca2/ Her2+ from my breast cancer and a 2nd mutation. Do I want to roll the dice in the hopes leukemia does not hit my door? No. I went on the bone marrow list"Be a Match" and a perfect match was found by December. I have a transplant April 9th.
Thankfully most bone marrow biopsies will reveal less than what mine did. I was a platelet donor for 25 years. In the low 300's most of those years. Now it was last sitting at 98 and dropping ever few weeks. My white cells at 280 or so. Dropping too.
That is what lead me to hematology and finding my TP53 was off.

I had my 2nd bone marrow biopsy. No results yet, but easier to do this time. Once you have a procedure, there are few surprises.

TP53 here too, not worried about leukemia increased risk get checked yearly, but the cardiac increase for heart attacks, stroke, sudden death is what I’m dealing with. From that mutation. Have a tumor in right ventricle, electrical issue with heartbeat because of location, takacardia, high bp. They are looking at this seriously as cardiovascular risk. Best of luck.

I had a stress test today. They inject with the dye, you wait an hour and make new friends in the waiting room, Then you go in for a scan taking pictures of your heart. Go back and wait then get let in a crowded room with 20 electrodes tabbed to your body to monitor your heart. Injected with lexiscan that mimics your body getting exercise. Really, I thought? An over worked cardiologist is in the room during this 8-minute procedure. The first bodily reaction I felt was that i could not catch my breath. Then I felt crowded, squeezed and my belly got warm. not much after that except a bit of unsettling in the stomach. They ask how you are and remind you it is the meds making you feel different. Once the time was up, the Dr Kye, cardiologist reviewed the printout from my EKG and said very good. Very good. Regular beats, no big fluctuates or any of that. Blood pressure 110/62. No caffeine for 24hours. Maybe that is why. It usually has been good,
They then have you go eat and have some caffeine to counteract the meds affects for 45 minutes. I waited for the 90 year old man before me to finish. My turn for the scan camera to take another 8-minute round of pictures across my body of my heart. Results will be in a few days.
It certainly is a crap shoot on what illness we may have.
splashgirl1961, I wish you the best. I do not want leukemia so transplant it is,

The results came back already with it looks like no problems. I do know when i have read before I was wrong, but i think i am right this time. The CT scan showed some calcification. In my lungs a couple new items, one a little bigger. Those i want to ask about.