Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa Z
I go to NIH March 1 for my 2 year follow up! Can't wait for that. This time around, I'm making it a 4 day weekend and turning it into a very positive trip! Hope it doesn't disappoint me! It's been a year since I've had a BMB, so I really need one to confirm that all is OK....
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Hey Lisa!
Thinking about your impending BMB, I don't recall whether I've mentioned this before; if I have, please excuse and ignore the duplication. While I was at NIH for the trial, my roommate had a bone marrow biopsy in the room (behind the divider curtain, of course). The doc or nurse who did the procedure (a tall black member of the commissioned corps, and so in uniform, whose first name is George) used a fancy new electric drill apparatus.
It sounds scary, but, based on the sounds coming from the other side of the curtain, was a piece of cake compared to several minutes of manual grinding with the awl that it takes to get samples from my very hard bones.
There was the usual sharp intake of breath and whimpering when they extracted the liquid portion of the sample. But the extraction of the little pieces of marrow (the actual biopsy) was a matter of zip-zip with the drill.
Frankly, I hope they go for that option when I have my one-year BMB. If the grinding portion of the procedure is a problem for you, you might want to ask about the drill.
Take care (and watch out for the ice)!
Greg