Bone Marrow Biopsy

Today I had my second oncology appointment, and I had a scheduled bone marrow biopsy. Personally, I was kind of dreading the procedure. Not really for the actual biopsy, because I had no idea what that would feel like, but I hate Novocain. (I'm the kind of girl who gets her teeth drilled at the dentist without it.) The procedure didn't take that long, but it was very uncomfortable. I'm not sure exactly what goes on, because I didn't dare to look (and I really don't want to know), but it was definitely not something I want to do every day. Just as I thought, the first shot of anesthetic was awful; it burns. Once that settled in, it was ok for a bit. Then she went to draw the marrow. You know when you have a sore tooth, and then something ice cold hits it and you get that shooting pain? That's a pretty good description. Thank goodness she only had to do it twice. I would say, all in all, not much more painful than a dentist appointment. The very awkward, dull ache afterwards, however, is a strange thing to deal with. The cut in the skin is no worse than a razor cut (I used to be a picture framer, I got these a lot, hence my analogy), but the hole they made in the bone, is definitely there. They say there are no nerves in bones and therefore bone pain doesn't exist, but I can certainly feel something. Sitting today became an art form, and stairs made me feel like an old lady. The ache has gotten better over the day, and hopefully will only last for maybe one more. I have an appointment on Friday to get results and (I think) a final stage. Then will come the treatment options and plans. But ahh, that is for another day.