Hi Savannah,

My husband has had two bone marrow biopsy to diagnose his anemia back in 2002. The first was done with a local and for the second, we requested sedation. We know many who have had BMBs and some have absolutely no pain with just a local and others require sedation. Problem is you won't know until you get one and most docs dont' want to be bothered with sedation so most get their first one without it.

Since you have PN, I would ask for sedation for the procedure. This means your doc has to know you want this in advance so they can set you up for it. In John's case, he was in a critical state and the BMB needed to be done immediately. The procedure involves taking a core sample of the bone and then an aspiration of the marrow. If the doc gives you a hard time, find another. I think PN makes you more sensitive to things since your nerves are not functioning as they should.

I will never understand why doctors don't adopt the philosophy of dentists when it come to pain and discomfort....that is to avoid it if possible.

I do think a consultation with hematologist is a good thing. I'm not sure what your doc is looking for but I would think there would other symptoms and less invasive test to do first. Then, if you do have hematological health issue then a BMB is usually needed to finalize/pin down a diagnosis.

Wishing you the best.

Marlene