The important part of a bone marrow biopsy is getting the lab results, but one of the scariest parts is the actual procedure. I mean, they’re drilling into your pelvis to get some goo. I’ve heard from several friends about how horrid the procedure is. While I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone as a fun way to spend an hour, I would say that the procedure isn’t as painful as I’ve heard. The worst part was the Xylocaine anesthetic. It burns! And then aspirating the sample stimulates all sorts of nerve endings in the bone marrow. For me that felt like a Charley Horse in my ass.

But it isn’t that bad, and it hurt less this time than it did last time. I wonder if it isn’t just because my doctor is especially good at the procedure. I mean, I even heard him say, “Damn,” under his breath a couple of times and it didn’t hurt any worse.

My blood pressure was up to 140/90 at the start of my appointment (I’m guessing that’s because I was more nervous than usual since I knew I was getting this bone marrow biopsy) and I’m now at home wondering if my back hurt this bad last time. But it isn’t that bad.

Now to wait for the results!