Dear Wilkins,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I’m really pleased to hear you’re now in remission and haven’t needed another one for three years.
It’s helpful to hear what you said about different staff approaches — confidence and concern about pain must make such a difference during a procedure like this. I hadn’t heard about the cordless drill being used, but I can understand why having it over more quickly might help.
Wishing you continued good health.
Mel
Hello there @kenshuu, welcome to the forum and thanks for your bone marrow biopsy (BMB) tips. My morbid humour is bemused by your comments about butchery to your doctor, how did they respond?!
Just to say that we forum members can’t offer medical advice, and it’s worth bearing in mind that between countries available options for tests and treatments will be different. I know some around the forum haven’t been offered gas and air, for example.
For what it’s worth, I had my BMB outside the UK as well and found it pretty tolerable thanks to being anaesthetised well and being talked through the procedure in advance and during it by the kindly specialist nurse, apparently known as The Mosquito!
It’s also worth mentioning from what others around the forum say that the frequency of BMBs is variable and dependent on our individual diagnoses. I was told that I am unlikely to ever have another BMB unless the Polycythaemia vera ('PV') I live with begins to change. I know for others who’ve had more intensive treatments like stem cell transplants they’re more likely to have more frequent BMBs.
I’ll just pop the Macmillan information about BMBs here for anyone interested: Bone marrow biopsy | Macmillan Cancer Support
I should add, if there’s any information we can support you with in your own diagnosis @kenshuu, do please let us know. Of course, feel free to navigate around to find Blood Cancer UK information relating to your diagnosis.
Thanks Duncan for the reply.
The other doctors and nurses had a giggle but I was serious. When she came in the next time I said no. There was a bemused look and I repeated butcher in Spanish. She then proceeded after I said lots of pain relief.
Hopefully my next time in 28 days will be OK.
All the best.
Cameron
Keep us posted Cameron @kenshuu about how it goes leading up to the BMB—I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it’s more spa day than butchery next time! It’s good to have a sense of humour about all this I reckon, but it’s okay to bring the worries too.
As you’ve mentioned having this testing in Spain I’ll share with you some blood disorder organisations there that may be of use:
Josep Carreras Leukaemia Foundation / Fundación Josep Carreras
fcarreras.org
Spanish Association for People Affected by Lymphoma, Myeloma and Leukaemia / AEAL (Asociación Española de Afectados por Linfoma, Mieloma y Leucemia)
https://www.aeal.es/ (website may not be working right now)
Leukaemia and Lymphoma Foundation / FLL (Fundación Leucemia y Linfoma)
Spanish Association for People Affected by MPNs / Myeloproliferative neoplasms ('MPN') España (Asociación de Afectados por Neoplasias Mieloproliferativas)
Thanks for the email and information. Humour can help, monty pythons “always look on the bright side of life” 
.
Hopefully its all good next visit. And the butcher has sharpened her knife.