Bone marrow biopsy local anesthetic or intravenous sedation ?

robsp

Unfortunately I need a bone marrow biopsy because my WBC is low 5 months after chemo. 

There are two options of biopsy in the hospital:

1) Biopsy with intravenous sedation, I think is the same sedation of endoscopy. 

2) Biopsy with local anesthetic only. 

My MO suggested  local anesthetic only , but the breast surgeon thinks that intravenous sedation is a better option.  

Anyone that needed a marrow biopsy could describe the level of pain of biopsy with local anesthetic only. 

I schedule my biopsy with local anesthetic only, but I´m not sure if I change to intravenous sedation. 

exbrnxgrl

I didn't have a bone marrow biopsy, but rather a simple bone biopsy. IV sedation made the experience painless and stress free. They give you Versed, which basically makes  you not give a sh*t and has some amnesiac properties. I also had a local injected at the biopsy site. I may be a wussy, but why have any pain or anxiety if you don't have to? Wishing you the best.

Caryn

robsp

My biopsy was this morning. I decided to use local anesthetic. I feel no pain during aspiration, extract liquid from bone marrow. I had some pain during the biopsy, get piece of your bone. It´s not very easy to describe the level of pain.  I think cleaning my teeth without anesthetic (removing tartar)  is more painful to me. The exercises following axillary node dissection was much more painful to me.