Your doctor may suggest you get both tests done to have a more detailed range of results. Your doctor may not be equipped to do this test themselves. In this case, they may refer you to a different doctor.
If you are worried about the pain, you can ask your doctor for an IV sedation. This will ensure you are not awake for the procedure and will not feel any pain.
If you received IV sedation, you will need to have someone drive you home and rest for 24 hours so the sedation can wear off.
The pain and tenderness should fade within a week.
While these steps are general guidelines for performing bone marrow tests, you should always consult your standard operating procedure before going ahead with tests.
In some cases, you may collect the sample from the patient’s breastbone if their hip area is not available. For children under the age of 18 months, collect the sample from the lower leg bone.
You may take more than 1 sample, requiring separate needles for each, for testing. In rare cases, you may not be able to withdraw the bone marrow from the selected spot and will need to find a different spot for the test. Let the patient know if this is the case and adjust the area accordingly.
The aspiration and the biopsy should take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete.
