Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Lyrical: Hip Jab (Bone Marrow Aspirate and/or Biopsy)

BEFORE
Had a nice railfan ride from home to North Station (train) and Kenmore (light rail). All checked in, co-paid, wrist-banded, release signed, and ready to show them my clean undergarments.

DURING
The whole thing was less than an hour. I laid on my side like a seminude painters model,  elevating and exposing my right posterior superior illiac crest veiled only in an area of thin flesh swabbed in iodine.

First came 3 numbing needles, then my tough bone bent the first biopsy needle (straight outta Superman). Oncologist had predicted that as a young* patient my bones were going to be tougher than the osteoporosis set she usually deals with.

But being generously numbed, I felt a only a "bone rubbing" feeling resolve into a "pointed pressure" feeling as a second needle found it's groove and reached its mark, and then a knuckle-crack kind of "spine just about to crack" pain as the marrow was sucked out. Shudder.

AFTER
4x4" bandaid; don't shower/keep dry for 24hrs, and when the numbing wears off it will feel like an oncologist kicked me. 

AFTER AFTER
Well, it feels more like an oncologist whacked me with a small pipe.
Which is basically what happened.

*If you want to feel young when you're over 50, hang out with oncologists

No comments:

Day 1 of Ibrutinib

 I took my first pill of ibrutinib today at 7am.  The pill "wallet" (individual pills in individual "blisters" on a 4-we...