Caution: graphic bone marrow procedure

Skip this if you are queasy!




An important part of the medical procedures are periodic bone marrow biopsies and gene-array samples. These tests require bone samples and marrow out of the hip. Deb has had at least one per visit.

Before showing up, Deb takes meds to calm her down and also a fentanyl citrate sucker that is a pain killer. A two person team works to do the procedure.

Here are  the tools needed:

The green tool is a small scalpel  that is used to slice open the flesh over the marked spot. The T-handle device is the actual boring tool that is pressed hard into the hip bone to core out a section of bone that is needed. The smaller blue tool is a chipping tool inserted into the T-handle to chip bone. Then the syringes are used to pull out the marrow. The first pull is intense and hurts the most. Deb gasps each time on the first pull.

Here's the pull:

Here's what the marrow looks like:

The samples are very important in understanding what the genetic affects of the treatment is and the status of the cancer.

After all, as our blog title says, "It's all about the blood!"