My first bone marrow biopsy:

12th april 2018: I was moved to mulbarton ward in the early hours of the morning, I was put in my own room which looked on onto a little garden area, I was still extremely upset about it all.

Later on dr Charlotte came and told me today I would be having a bone marrow biopsy, I was very nervous of this and worried about moving when they did the biopsy etc.

**for anyone who doesnt know what a bone marrow biopsy is it's when you have a very long needle go into the back of one of your hip bones and then they extract red marrow which is the soft centre of your hip bones and they then send it off for analysis to check if your bone marrow is making any healthy blood cells and also see what my leukemia is doing. They also take bone during this biopsy process too if they need it.**

Dr Charlotte prescribed me a lorazapam to help calm me and relax me through the biopsy. The nurse gave me the lorazapam and in about half hour they returned for the biopsy. Dr Charlotte was doing the procedure in my hospital bed in the hospital room on mulbarton, she told me to lay in the fetus position on my left side. She then used general anesthetic to numb my hip all the way to the bone (they're unable to numb inside your bone). She started the procedure, I was in excruciating pain and it was horrible, even though you are numbed up to you bone you can still feel everything happening inside your bone, I had sharp nerve pain going down from my hip bone down my legs, my bum was hurting to due to nerve pain, inside my bone it felt like fingernails scratching the inside of my bone and when they got the blood sample it felt like popping in your bone it was really unpleasant. Then they had to take bone biopsy too from the same place, she put this cork screw type medical instrument and turned it, while they doing that they rocking you backwards and forwards so they get the correct place. Then when it's done they put a dressing on it and get you to lay on your back, my hip was extremely sore, after laying there a couple of minutes I felt the urge to need the toilet, the nurse and dr charlotte helped me up as I felt quite unsteady as the procedure isnt pleasant. Went to the toilet and come out of the bathroom got to the bathroom door and i went "oooh" they asked me what was the matter,  i said "i think the lorazapam is now working" so they helped me back in bed and I had a sleep.

When I woke up my right hip bone where I had it down had swollen up, it felt like I was laying on a tennis ball and that I tell you was really uncomfortable. For a few days after I struggled to walk any where and did need assistance and I was in alot of pain and unsteady on my feet.