Bone Marrow Biopsy 3

I just realized I didn't post about Shelbie's biopsy.  I've been so tired.  Tonight's the first chance I've had to sit down and focus on writing.

Her biopsy went alright, all things considered.  Going into the morning was a bit unnerving since it was an entirely new team of Hematologists, nurses and phlebotomist.  There was nothing familiar about this.  They were nearly 2 hours late in getting started and even that seemed out of the ordinary. As we sat in the waiting room, I just kept thinking about how odd it was, that here I sat with child number 3 for a bone marrow biopsy.  Just 8 weeks ago, only one of my kids really needed a biopsy due to abnormal cells in the peripheral blood.  Shelbie and Sam were given a pass from the Oncologist to wait another year because things looked so good as far as peripheral counts go.  My kids' counts are never normal but they've been stable-ish.  One by one, they all went downhill and the one who looked like they had trouble brewing in the marrow, actually tested okay. 

Once they got her on the table, our old PA that has always done them came in to say Hi.  Somehow, I felt so much better.  As it turned out, I did like the new staff and the PA who did the biopsy was very nice and did a great job with Shelbie.  She was a tiny thing...barely over 5' but she was strong and able to get through Shelbie's hard bones, not once...5 times!! That was the part that wasn't so great!

The aspirate part went fine but retrieving the bone for biopsy did not go well.  These are the moments you miss, when your kids are taken to a surgical suite and fully sedated for biopsies.  You sit in a room by yourself and wait, and are none the wiser to all that can go wrong in the procedure.  The first sample of bone was too small by a fraction.  The second attempt, the bone fragment wouldn't come out.  The third attempt, the sample was too small again.  The final attempt was rocky.  The needle kept sliding off the bone.  That was painful to watch.  The PA put all her strength into it and it seemed she was on the bone because she was struggling but then it would jam down past the bone.  That happened two or three times and then she asked our regular PA who stayed to watch, help out.  By the time she was scrubbed up, the first PA was able to get it into the bone.  They had to use a little suction through a syringe before pulling it out. 

So, that was crazy to watch.  Keep in mind Shelbie was awake and talking throughout this so she was fully aware of the struggle it was...she felt it all.  I felt it in my heart... She's had an awful time getting it to stop bleeding.  It seemed fine on the drive home and even when she went to bed but through the night, it bled...a lot!! She didn't discover it until morning. 

By Sunday, she was doing fine.

So, now we wait.   I'm just tired and exhausted from the past two months we have had.  Shelbie will go back in 3 weeks to get the results and see the doctor to make the plan for how to put her granuloma disease in remission- if that's even possible at this point.

I have a busy, busy brain as there is so much going on in every area of my life. I've got to find a way to slow down but that doesn't even seem possible.  The future is very unsure right now I need to work while I can to prepare for what may be waiting down the road.


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