I didn’t sleep well the night before because I was worrying about Jesse’s bone marrow biopsy and how much she might hurt after the procedure ( yeah I’m good at needless worrying… really I am)
We rolled out of here at 5:45am to be at clinic by 8:15am… I was there by 7… And that is with traffic being insane. But that is Hampton Roads… and traffic will always be insane… and this country bumpkin is just going to have to get used to it. (Where I grew up, just got a stop light about 3 or 4 years ago I think. And traffic is a line of cars behind a combine or an amazed tourist on Route 5 😉 )
When we arrived at clinic this huge cockroach was hauling tail towards Jesse. She freaked because she thought it was a spider. The nurses quickly took care of it. I have a little squishing bug problem… I would rather catch it and release them outside… not really practically… but it’s just one of my many little issues… Ticks, mosquitoes, and may flies are the only bugs I don’t feel guilty about killing.
After Jesse calmed down, she begin to make the “I’m hungry” mumbles. Followed with a “Nooo!” when I would tell her we had to wait for the doctor to say it was ok. ( I hadn’t eaten either. I always feel guilty eating when she can’t… another little issue)
We went through the standard prep at clinic. Getting 4 tubes of blood drawn and heprining (might not be a real word) the line where blood was drawn. Jesse is really good at knowing the order of the tubes ( all I know is red is first), sticking them in to draw the blood, shaking them, placing them in the bag, adding paperwork, and helping the nurse send them through the large tube system. It amazes me what that kid picks up on.
At 10:30, the anesthesiologist arrived to give her the knock out drugs for her bone marrow biopsy. Since Mike and I decided to include in a research study on neuroblastoma, they needed 2 samples. I asked the doctor if he wanted me to stay or leave the room during the procedure. I wanted to stay just to see how it was done, but I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. He looked at me a little funny… so I decided it might be best if I just waited outside the room. Last thing I want to do is make him nervous.
In order for him to get the bone marrow sample, the doctor takes a needle and sticks it through her hip bones and into the marrow within. In the hips is where blood cells are made, and it is very important to know how healthy she is there.
They finished taking both samples in 20 minutes. The doctor told me he was very surprised at the density of her hip bones. He really had to push the needle in to get the sample. And they had to really give her some drugs because she would not stay asleep.
Jesse didn’t cry, but she fought the anesthesia with all she had. She kept opening her eyes… looking around… moving her mouth. Anything to stay awake. She fought it for 45 minutes, before I convenience her it is ok to take a little nap. I know it’s awful to say, but I had to giggle at her. And her eyes kept bouncing in time to the pulse ox machine because of the anesthesia they used.
She woke after an hour. She was pretty hungry and wanted a hot dog. In hind site that wasn’t the best choice because it all came back up. As she was eating, a nurse came by and asked her about Bob. So now we have a name for the pulse ox machine: Bob. I hope that will make having that machine easier in case we need it during our next visit.
Around 1:30pm, her red blood cells arrived. Jesse’s hemoglobin count was at 7.8. The doctor and I had discussed about whether to give them on Friday or the following Tuesday. Once he listened to her heart and heard a small murmur, he decided that it might be good to give them that day. And why not. We were already there for a long time anyway… might as well.
As the red blood got in her body and running around, Jesse perked up and was all over the clinic. Red blood usually does this to her. By a little after 5pm, the red blood transfusion was complete, and we head home.
Amazing the only time Jesse complained about the bone marrow biopsy site was when I removed the tape yesterday afternoon. She ran, played, and acted like she never had the biopsy at all.