Bone Marrow Biospy

So, today I got to see a lovely bone marrow biopsy. Let's just say it did not go over as smoothly as I anticipated.

I was randomly paged by the PA to come observe the procedure. I got to the room and surprisingly knew the patient because I had worked with him last week. She started to explain everything to me. The procedure lasted about 30 minutes. It began with her numbing the patient. This was followed by her inserting a long needle into the bone marrow. She extracted a sample of marrow, which was quickly handed over to a lab tech who smeared at least 20 slides with the marrow. Then, a LARGE hollow needle was pushed in the patient's hip to extract a piece of bone. This is when the room suddenly became dark, hot, and... well, I was watching as the PA put her body weight on the needle as she screwed it into the bone. I saw her bring the bone specimen out of the patient. Then, yes, I had to excuse myself. I thought I would be perfectly fine considering the fact that I have seen multiple hip replacement surgeries, worked in the ER, etc. Something about the procedure was disturbing though. Maybe because the patient was awake the entire time. Anyhow, it was a good experience, and I am glad I got to observe it.

Other than that, this week has been fairly relaxing. I have been doing renal the past two days and before that I rotated in the MICU -- the "intermediate" critical care unit. Both have been intriguing. I did a Renal Transplant Diet education today and talked with a few hemodialysis patients. Still loving the excitement of the hospital.

Hope all is well,
Rachael