The Bone Marrow Biopsy

Today I'm thankful for...
The stressful anticipation of UCSF behinds us
A safe drive
My healthy and mostly painless back
A bright future

We made it back from the Bone Marrow Biopsy at UCSF late last night. I was feeling fatigued, so I can't imagine what my wife was feeling after 9 hours in the car (many of which she spent on the phone with consoling family and taking care of office tasks vital to Dentistry for Kids) and the stress of the unknown test that had occurred on her this day. I think that many times the most tiring event in this whole breast cancer fight is the unknowing? What tests are needed next, did the doctors miss something, is the cancer spreading, will the procedure(s) hurt, and how is my family coping with all this? I can tell you that I was exhausted mostly from the worry that I had about the test on my strong wife's physiological well being? Trying to find ways to not think about the cancer and what will happen next is emotionally draining for me. I just can't imagine how these same worries are weighting on Lulu?

Thankfully, the Bone marrow biopsy procedure turned out to be quite tolerable for Lulu, but as always, I wondered whether or not she was just putting up a front? Lulu was to have the biopsy in the UCSF, Ida Friend, infusion center. This is just 6 months ago Lulu and I spent ever two weeks (4 to 6 hours) in chemotherapy treatment. I think that just know that she was to return to the place where she fought the cancer with fatigue causing infused drugs, was most taxing on her? Though, when we arrived to the infusion center, the most soothing thing happen to both Lulu and I. As we waited for Lulu's turn to be called to be seen for the biopsy, one of the infusion nurses stopped his busy routine (and they were as busier today then I can ever remember them being) to fly across the room to inform today's nurse that this was, "A very special patient", and the fact that he remembered Lulu's name, that she had 4 children, once had long flowing black coal hair, and was one of the tallest patients that had ever graced the center. If you have never experienced this kind of care, you might not understand the tremendous comforting effect this kind of care can have on a cancer patient. Even more impressive was the fact that only once did this nurse have Lulu as his patient. I pretty sure of the fact that Scott that fantastic nurse would never read this paragraph, but I want to say thank you to him for making a breast cancer patients husband comfortable in a dreaded situation, not to mention the care (and dare I say it; the love) that he shared with my wife.

There was a lot of stress, a little humor, and some awkwardness during the bone marrow procedure. The stressful part wasn't all on the part of Lulu or I, but the fact that the extraction of the bone marrow cells from Lulu's hip did come off without a hitch. Really not knowing what a Bone Marrow Biopsy consists of Lulu and I had prepared ourselves for the worst and hope for the best. The oncologist is the person that actually was to do the procedure, surprise; and one of the pre-nursing students asked to watch (he was a mid twenties, tall, male so when your getting poked in the bare buttocks with a extra large needle and it just might make you call out for God's son; this could very well add to your stress levels?), Lulu, I think, knowing that this is a teaching institute reluctantly agreed to the stranger witnessing her cancer call harvest. I could feel the tension, as Lulu and I watched the nurse set up the instruments for the procedure right in front of our eyes. I could help but think if I was to show my patients any of the tools that they were preparing, I wouldn't have any patients to treat? There were some painful looking stuff included here like; a scalpel with a very sharp blade to cut the tissue, osseous bone picks to bore a hole into the bone, large gauge needles to numb the area, and enough anesthetic to deaden the whole city of San Francisco. I really wanted to lighten up the mood, because if all these scary looking tools weren't freaking out my wife, they were surly making me nervous? The oncologist was talking about the difference between being a PA (physician's assistant), and a MA (medical assistant) as she was gowning and gloving for the "procedure". I said, "I thought that Physician assistants we're the students that could hack it in Medical school, so they ended up being put into PA program?" It was meant to be funny, but my audience wasn't feeling the humor, so I just added to the awkwardness of the moment. I've always used humor to hide my nervousness, but this time I had failed miserably.

Lulu is a trooper when it comes to pain. The oncologist, she, was having difficulties with getting through the thick cortical bone that must be penetrated to access the internal blood cells. As she struggled to get through this very hard wall, she began to perspire and seem frustrated at her inability to complete the process? The whole time Lulu could be heard saying that none of the poking, digging, prodding hurts, and that she doesn't have to worry about osteoporosis (a condition of thinning of the bone due to bone cell loss). Though all the the tests, many of which would take a toll of most of us, Lulu hasn't complained once. This biopsy was to be no different. At least, when I thought that the doctor was going to call in the reinforcements, the illiac bone was penetrated and the bone marrow biopsy could be completed. I could see the relief on the oncologist face and I just hope that my relief that this was over wasn't as noticeable on my face as it was on hers? After a discussion of the next steps for Lulu. We learned that the results of the test just completed should be available to us by this Friday May 28? We were too excited about waiting again for a answer to what's next in the cancer battle, but what choice did we have?

The drive home seemed to take forever? I think that both Lulu and I are going to have a long week waiting on the results of the test, which will have a large baring on her (and my) future? I'm just glad that she will be keeping busy at the office with patients on Wednesday and Thursday. I know that no matter what the results of this test are, lulu will be up for the next stage with her Puerto Rican fighting attitude. So watch out you thoughtless cancer, you don't have a chance against this incredible woman. Let's all keep praying for a miracle, just in case!