Bone marrow tests

So, the first time Logan had a bone marrow biopsy, it was June 4th, the day after he was diagnosed with Leukemia. His appointment was at 2:30 in the afternoon, and he was not allowed to eat anything for at least 6 hours. He was only allowed to drink clear liquids and then nothing for the 2 hours prior to the procedure. At the time, this did not really bother Logan much because he felt pretty bad and had no appetite. He asked for food or milk a couple of times, but was pacified with being told "in a little bit." When they took us in, they explained how the anesthesia, Propofol, would work and that it would work pretty quickly. What they did not mention, however, was that they would inject something into his IV that burned and made him scream like something was eating his arm from the inside out. They let me hold him, which was good, because he was clinging pretty hard to me while he was crying. That combined with the emotional roller coaster that I had been on for those two days made me break down and cry with him. Then as the medicine took effect, he took a deep breath and then went limp. Once I put him down on the bed, the escorted me out of the room telling me that it would be about 30 minutes, maybe a little longer. I promptly found the closest restroom, ducked in and had a hard cry for about 5 minutes. Then my phone rang, and I had to pull it together. After that, I took a walk, and went down to the cafeteria since I had not eaten all day or the night before. I ordered a chicken sandwich, took about 3 bites, and that was about all I could handle. I sat there for another ten minutes, and by then it had been about 30 minutes. They assured me that they would call my cell as soon as they were finished, but I wanted to be there when he came out to recovery. So, I went to the recovery room, and sat there. Every once in awhile, I would see one of the doctors come out. They would tell me that often the first biopsy/aspiration can take a longer time because all the leukemia cells are packed so tightly and are very thick in the marrow. They insert the needle and it apparently drips out looking a lot like blood.  They ended up puncturing both sides, and also doing the spinal tap with the initial dose of chemo into the spinal fluid. It ultimately took 2 hours for them to finish both procedures, and then another hour for him to wake up since he had been so tired.  By then, he was starving, and plowed through a bag of animal crackers and asked for some more food. He was very sore, and did not bend over for almost three days.

This time, we are assured that it should take much less time. It is scheduled early in the day Friday for 9:30, which was the earliest we could get. What has changed, however, is his appetite. We will wake him up at about 7:25 (hopefully he will not wake up earlier), change his clothes, and put him in the car to go. Then we check in at 8:30. We know that he will be asking for milk and food the entire time. He does not understand when I try and put him off for a little bit of time when his belly is full, and I know refusing food all together when he is hungry is not going to go smoothly. Poor little man. Wish us all strength and patience.