BMB results

[shirlsgirl]

Hi all!

Well, my mom had her BMB yesterday. It’s been 1 year since her last. This time it is with a different doctor and he told her that he’d have the results for her at her next visit in 6 weeks.

Just wondering….how long does everyone here usually wait for their bmb results?

Thanks, Jody

[Harold]

Jody, I think most people hear within 1 week. Preliminary results (from pathology) are available in 2-3 days and the final report in about one week. I usually have my BMB done on Monday afternoon and the doctor calls me on Friday with the final report.

[Marsha]

Jody,

It has always been about 1 week, longer for cytogenics, maybe that is what they are waiting for but if I were you I would call your mom’s doctor in 1 1/2 wks cause 6 is way to long to find out results. Course, they may call you too.
Good luck and God Bless, Marsha

[Suzanne]

I usually have gotten the marrow results in a week and the cytogenetics in two weeks except twice. Once I got preliminary marrow results immediately because the Dr. went and looked at the slides and once when I was in the hospital for chemo, they got results within hours. My first one with a local hemo may have taken longer.It partly depends on whether they are sending the samples to an outside lab for analysis.

[Terri]

usually a week.

[Caroline]

Hi Jody,

My Dad has had 2 BMB’s done so far. One was almost 3 years ago and the second one was this past summer. Both times it took 6 weeks for him to get his results. My husband was at Dad’s visit when they took the latest biopsy and the doctor commented on how frustrating it is that sometimes the results take so long but he has to send them away and the labs are so busy that it takes weeks to get results. I think our’s go to Toronto but I am not sure.

I noticed that everyone who said that their results took one week are from the United States. You and I are from Canada, specifically Ontario. I wonder if that makes a difference? Can any other Canadians shed some light on this?

Caroline

[shirlsgirl]

Thank you everyone!! If my mom hasn’t heard back from Dr. Leber by next Friday…think I’ll suggest that she gives him a call.

[txnmomma]

Quote:

Just wondering….how long does everyone here usually wait for their bmb results?

My dad just had a BMB a few days ago. His results will be ready in 1.5 weeks

[Neil]

seems to vary.
I get mine in 2 days sometimes 1 day except for the cytogenitics. They take 5-6 days.
Have seen others who have waited longer. Depends upon the equipment available, the number of techs and the volume of business. The more modern facilities seem to come up with the quick results. The smaller, older facilities may take longer.

[shirlsgirl]

It’s so frustrating waiting. Mom had her bmb 5 weeks ago…she phoned Dr. Leber’s clinic at the hospital approx. 2 weeks later and she was told she would have to wait until her next appointment which is next Tuesday. She continues to take the Gleevec. She is very tired lately…she says she wakes up in the morning completely exhausted. All of this waiting is making us anxious.

Neil, It’s awesome that you receive your cytogenetics within 5-6 days. Wow. Perhaps it’s the Canadian system causing the time lag? I believe it was the cytogenetics that took so long the last time she had a biopsy. I have a feeling that the initial bmb results were available when my mom called…they chose not to give them to her. (I work in a hospital lab (micro..not hematology), but bmb’s are treated as stat specimens and are read and processed immediately after being collected from the patient)

Anyhoo, the waiting continues a little longer…..

[Suzanne]

Mine have always been one week for the preliminary results two weeks for the cytogenetics-except when they were running BMB tests in the hospital suring chemo . Since I am no longer an emergency case they email me my results.

[Ani]

Yes, I think its the “Canucck” connection which holds up the results. We have waited 4-5 weeks for the BMB and over 7 weeks for the cytogenics.
I have another question….Jim needed to have laser procdures very recently to crush huge bladder stones and then remove the Prostate. All his lines are normal and have been, except for his platelets which were at 92,000, not bad! The Urologist x matched blood to give him, I pleaded that “ONLY in extreme emergency would he transfuse him, to which he agreed and fortunately Jim had minimal bleeding and didn’t require blood, whew!!! Then I discovered that the blood is neither filtered or irradiated, I think the doctor thought I was from outer space! All this in a 400 plus bed Regional Hospital, why the difference between U.S and Canada?? Guess thats a rhetorical question.
Shalom Annette

[Ensnee]

We always get Hans’ results within a week — at PMH in Toronto. His very first cytogenetics report took about 6 weeks, but we had preliminary results much sooner. That one was done by the hematologist in Oakville, who works at a community hospital.

Esme

[Luke and Margaret]

Hi
The Canadian connection doesn’t work in our case either. It takes a week; the results come from our lab at our community hospital. It sounds like the long waits happen when the tests are being sent to an outside lab for processing.
Margaret

[shirlsgirl]

Hi Annette,

I e-mailed a friend who works in blood bank at a Hamilton hospital and I asked him about irradiated,filtered blood. He says….

“Anyways, the answer to your question is…In Canada all blood donations are filtered at the time of collection. This will remove 99.9% of all white blood cells. Thus, greatly decreasing the chance of Graft versus Host disease. In an attempt to remove the last 0.1% of WBC’s, the unit is irradiated. This is done at the Henderson, MUMC and the CBS. This is done mostly for all leukemics after treatment and the odd renal patient. With all of these processes the unit is virtually free of WBC’s.”

(Henderson and MUMC are hospitals here in Hamilton and CBS is the Canadian Blood Services)

Maybe, Urologists aren’t as familiar with the term irradiated,filtered blood as doc’s specializing with leukemia? Glad to hear Jim didn’t require blood

take care,
Jody

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