Are bone marrow transplants painful?

Hey Mike,
I had an allogenic stem cell transplant in May of 2015. In my experience I wouldn’t use painful as a term to describe the transplant. The actual transplant is very much like a blood transfusion so not painful at all! The recovery post transplant is long and everyone’s bodies react differently but I don’t remember being in physical pain. Most of the time you are exhausted and tired while your body starts to create blood cells again. There are procedures that are uncomfortable like bone marrow biopsies that cause discomfort for a short period. I hope this helps answer your question! Feel free to ask anymore about SCTs!
- Elle, community moderator

Hi Mike, I would also like to add that with discomforts there are also many solutions. My son had awesome nurses and doctors. He even had a pain management team. Their focus is to keep you comfortable. It helps that they have experience with other transplant patients and react quickly with solutions. So speak up! Help is right there.