Biopsy Fun

I came home on Monday for my biopsy. My appointment was early; I think it was at 8:30. My sister, mom and dad met me for breakfast, and then mom and dad drove me to my biospy appointment. I could have taken some anxiety pills, but chose to be mentally present for this experience. Might choose differently next time, but there better not be a next time!!!

I had a different doctor for my biopsy, Dr. P. She was really nice and comforting, and seemed very confident. I told her I didn't know if she could say, but how worried should I be? She said, "I can tell you this, my level of concern is very high." And she also said something like, "I'm pretty sure you'll be having these things out." So that wasn't good news, but at least she was honest and I could gauge what was coming a little. But she, the nurse, my mom, and I all agreed that it could still be nothing. Though honestly, nobody in that room really believed that my masses were nothing.

For the biopsy, they got me all comfy on a bed in a dim room. The nurses prepped me by cleaning the area, putting drapes on me and preparing the ultrasound machine which would guide the biopsy needle to my masses. Then the doctor came and numbed the area with litocaine. That hurt because she was sticking a needle relatively deeply into my breast. Then the doctor makes a small incision. The biopsy needle, which is hollow with a second needle inside, is guided by ultrasound into the tissue and then the mass. Next the inner needle shaves a sample through the core of the mass. A vaccuum sucks the sample out and into a little cup filled with some sort of fluid. About 3-6 samples are taken, and in my case the whole thing was performed twice because I had two masses. The sample is sent to Pathology and results are typically available in about 2 business days. The nurse then cleaned me up and stuck steri-strips (essentially tape) onto my wounds because they weren't big enough for stitches. She helped me redress and then I was on my way. I got the award for bravest and best patient, or at so they told me.

The litocaine worked well the first time, and I couldn't feel the incision. All I could feel was the pressure of her pushing the biopsy needle into my breast tissue, which was pretty intense. Being 25, my breast tissue is pretty dense and firm, so imagine trying to stick a wooden skewer through an 8-inch thick raw sirloin steak. She really had to work to get that thing in. I was certainly awake and aware of that, plus I could see the needles entering my tissue on the screen. FREAKY! The second biopsy was more painful. It felt like the needle was going past the numbed area. But on a pain scale, I'd put it at probably a 4 or 5 out of 10.

After my biopsy, I went to my parents' house to relax and recover. My sister and mom had gone out to get me all sorts of presents while I was in WP, and that was really nice, generous and thoughtful. But in the end, I just sorta slept and took it easy. After I felt better, I went home to my house on FTC and slept just fine. During this whole ordeal, I stayed up scared and crying only once, and now I sleep really really well. I think I'm the only one who can!