I had the breast lump biopsy yesterday. All things considered, it was not so bad.
The paperwork was a bit more than I anticipated: it had been a mere few pages for the ultrasound, but was well over a dozen pages this time, and included questions such as "do you consent to a blood transfusion if necessary?" It was at that point that I realized that they treat a biopsy as an outpatient surgical procedure. Which, all things considered, it is.
There were five people in total involved: the doctor's assistant, the ultrasound technician, the trainee technician, the doctor (a radiologist), and the mammography technician. They were all exceptionally kind.
The assistant carefully explained the whole procedure -- which was helpful, as the only information I had to go on was the brochure I'd picked up in the waiting room -- and took a detailed medical history. She explained she'd be monitoring my blood pressure/oxygen levels during the procedure and assisting the radiologist as necessary. She was also in charge of verifying the procedure, marking the correct breast with the word "Yes" in purple marker, bandaging and post-op instructions.
The ultrasound technician carefully instructed the trainee technician about the nuts and bolts of the procedure: how to create the sterile field, how to arrange the surgical tools, how to maintain the sterile field with the ultrasound machinery. They tried to make me as comfortable as possible, even though I had the arm on my right side up over/behind my head. They adjusted the pillow on the stretcher where I lay. They offered a warm blanket in case I was chilly.
The doctor was a tiny older gentleman who was extraordinarily courteous and kindly. He made sure to introduce himself and to look me in the face when doing so; he patted my hand gently; and explained what he was doing, step by step, so nothing would be a surprise. And he began, explaining the numbing shot, the incision, the tools he was using. He encouraged me to watch the ultrasound machine screen to see what was happening. It was a bit odd to watch the core biopsy needle on the grainy ultrasound, but it was helpful to do so -- when he had trouble accessing a part of the lump he wanted to biopsy, I could understand why it was taking so long and could see exactly what the issue was.
Five core samples and about an hour in total later, it was done. The doctor assured me with his parting words that it would likely be benign.
I was taken to mammography, where the mammography technician handled me gently and let me look at the mammogram to see the titanium marker that had been placed where the biopsy had been conducted. She returned me to the assistant, who bandaged the site with gauze and a tiny ice pack and gave me instructions on care of the site.
All of the women wished me the best of luck with my results.
-----
I feel a little emotionally flattened now. I might want more hugs than usual, but am unable to return them. It's a weird place to be. The mercy is, there is not much pain, except some soreness in my shoulder from the placement of my arm.
We shall see how it went.
*
No comments:
Post a Comment