Faithfully Fighting

The Bumbling Biopsy

lynnwv | January 15, 2008 13:56

Today was the biopsy.  I’m pretty wiped out, but thought I’d put down some words.  Pete took me, the sweetheart that he is!  We got there and were informed that they were running a “bit” behind.  That happens with stuff like that, so I wasn’t at all surprised.  After I got called back and changed into my “gown” they put me in the ladies waiting room.  This is a lovely 10 x 10 room with pretty comfortable chairs and tons of magazines, so all the women dressed in their hospital finest can try not to look at each other and pretend we were there to get our hair done or something.

 

They finally called me into the dark room.  The doctor was nice, told me what he planned to do, and we talked about Ipods for a few moments and got down to work.  Now, it is one thing to have your first procedure (2 years ago), you don’t know what to expect and you kind of go with the flow.  If it’s terrible you assume they are always terrible and everyone hates them.  It is a totally different thing to repeat a procedure.  Especially when the first time was not as bad as you had expected.  This time was worse than I expected by 40%.  I try to look at it philosophically, the area was different, they had to take samples from lots of spots, and they used a different procedure, all factors that can contribute to a different experience.  There were a few mitigating areas I would have liked to change:

  • The room was freezing and I trembled the entire 2-1/2 hours
  • The nurse kept sneezing into her arm – which made me feel like my open wound was being exposed to germ warfare
  • I was facing the ultra sound machine which gave me a full on view of every big fat needle being poked into my body – some people (like my Dad) would find that fascinating, but not me
  • My right arm was above my head for 2-1/2 hours – I’m not sure my shoulder will ever be able to bend properly again
 The biopsy took so long because, apparently, they were having trouble finding the micro calcifications.  The doctor took a sample gave it to the mystery technician behind my back (who I never saw).  She left the room; a few minutes later came back and said the x-ray didn’t show calcifications.  We repeated that process two times.  At this point I’m wondering if all your wonderful prayers had been answered and the Lord had chosen to heal me.  After that the doctor has me lift my arm a little higher (I had no idea I could even do that!), and starts searching on the sonogram for a lymph node to sample.  It showed up well.  He takes a long time numbing up the area (something I am very grateful for later) and then takes another apparatus to take samples with.  This magical machine, he tells me, freezes the sample before extracting it.  He pushes the button, and buzz. . . . buzz. . . nothing.   The nurse looks up, the doctor hesitates (he’s behind me so I can’t see his face, but I feel him tense up).  He clears his throat and tells the nurse that apparently the needle needs to be replaced.  She scurries around the bed and out of the room.  So here we are, doctor plugging the hole in my body with his finger (like the little boy at the dike) and me laying there, trying to suppress, hysteria (laughter, crying I’m not sure).  The nurse takes about 10 minutes to return with the fully operational extraction thing-a-ma-jig.  5 samples later (and by the way the numbing medicine wore off at the last sample, oh baby, big ouch!) we are finally finished.   

The doctor puts his hand on my trembling shoulder (yes, I’m still shaking) and tells me he wants me to make an appointment for Thursday!  If the samples (that didn’t show calcification) don’t come back with anything at the lab we will keep the appointment and I’ll have to HAVE ANOTHER KIND OF BIOPSY THURSDAY.  I suddenly wondered if it was April fools day.  I mean, if the Lord has chosen to heal me, the Lord has chosen to heal me, lets not get carried away!

 

On the way home my hand and then the entire area under my arm from hand to upper arm starts to tingle.  By the time I’m home I cannot feel the area.  I will not lie.  I began to freak out!  I read the instruction sheet again, no nothing about numb arms.  Pete is calm and patient (what a blessing to me!!!), he suggests I call the number on the sheet.  So I did.  I got put on hold and transferred 4 times.  The entire time I’m wondering if I’m having a stroke or something.  Finally the nice doctor gets on the phone and tells me that sometimes when they numb the lymph node area the medicine can travel up the arm.  It should feel some better by dinner.  I’m thinking PUT IT ON THE SHEET!  That was the most unnerving part of the process (believe it or not).  It’s almost 5:00 and the numbness is much better, kind of like the end of a dentist trip, mostly in the palm of my hand. 

 

Pray for me if you will.  If the tests come back negative, I have to have another biopsy.  If the tests come back positive, well, you know ten times worse.  Ok, no contest, I’ll take the second biopsy in a heart beat, even with the numb arm (can’t believe I said that!).  God is Good!!!  All the time, no matter which way it flows.

 

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