Donna in Hollywoodland

The Biopsy

A friend picked me up about 9:15 and drove me to the Breast Center.
I made sure I brought a bag of protein bars and apple juice with me, just in case my Hypoglycemia acted up while going through the Biopsy.

After I changed into my gown, they hay had me wait in the waiting area.

I see the doctor go by. The one who looks like Halle Berry.
She is wearing a dark knee length skirt, covered by a white lab coat, and black high heals. Like almost stilettos. Very high and the heels very thin.

All of a sudden I feel alot better.
My doctor is wearing stilettos. She is going to do the biopsy while wearing those.
Gee, she must be good. Because now I almost feel like I am in a Hospital Drama on TV.
How chic.

I show them my little bag of protein bars and juice. I repeat the "Lidocaine with no epinephrine" mantra.
They lay me down on the table. They hook me up to the ultrasound.
I am laying almost on my right side, at an angle, a pillow tucked along my back.
The Doctor is on my left, towards my back. The Assistant, and the Ultrasound Monitor is on my right, towards my front.
I can watch the monitor to the right, while they do the biopsy on the left.

The first needle is to numb my breast. I say to the Doctor "I don't think you gave me enough lidocaine, I don't think I am numb".
She says "Oh, believe me you are numb."
Yeah, I was.

They took about 6 samples of tissue. Each time the needle making a big clicking noise like a giant stapler.
But I didn't feel anything. I just watched the TV Monitor as the needle pierced the Thing inside my breast as it took the tissue samples.

Then, I think my hypoglycemia started to kick in. I started to feel weird. She said they were almost done. They just needed to place a titanium marker on the actual lump. I was afraid I was going to faint.

Before I got up from the table, the assistant let me drink from my box of apple juice. I was pretty wobbly. I started to feel somewhat better after I had a protein bar.

Then, after that, it was another mammogram. Just one. Oh, dear, squishing my poor left breast under plastic right after its been jammed with a huge needle.

And they told me "Oh yes, you can wear a bra afterwards." Well, maybe in theory you can. But you are so swollen, and it can't fit in the bra. I mean they took 6 tissue samples, of course you will be swollen. Once I got home I put an ice pack on it as they told me to, but it didn't seem to help.

The rules : No shower for 24 hours, no heavy lifting for 48 hours.
They said it would hurt after the lidocaine wore off. Well, no it didn't. As long as I didn't move my arm. It only hurt when I really tried to use my arm, like opening the curtains.

Frankly, if it was painful, I think I could have dealt with that.
I can't deal with yucky boo-boos on my breast. Even if they are covered with 2 different bandages.
All afternoon and evening I said to my breast "Oh, you poor baby." It looked horrible and was swollen. And I could see a nice green and purple bruise forming on it. I felt the need to check on it almost every hour.

I laid on the couch most of the day, reading. I did get on the computer alittle bit.
I found that the most comfortable position to sleep in, was the one I had on the biopsy table. One my right side, with a pillow at my back so I could tilt back alittle. It was not a good nights sleep at all.