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IMO, reading online is sometimes worst then just going in and doing it.
Had I known the pain I would be in for the cervical biopsy I may have put it off.
Everyone is different. What is painful to me in one spot may not be painful to another.
Everyone's breasts are different as well. Some people are so sensitive they can't have them touched.
I have needles in my back pretty frequently without much numbing.
Needles go into muscle. You do what you have to do.
If someone feels they can't handle a procedure they should speak to their Dr to either get a valium or put to sleep
I hear you on that one. I had a cervical biopsy years ago and it was very painful, I didn't know if I could get through it. Nothing given for numbing.
I also had a small rod shoved through my breast a few years ago without any numbing. Felt mostly like a pinch.
I thought both seemed like barbaric procedures, but the biopsy was the worst.
I had an ultrasound done this week that confirmed a "suspicious mass" in my rt breast. I've been referred to a surgeon for a biopsy and I have to admit I'm more than a bit freaked out about the whole thing. I know nothing about what to expect except what I've been reading. I'll be the 1st to admit that I hate the thought of needles in general. I am really stressing over this. I won't even go into the possibility of it coming back as positive for cancer. I just want to get through this one step at a time. Can anyone tell me how they decide which type of procedure to use for the biopsy? Does the patient have the option of asking to be sedated if its one of the more invasive types? Sorry if it seems I'm hijacking this thread. I'll start a new one if that would be more appropriate.
My experience has been mammogram>ultrasound>core biopsy>lump removal under general anesthesia. Don't stress over what may not be. I've had numerous biopsies, and so far all have come back as either calcifications or atypical cells. Think positive!
A stereotactic core biopsy is done mammgraphically - if they are unable to localize/access the area, it may be done with MRI. Local anesthesia will be used, so hopefully, it won't be too uncomfortable. Good luck....I hope everything comes back negative.
Do not let people scare you. I've had 3 of these and none of them hurt.
The surgeon numbs the area with novacaine (this stings a bit) makes a teeny nick in the skin, and inserts the instrument. You'll hear a click when the piece of tissue is collected and then the instrument is removed. It only takes a few minutes. You will be a bit tender for a few days, and perhaps a little bruised. They will probably give you a little refreezable little ice pack to put on the area for a few hours.
Hope your outcome is good.
I had an ultrasound done this week that confirmed a "suspicious mass" in my rt breast. I've been referred to a surgeon for a biopsy and I have to admit I'm more than a bit freaked out about the whole thing. I know nothing about what to expect except what I've been reading. I'll be the 1st to admit that I hate the thought of needles in general. I am really stressing over this. I won't even go into the possibility of it coming back as positive for cancer. I just want to get through this one step at a time. Can anyone tell me how they decide which type of procedure to use for the biopsy? Does the patient have the option of asking to be sedated if its one of the more invasive types? Sorry if it seems I'm hijacking this thread. I'll start a new one if that would be more appropriate.
Run to your local library or bookstore and get The Breast Book, by Dr. Susan Love. It's great at explaining any question you may have regarding anything to do with breasts, biopsies, etc. She also has a very good website.
If possible you should get yourself to a major breast center. The doctors will discuss your options until you are comfortable with the best course of action for you, and do everything possible to make your treatment, whatever it turns out to be, as comfortable as possible.
Could you share some experiences about core needle breast biopsies? I have one on scheduled for the end of next week for a lump that doctors think is a benign fibroadenoma. I'm 23 and in good health otherwise, but am very nervous about this procedure. Thanks!
At 23, your chances of having a malignancy are very, very low. Why hasn't your physician explained the procedure to you?
Just did one a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the results were not good for me. I had the stereotactic biopsy (core) under mammogram guidance. The first thing they do is lay you on the table on your side with your arms above your head, then adjust and clamp your breast in the mammogram (uncomfortable). You are not allowed to move one iota. They take a number of mammogram photos. Then they clean you with iodine and administer a surface anesthesia, this actually stings pretty good. In another second, they administer a deep tissue anesthesia, you do not really feel this. The doctor then cuts a small slit maybe 2mm for the needle and the biopsy begins. You don't really feel any pain, I could not really tell when they were done or started for that matter. They may insert a marker (tiny titanium bead) to mark the spot to watch in the future. They take x-rays of the sample to be sure they got the right spot and take additional mammogram photos. Then you are released from the machine and they put pressure on the wound for 10 minutes (mine actually used a timer). They then put a steri strip on it, then another bandage. You do another standard mammogram then they wrap you in an ace badage with a cold pack and send you home.
It takes more time for set up and getting out of there than the biopsy itself, probably 45 min to an hour in all and there is generally no pain from the biopsy itself, some slight soreness later but no need for medication other than a tylenol. It is aggravating to have to wear the bandages but the pressure is necessary to prevent hematomas. I had a very slight bruise after 3 days but no real pain or discomfort. The needle aspirations I had earlier in the day hurt considerably more than the biopsy.
Good luck and do not work yourself up about it ahead of time.
BTW, I encourage all ladies to get their mammograms regularly. Many times cancer does not present as a lump or is not yet palpable and can only be detected by mammogram or MRI. Catching it early gives you alot more options.
A question I have.. has anyone been prescribed a Lidoderm patch before going in?
I have them for my back and have heard they help for a mammogram although I did not try it.
I has this one, it wasnt too bad. the pressure was wierd. I am having sharp pains in that breast and it's been a couple of months since the biopsy. They just started. I think the markers are causing me trouble. I have history of autoimmune diseases, and I think my body is attacking the titanium markers. Biggest disappointment is that the Dr said she may have biopsied the wrong tissue. It showed nothing, and the breast MRI and nipple die test showed pappilomas. Very disappointing to go through this for notohing. I am going back to have my ducts removed. I want these markers out and the nipple drainage to stop!
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good timing on this thread
