Fun with needles

[annathepiper]

So I just got to work following my biopsy at Swedish. It went pretty well on the whole and was almost an exact repeat of last year's biopsy, aside from having a different doctor perform the procedure this time. This time I got an older gent who introduced himself as Dr. Hirsch and who was pretty friendly, though he wasn't quite as smooth with the technique as last year's doctor. Also, he didn't use any anesthetic on my neck, so it actually hurt this time. Not too badly, but enough to notice.

The amusing part, though, was that I got the same tech to prep me this time as I did last year: brown-haired Jen. She even remembered Dara and me, and remembered that Dara had stayed with me during the procedure and hadn't been rattled by the needles. As I believe I remember us mentioning to her last time around, this was nothing compared to breaking my arm and Dara being all wiggy over me having a second elbow and my arm going all spazzy.

Anyway, yay, biopsy. It turned out that the node they wanted to check out is partially solid and partially fluid, and it was the solid part from which they took the samples. It should only take a couple of days, and I should be hearing back from Dr. Marshall by the end of the week with the results.

Comments

[starfallz.livejournal.com]

Good luck! One half of my biopsy was a bit deeper than the anesthesia went, so I feel ya on the pain front.

[annathepiper]

Thank you much, hon! It helped that Dara was right there, and I hung onto her hand every time they poked the needle in. And it also helped that it was quick.

[starfallz.livejournal.com]

Indeed. I kept on picturing things that were not there, like water and waves and stuff. *hugs*

[annathepiper]

*snugs!* I seemed to do pretty well just thinking very hard about my feet, rather than what was going on up around my neck. The doctor told me I did well. Heh. As I mentioned to Jen--that was nothing, after breaking my arm. ;)

[caligogreywings.livejournal.com]

ewie ewie ewie needles

No anasthetic? Yow.

[annathepiper]

Yeah, the doctor just washed my neck off, or at least that's how he described it, and then he poked the needles in. Hurt just enough to be uncomfortable for a few seconds. But at least it was over and done with quickly. :)

[caligogreywings.livejournal.com]

I'd have been like "Dude drugs!!!" Needles make me go tense.

[annathepiper]

These did me, actually--but it was fast enough that I put up with it. If it had been something that was going to last more than 10 minutes or so, or involving bigger needles, I'd absolutely have been asking for something!

[solarbird]

The wash looked like betadine, if you're curious. It's not numbing in any way.

[annathepiper]

Oh okay--and I see that I actually described it as an antiseptic, not an anesthetic, in my post from last year. So I just got confused.

Which of course brings us back around to your earlier comment that this guy just wasn't as smooth with the needles as last year's doctor, because I definitely don't remember her poking me being quite so... noticeable.

[starsongky.livejournal.com]

I saw your subject line skimming my Friends list and wondered why one of my knitting communities was suddenly showing up with a different sidebar color than usual.

[annathepiper]

*snicker* Thanks, now I've got a visual of my neck being sown up with knitting needles. ;)

Core sample,sort of.

[(Anonymous)]

Hope it all turns out well..I take it a node that's partially fluid/solid is a good sign? At least as far as those things go. Hope it turns out well for you. Curiosity point. Does the gizmo they took your biopsy with look like a T-shaped blue-handled punch? I work in a medical warehouse,and we stock biopsy needles,ranging in size from hair thin to a quarter inch in diameter..like miniature core-sample bits...Scott

Re: Core sample,sort of.

[solarbird]

I don't know what you mean by a punch, but in this case, it looked pretty much like an ordinary syringe. One difference that you could see on the ultrasound - which magnifies everything - was that the tip was asymmetrically cut, presumably to allow a larger opening over the same diametre.

Re: Core sample,sort of.

[(Anonymous)]

Like the punches used to punch holes in leather or vinyl-a T-shaped handle,stainless steel tube with a angled and sharpened edge.The handle is threaded behind the tube,so the flexible-wire "sample grabbers" can be used if needed. There's a wide variety of these on a shelf labelled "biopsy needles"-none of the ones on that shelf are syringe-shaped..Scott

Re: Core sample,sort of.

[annathepiper]

I take it a node that's partially fluid/solid is a good sign?

*shrug* Your guess is as good as mine. What they told me was that they don't care about the fluid part, just the solid part. This is also a different state than the big 6cm node was in; I don't recollect them saying anything about there being any fluid bits in that one. It may be that this node is simply not as far along as the big one was, or something.

And I must defer to Dara for what the needle looked like, because I had my eyes closed the whole time. I generally do close my eyes if somebody's doing something medical close around my face; it twigs my sense of personal space, so I have to close my eyes. I do this at the dentist, too.

[kissare.livejournal.com]

Eep - drugless! You're a warrior all right!

[annathepiper]

*grins sheepishly* Well, I have a pretty decent pain tolerance, anyway. To this day I'm still surprised I never actually fainted when I broke my arm. O.o

[kissare.livejournal.com]

Ah, the macho pain tolerance. I've got that one too. Most of the time I REALLY appreciate it. Every so often it tries to kill me. As in, "What do you mean I have an ear infection and am a couple days away from losing the eardrum? It just started hurting yesterday!" I tend to take it for granted, and underestimate the importance of stuff, because it just doesn't hurt that much. I AM impressed that you never fainted when you broke your arm - it sounded pretty intense when it happened. I have never broken my arm, and I hope I never do!

[annathepiper]

*giggle* "Macho" is not normally a word I would use in connection with myself, but this might perhaps be one of the few appropriate areas. Hee.

And in general, I do recommend avoiding snapping one's arm in half, yes.