Refusing a biopsy
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Pessa, interesting you should ask. My first breast MRI I had a panic attack and they rescheduled me for later with Versed. The tech stayed in the room with me until I was sedated and I don’t remember after that. A few years later I had a brain MRI ordered and I told the tech that I needed Versed. He told me to get up on the machine and I said no, I need Versed first. He insisted (and nowadays I would refuse, but I was more obedient then) so I got on the table and he left the room without giving me anything! I laid on the table and watched my blood pressure skyrocket. After about 5 minutes of this, I got up, walked out to the area where the techs were and said, “I refuse this test!” My dr. ordered a CT instead. After my BC diagnosis, I went to a different imaging center and they were very nice and stayed with me until I was out. I wish I had gone to this place earlier.0
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Just reading everyone's experiences makes a huge difference to people at any stage of the process. I think we (I say we as I am here, but I am not privy to be part of the journey yet - if at all) all think that, at whatever stage that we are at, we have to be brave - "oh the big C yes i can kick its behind" however when for some people, just stumbling at the first hurdle is terrifying. (Notwithstanding that the whole thing is terrifying)
At whatever stage, I think aside from anything else I've learned it's ok to not be a tough cookie 24/7, so for that and to you all I thank you.
Still waiting for my doctor to call, I know he said next week but there's always the hope inside you that he's reviewed the file sooner. I'm keeping occupied by cleaning the house top to bottom . It is neither spring nor am I pregnant 😑
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can you take valium? My doctor gave me valium when I was very nerve racked over the waiting on all the results of test. It might help you get threw the procedure
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i completely understand your situation and your fears of invasive procedures and dear i stand by you.It's difficult but not impossible to deal with it. To fight it and thus ultimately fighting your own demons. You have to overcome it, no fear can bind us, not for life. I am sure you must remember how afraid we were of the dark as youngsters, but definitely not now. Similarly, you minght find yourself kiddish after a few years when you think aout this fear of invasive medicine. I am myself no big fan of hospitals and medical procedures but i underwent the treatment and I am glad I did. As you know its a personal experience thus you yourself have to collect yourself to come out of it, its you have to gather strength. Its not a fight between your anxiety and invasive techniques rather its a battle between your fears and your will power, and dear you must win. Cancer is a merciless disease you need to be very strong dealing with it. No amount of fear shpuld put you down and you need to work very hard to detach cancer from your nody. Start acting now and you might be healthy again.let doctors do their work, trust them and above all trust yourself
Love and Luck
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Peregrinelady, Thank you. Interesting......
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What helped me through my Cancerfest was something I read here (I think posted by Beesie): You don't have to be brave; you just have to show up.
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I also have needle phobia. I start sweating and my heart races, my blood pressure goes up and I feel a little dizzy. I've been this way for as long as I can remember. I cried during my second biopsy. I explain my phobia to whoever is planning to stick me and then look away and close my eyes. As many times as I've been stuck for blood draws and chemo I still can't look. I have a blood draw today for pre-op testing and tomorrow for my oncologist. 😩 I only have 1 viable arm because of lymph node removal. I have a lot more trouble with blood draws and IVs since chemo. Here's hoping they get what they need on the first try!
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I don't understand why there isn't better anesthesia for these things. For me, the ultrasound biopsy was easy peasy and didn't really hurt. The MRI one was more stressful but Ativan helped.
But my word...the wire placement prior to lumpectomy...I still wonder if I should have complained to hospital admin about that. Painful, I was not adequately numbed...I felt that wire go in...they also felt it necessary to squeeze my large painful hematoma into a mammogram while I was sobbing in pain without adequate pain control, despite me informing them I wasn't numb yet. All of this immediately before cancer surgery. How more miserable can you make someone. In between sobs I asked why it couldn't be done once I was already medicated...they mumbled something about it being too hard to coordinate with anesthesia. I still say they need to do away with breast cancer awareness month and do a wire localization awareness month, lol.
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That wire placement was very hard on me emotionally and mentally, and no joke triggered my PTSD from being sexually abused as a small girl I asked for a sedative but was refused. I am not a crier but I cried throughout that whole thing. I'll be forever grateful to the radiology tech who held my hand.
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I almost refused mine, talked to the radiologist in dressing room. She said you don't have to do this. It's your body. Had had 3 in the last year, was just tired of it and biopsy turned out to be IDC
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For blood draws, I have started saying, “I am a difficult stick and most people end up with a butterfly needle.” Usually they listen and go straight to the butterfly which is smaller and you can hardly feel it go in.0
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Looking back I am so glad I was oblivious to the wire placement prior to surgery. I remember being told about the dye but I had no idea. If I had to think about that before hand, I would have been way more anxious than I already was. I just showed up as scheduled. Got the dye pack inserted 1st than a tech and Dr came over and explained this procedure. OUCH is right! I thought as they were smashing my boob down in the mammo machine and then punching a needle in there that I bet there's a lot of women that probably don't take this part very well! The tech agreed, said I did great but whoa!! I had 2 done, one on each side. The lighter and funny part when done was that they tape Styrofoam cups over the needles. Then, you wait for your OR time if they're running on schedule. I told my husband and daughter that this was like torture, and I felt like a pig being branded and sent to slaughter. By the time I reached the OR I was NEVER so happy to get knocked out!
BTW, I'm starting to get just a little anxious to get in the MRI machine again for a biopsy of left breast. It should work out fine. I just do what they ask and I'll have the Tylenol ready for when the lidocaine wears off. Wish me luck
Hotwing, let us know how you make out.
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kinda comforting to know theres a percentage of people that are terrified, but I'm so so humbled that, fears aside, you did it. All of you did it x
Docs office called today - I have a date with a core needle biopsy. Yay. 😑 Booked for next wednesday afternoon, spoke to the nurse at the hospital, she was super lovely and apparently they are ready for me and she said they will do everything they can to make it as zero stressful as possible . She sounded so lovely.
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I was supposed to get the wire but they ended up not needing it for the surgery. So it is possible to not need the wire/styrofoam cup procedure
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I think I'd be happier with a red solo cup!!! that's a bonus though not needing the wire! Anything that makes it easier
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um quick question, in case you ladies know (I will phone and ask tomorrow) will they tell you your Birads rating if you ask them? I should have asked the doc or the nurse but i kinda just wanted the phone calls over and done with, and I always forget to ask important information until its too late !
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I'm sure they will! Give them a call!!
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Yes--and if you have access through a portal, you should be able to read your path report.
My slightly funny story about the wire . . . they were out of the shorter wires so ended up using a really long one. Now I'm fairly small, 5'5" and my bra band size is 30" so this thing stuck WAY out on me. It looked like a really gigantic mutant cat's whisker (I love cats). They coiled mine up and then sort of taped the coil so no red Solo cup for me! Just a gigantic whisker.
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edj3, my breast center is about a half mile from the ambulatory surgical center, so my mom had to drive me over there with my styrofoam cup and then I had to sit in the waiting room, styrofoam cup and all, while we waited to be called back.
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Oh my goodness, the visual for that is . . . hilariously awful!
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Yeah, pretty embarrassing, and it really sucked that it all took so long that the deadening for the wire localization was wearing off before they ever got me into pre-op prep.
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I called them and get this - Birads 0 on left breast Birads 3 on right !!!! So I said hang on a minute why on earth are you guys so adamant I need a biopsy for these results??? I await a return call ....... left breast is where all the concern was hovering over - right was being the good little sister in the corner
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Birads 0 means incomplete and more imaging needed.
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Yup I read that but apparently most of the "further tests' seem to just involve imaging (still trying to get out of this biopsy!!)
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Today was biopsy day. I was brave and walked through the door. Even got my gown on and downed 3 ativan.That's when things went south. Unfortunately about shot off the table backwards when the radiologist took out a sharpie to draw a dot on my boob, and the final straw was when he was about to put the needle in to numb the breast I rolled off the table, told him it wasn't happening. He advised to let me calm down and he'd try again in 10 mins. I said in that 10 mins I'd be so worked up I'd have the door barricaded. So we re at an impasse. They wont pit me out or sedate me, and I am now 100% sure I wont let them touch me while I'm awake!
Next course of action is to find some (any) other place in Alberta that will put me to sleep!
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Hotwing, I'm sorry...I don't mean to give offense...but I would bet the farm that no one, anywhere, is going to authorize general anesthesia for a needle biopsy. It would be poor medical care. General anesthesia is not without risk, and If you had a complication it would be your doctors' butts on the chopping block.
A couple of ideas here. Have you discussed an open/surgical biopsy with your doctor? These ARE done with the patient asleep (at least they used to be) and it's probably overkill for a biopsy that could be done with a needle, but it's a thought.
And, have you considered consulting with a psychiatrist who could then advocate for you with your radiologist?
It also seems to be poor medical care to not do anything reasonable to help. Sorry you had this miserable experience.
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If they won't agree to general anesthesia for a needle biopsy, ask them to consider an excisional biopsy to remove the suspicious area. Maybe then they'd consider general anesthesia for that procedure. IF the needle biopsy were to come back malignant, you'd end up having larger surgery later anyway. Heck, years ago they didn't do needle biopsies, ALL biopsies were excisional. While it's a more invasive procedure, if it helps you move forward it would be worth it.
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Hey both, yes I had discussed an excisional biopsy, and I said sure great knock me and take me to town, BUT my doc said that to do an excisional biopsy under general anesthesia, that first I would need a wire guided ultra sound so the surgeons know where to cut - and guess what - the wire guided ultra sound is done whilst a person is awake - so back to square one.
I hate that I'm like this I really do, I know from the nurses description that the node is 15mm about 3cm deep and has irregularities coming off it, so I know it needs doing. I just cannot physically lay there awake and let someone poke me
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I said can I have something like gas and air to totally knock me out, theoretically I dont have to be fully asleep, just incapacitated. 3 ativan did nothing aside from make my escape about .4 seconds slower. They said no to everything. It was ativan or nothing
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Hotwing, you're aware that general anesthesia or conscious sedation requires an IV start? Would you be OK holding still for that?
The ultrasound and wire placement could theoretically be done while you're under; it wouldn't extend OR time by very much. It's worth a discussion.
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