Biopsy

Biopsy is a medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination, this is the definition according to Wikipedia.

One type of biopsy is what they call Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy. I will explain the procedure step by step based on my experienced.

When you arrived at the center, they will confirm some personal information, then ask you to sign some documents for the insurance and some consent form. Then you will be taken by someone into a room, give you instructions to undress from waist up and will be given a robe which has an opening in front. You can sit in the couch inside the waiting area before they will bring you to the room where the procedure will be administered.

A technician will get your blood pressure, explain to you once again how the procedure will work, and asked you to sign a consent form for the procedure and some other paper works.

The doctor will clean the area of your breast, prepare the area by putting some cloth around it. Then she will locate the lump and inject a very fine needle into it to check if it is fluid or solid. You can see the needle go through your breast through the screen monitor. You cannot hardly feel it. When she makes sure that the lump is solid, she injects an anesthesia to make the area numb. There is a tingling sensation on it that is quite painful ( just a little). When the area is numb she injects another needle and pull a very tiny tissue for sample to be taken to the laboratory and examine under the microscope. Then they would know if the lump is cancerous or not. When they take a sample of the tissue you will hear a click (it startles me at first), but no pain. They do it three times.

After that, the doctor clean the area again and put an ice pack and apply pressure on it. This takes a few minutes until the bleeding subside. Then, the technician will get your blood pressure again to make sure that everything is ok. The doctor explains everything to you throughout the procedure. Then she put a dressing on the area where they inserted the needle. You will have the icepack in the next 20 minutes while you are on your way home.

Before you go home, they will asked you to have the dressing on for two days. You should not take a bath nor get the bandage wet. Then there is a paper that indicates what you can and cannot do after the procedure. They gave you a bag which contains, some Tylenol, ice packs, sponges, dressings.

Then, I'm good to go !

The procedure went well, and it is not so bad the way I expected it. I am still hoping and praying that the result will be negative though.