steriotactic biopsy

lindysu

hi gang...my radiation is being held up because I need to have a steriotactc biopsy on a small spot on my mammo that can't be felt or seen on ultrasound. All my doctors expect it to be a cyst from the way it looks but because of the other cancer , they want to be sure before we proceed....my question to anyone who has had this proceedure....how painful is this???.....lindy

bdean

Hi Lindy:
I was thinking about e-mailing you to see how things were going.
I had a biopsy that sounds something like yours. Are you to be awake during procedure? I had a small spot of calcification and the surgeon used this computer imaging technique to go in--it locates exact spot. I had to go the day before and be marked with ink, and then the next day I was given something to relax me and had to lay face down with my breast in this hole in the table!!! NO joke! It was a bit embarrassing being aware of everything going on. The sounds of the procedure against by body were all that was a bit unnerving. You know like you sometimes can hear the dentist scraping or whatever on your teeth or jaw. It did not hurt--they put something like novacaine in area and I was numb. It took a couple of stitches to close it up. No problem at all if you are groggy enough not to hear what's going on.
Let me hear from you, and how it goes for you. YOu will be in my thoughts and prayers as always.
Love and hugs, Brenda

carolh

I had this done last year. The worst part was having to stay still for ages with my boob poked through a hole (weird!). I was aware of being poked and prodded, but didn't actually feel a thing. Go for it!