Breat biopsy using stereotactic technique

Obrn_01

I had a biopsy in 2010, which was painful...but not all that bad. I could tolerate it.  That time it was positive for cancer. Then.....this past Tuesday Oct. 17, 2017...I had a stereotactic breast biopsy ( or attempted biopsy) and it was very very very painful. The Dr. was very kind, and the two ladies in there helping were fantastic...but this procedure needs to be changed. The only pain relief was local injection of lidocaine, then lidocaine mixed with epinephrine to go a little deeper. The probe is air driven by a machine after the doctor pinpoints the area she wants to biopsy. I had my head turned so as not to automatically try to get away when the probe came at me. The doctor activated the probe and I felt everything. They may as well not of done any of the local, because it didn't help at all. I felt like a gun shot victim, shot in the chest with a bullet.

I am not happy about this, and I don't think women ( and some guys too ) should have to put up with this and figure this is just the way it is. This is a barbaric procedure, or at least mine was. I became hot and sweaty and light headed after the probe entered my breast. I told the doctor so, and she pulled the probe out to lay me back and elevate my feet. They put a cold wash cloth on my head and gave me some orange juice. They asked me when I last ate, and what. I am here to tell you that it wasn't a result of low blood sugar, but a reaction to extreme pain.

Once I felt better, they asked if I was willing to try again. I wasn't thrilled to do it, but wanted to get to the bottom of this long process. So far this has been going on for a month, two mammograms, one a screening and the other a diagnostic. Then...an ultrasound...then this biopsy. The doctor was unable to visualize the area when I sat back up, she said the lidocaine she had injected into the tissue was obliterating her view. So, I was not able to have the biopsy completed. Now I have to go for a breast MRI.

One reason I joined this group is to ask all of you who have recently had a biopsy using this stereotactic procedure....how was your pain during this?? I want to help make a positive change in this procedure. There needs to be another form of anesthesia offered to patients, I really feel that briefly putting the patient out would be the most humane. I think we should be given that option. It wouldn't have to be for long, probably 5 minutes at the most. Something like with a colonoscopy or oral surgery.

I have been a nurse for 35 years, and OB is my area of speciality. I have not practiced for the last few years, but I know how the medical field works. They want facts to facilitate a change. I want to hear from you if you or someone you know had this procedure....and how painful was it? Use the pain scale from 1 to 10 to rate the pain. 1 is the minimal amount of pain, and 10 is the most awful pain you can think of. I want to protest loudly to get this procedure to be more humane, but I cannot do this alone. I need facts from others. They tell me this was unusal for a patient to have that much pain. I find that hard to believe. So...please if you would....help me out here so that we can hopefully help others to not have to go through this without the choice of a more effective way of dealing with the pain.

 

Thanks so much!

 

HapB

Biopsy

OBRn, I am so sorry that this diagnostic process has been such an ordeal for you. I am not sure, but the bipsy procedure sounds similar to what they did with me except the first step was for them to insert a seed to guide the biopsy, then they were able to quickly go in and do the biopsy with a local. It was quite painful, but very quick, so the pain was over before I could react.  The nurses were holding my arms and one of them held my hand. It only took about a minute for the biopsy part for me. 

aisling8

Two biopsies

Hello,

I've had two biopsies. One was the core biopsy which felt like a non event. The other, a few years later, was the steriotactic which did feel like an event. I didn't care for climbing up onto a high table or the nurse holding her hand on my back so I wouldn't jump, nor did I like the sound and feel of the drill boring into me. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain so I'd rate it as maybe a 3 out of 10. I felt more puffy and sore afterwards than I did with the first biopsy. 

Hope this helps.

Victoria

Obrn_01

HapB said:

Biopsy

OBRn, I am so sorry that this diagnostic process has been such an ordeal for you. I am not sure, but the bipsy procedure sounds similar to what they did with me except the first step was for them to insert a seed to guide the biopsy, then they were able to quickly go in and do the biopsy with a local. It was quite painful, but very quick, so the pain was over before I could react.  The nurses were holding my arms and one of them held my hand. It only took about a minute for the biopsy part for me. 

Thank you for your response.

Thank you for your response. I appreciate you sharing that. I had a biopsy back in 2010, for my cancer diagnosis and it was nothing like this. It hurt, but wasn't anything I couldn't deal with. This was just awful, probably an 8 out of 10 on the pain scale. They had the room reserved for 90 minutes for this procedure. I was probably in there for an hour, and even though they were not successful at getting a tissue sample, I still had the entire procedure and the worse part was when the probe sunk into my breast with great force. Talk about curl your toes....ahh.

 

 

 

 

 

Obrn_01

aisling8 said:

Two biopsies

Hello,

I've had two biopsies. One was the core biopsy which felt like a non event. The other, a few years later, was the steriotactic which did feel like an event. I didn't care for climbing up onto a high table or the nurse holding her hand on my back so I wouldn't jump, nor did I like the sound and feel of the drill boring into me. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain so I'd rate it as maybe a 3 out of 10. I felt more puffy and sore afterwards than I did with the first biopsy. 

Hope this helps.

Victoria

Victoria, thank you for your response. I am glad you didn't have the experience that I did. I did ask the doctor and her assistants if they ever had anyone faint, and they said "Oh yes, some of them go completely out". That tells me something. I would like to see them offer a patient the option of having something more than a local. If the patient declines, fine...but if they want something more it should be available. My sister had the sterotactic biopsy last year and she said it was absolutely horrid. They hit a blood vessel and she bled heavily. She developed a large blood clot in her breast which hurt her for quite some time, probably a month or more. She rated her experience as an 8.

aisling8

Wow

The experiences you describe, yours and your sister's, sound like they were dreadful and I'm so sorry you both had such pain and fainting and complications. It must have been awful. I think it's good that you're advocating for something better and I wish you well.

xoxo

Victoria

Apaugh

yes, that hurt!

That hurt very bad.  I would say a 7.  I appriciated the honesty of the doc.  He said it would hurt and he kept apologizing all through the procedure.  I did not hold a hand, I chose to grip the table.  The nurse wiped the tears.  It is not only the physically painful, it was emotional.  I went to that appoinment determined to be brave.  I got it over with, got back to my car and cried like a baby. 

I am sorry anyone has to go through it. 

Hugs,

Annie

Obrn_01

Apaugh said:

yes, that hurt!

That hurt very bad.  I would say a 7.  I appriciated the honesty of the doc.  He said it would hurt and he kept apologizing all through the procedure.  I did not hold a hand, I chose to grip the table.  The nurse wiped the tears.  It is not only the physically painful, it was emotional.  I went to that appoinment determined to be brave.  I got it over with, got back to my car and cried like a baby. 

I am sorry anyone has to go through it. 

Hugs,

Annie

Hi Annie,

Thank you so much for your post. I appreciate your input. I am determined to do my best to get the protocol changed for this procedure. I used to help the hospital write some policy/procedures for my unit (obstetrics/gyn). I am hoping that they will listen to me. It will hold more clout if I can have some statistics to back me up.

You are right about it being both physical and emotional. It seems like there should be something that could be done to make this less traumatic.

Blessings to you,

Kim