Biopsies

Wow!  I have had too many biopsies this month!  I had two biopsies done on Thursday the 17th.  One was a bone marrow biopsy which was thankfully cancer free!!  The other biopsy attempted to collect a sample of one of the masses in my chest through a bronchoscopy.  They stuck a scope through my nose, down my throat, checked my airways and then poked through and collected a sample of tissue.  However the results of this biopsy didn't show anything abnormal.  They probably either got too small a sample or collected it from the wrong place.

Then I received a phone call Tuesday, the 22nd, and was informed that I was scheduled for another biopsy Friday morning.  I had to go get labs and pre-register on Wednesday.  Then I got to enjoy Thanksgiving and stuff myself with food, since I had to fast after midnight.  Then I went in and had a CT guided biopsy.  They used the CT to make sure they were taking a biopsy from the right spot, and to try to avoid my lung, because the mass is near to my lung.  They used a coring needle, I believe I heard 20 gauge, to keep an opening so that they could collect multiple samples, so that hopefully this will be my last biopsy.  After the procedure they kept me for about 4 hours because they said I had air outside my lungs and wanted to make sure it was stable.  They told me to watch for shortness of breath and sharp pains and told me to basically have bed rest for the remainder of the day.  But, stupid me, I started doing things because I felt fine, then had some pain.  Then I started freaking out and thinking I couldn't breath.  I talked to the doctor who preformed the biopsy and he said that the main symptom to watch for was the shortness of breath, which I didn't really have.  I knew that was in my head, so I made myself relax, which is hard sometimes.   I realized that I am going to have to take it easy and slow, not overdo anything.