Stereotactic Biopsy

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Deerwendy
Deerwendy Member Posts: 7
edited April 2018 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

Hello Ladies,

I am scheduled for a stereotactic biopsy on 4/2 and I am terrified of the pain involved. I've never had one, but have been reading and researching the procedure so I can be better prepared for what to expect.

Can you please share your experiences and what I can do to minimize the pain and after effects?

I had my first mammogram (46 years old)last Friday for a lump that turned out to be several cysts, but they found a cluster of microcalcifications in the upper right breast which is warranting a biopsy (4b). I am not so worried about a BC diagnosis as I know that statistically it is still a relatively low chance, but I am worried about the biopsy procedure itself.

This may sound ridiculous, and I can understand that, however I have poor luck with procedures, and the anxiety they cause makes me become very faint. Yes, I have fainted while having blood drawn before!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!! :)

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  • SharonRose2017
    SharonRose2017 Member Posts: 40
    edited March 2018

    I hear you on the fear and anticipation! Sorry you are facing this and are here. I had mine in late June 2017. I made sure the tech and radiologist gave me lots of lidocaine during it. I even kind of overacted and moaned so they'd shoot more numbing agent in. I really only maybe felt one tiny prick from the initial shot of painkiller, as in what you might get before a procedure at the dentist or with a vaccine.

    You really won't see anything like with a blood draw if your procedure is one where you are face down on the table with a hole in it as I was.

    The pain afterwards, to me anyway, was minimal and well handled with Tylenol. I even grilled dinner outside that night, but rested that afternoon. I drove myself both ways. Ice packs help a lot to manage the swelling and any discomfort. I had steri-strips which fell off in about four days. You will see bruising eventually and a small scab from the needle.

    The waiting for results was by far much more upsetting because of the psychological effects. I wish you well! Hope you have benign results! Don't hesitate to ask anything else!

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  • TaraLeeOm
    TaraLeeOm Member Posts: 40
    edited March 2018

    i had one a week ago. The only things I felt was the squeezing of the breast and the initial needle. I always squeeze my hands into tight fists and that helps me focus away from any pain. After the numbness set in, I felt nothing.

    Another thing I do when something is very painful is to concentrate on slowly breathing in and out. I find that focusing on somethin other than the pain is very helpful.

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  • Recap
    Recap Member Posts: 120
    edited March 2018

    I had no pain (3 successive lidocaine injections each one deeper) during the same procedure as yours, but I do require additional novocaine when the dentists want to work on me (and they get nervous you will bite off their finger) so I always mention to a new dentist that it always takes extra novocaine/extra time to take effect, for me.

    No harm in telling them that in the breast procedure room-the last thing they want to happen is for you to panic and try to pull away after you are hooked up.

    (Like I tried to do during my uterine biopsy-omg it felt like they grabbed and yanked my left ovary!)

    Seriously, pain is a nervous system response that travels to and is registered by your brain-give your brain a different pain to think about-pinch yourself hard, scrunch up your face, scrunch up your toes/feet, anything that makes your brain ignore that other signal trying to get through-think only about the hand or foot or face.

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  • teachermomfl
    teachermomfl Member Posts: 104
    edited March 2018

    I had mine in December. I had no pain with mine at all, just a pinch.

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited March 2018

    I thought laying still on the table in an uncomfortable position was worse than the biopsy itself. Just a little sting when they first started injecting the numbing, then pressure. Stopped and bought groceries on the way home.

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  • tracyn
    tracyn Member Posts: 22
    edited March 2018

    Hello!

    You and I are scheduled for the same procedure on the same day! I have asked that they give me a happy pill before hand. They said all I had to do is have someone drive me home.

    Unfortunately this is not my first go around. I have no lump, just some clustering of microcacification deep in my breast. I've already been diagnosed with ALH and LCIS.

    Has any of you been diagnosed with LCIS and DCIS?

    Waiting is the hardest part. Try to stay busy and take care of yourself.

    Promise to keep us updated, I'll do the same.

    Huggs,

    Tracy


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  • Bringmesomewine
    Bringmesomewine Member Posts: 10
    edited March 2018

    I am also scheduled for stereotactic biopsy, on 4/13. In 2016 I had a bruise on my right breast that didn't go away for months; I was 39 and not technically due to start mammograms yet but my doctor ordered one. They found microcalcifications, rated BiRads3, probably benign. 6 month f/u was unchanged, then I got busy and didn't come back for my next 6 month till now, a year and 3 months later. Microcalcifications are increased, calling for biopsy. BiRads 0 at this point, the only info I have is that I have “clustered, coarse heterogeneous calcifications" at 3:00 on the right breast. I am an RN and like to think I can sort the internet bull from reliable info, so I've been researching plenty, but I am getting no closer to predicting the future. I have read a lot about biopsies, and so far it sounds consistently like an easy procedure. Best of luck to us both!

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  • Deerwendy
    Deerwendy Member Posts: 7
    edited March 2018

    Tracyn and Bringmesomewine, we will have to keep in touch to share notes when this is all over. You are both in my thoughts for calm and healing from all of this anxiety provoking clamor.

    I am at the frustration stage and keep going back and forth on the actual need for this procedure when my risk for BC is almost null. I know that there is always a possibility of a positive diagnosis, however the probability is extremely low; and although my birad is 4b, that still puts the chance of this being anything at a low 30%.

    Thank you to everyone for the kind and supportive posts that have provided great insight into what I can expect. I will be seated instead of prone for the procedure, which terrifies me even more because I can see everything, but I spoke with the nurse and let her know I will be bringing my sleep mask and headphones so I block out those senses and hopefully provide a little more calm to me for the procedure.

    I will update everyone soon!


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  • tracyn
    tracyn Member Posts: 22
    edited April 2018

    Thank you Deerwendy! I will be thinking about you as I lay on the table tomorrow. Good Luck! Don't forget to ask for the happy pill :)

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited April 2018

    tracyn, nobody should count on getting a "happy pill." The breast center I use does not provide sedation and makes a point of telling you you will be fine to drive yourself home

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  • Bringmesomewine
    Bringmesomewine Member Posts: 10
    edited April 2018

    deerwendy and tracyn, hoping both your biopsies went well today, thinking of you both. Update when you can:

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  • LeighDi
    LeighDi Member Posts: 2
    edited April 2018

    I'd like to hear how they both went too!


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  • Deerwendy
    Deerwendy Member Posts: 7
    edited April 2018

    Hi Everyone,

    I had the biopsy on Monday and it went well. The staff at the breast center was/is amazing and they took excellent care of me from start to follow-up.

    My diagnosis is atypical ductal hyperplasia and flat epithelial atypia, so I have an MRI on Monday and meet with a surgeon on 4/18.

    This is all so new to me that I am not sure what to think or how to process all of this. The nurse told me that it is not cancer and only places me in a higher risk group of turning into cancer, but it may never become anything at all. From the research I have done, it sounds like a large part of the time this diagnosis is indicative of ductal carcinoma in situ.

    I am not sure what to think except that I will hopefully know more after the MRI.

    Can someone share their expericence with me on what to expect from the MRI and what this diagnosis has meant to you?

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  • Ingerp
    Ingerp Member Posts: 2,624
    edited April 2018

    I had ALH about nine years ago. No MRI and even thought long and hard about having the excisional biopsy. My research at the time said that about 20% of the time they’ll find something uglier (like DCIS) in the area so I had it done but nothing more serious was found. I can tell you to remember to keep up with your mammos—I was about 18 months late before the one that led to the DCIS dx two years ago. I also hope someone tells you MRIs are so good that they have a high false positive rate (my BS said 30%—“They light *everything* up.”) Hope this helps

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