The account below is my personal experience. Each person’s experience/treatment is different, depending on their cancer and care. This is just my story, shared in hopes of helping others.
When the radiologist told me I would need to have a breast biopsy, she told me that most women handle it very well. So I chose to not research it or look into it at all. She told me the radiologist would numb the area and then use a needle to taike a few samples from the lump and also from a lymph node. She said there would be a loud clicking noise, but that it shouldn’t hurt.
That was true for the second biopsy, the one taken from my lymph node. A small pinch for the lidocaine and then a loud click and some pressure to take the sample.
The biopsy for the lump was different though. The lidocaine did not numb deep enough and when she put the needle in it was extremely painful. She gave me more lidocaine but it never totally numbed it. After the biopsy, I had to wait for a “gentle” mammogram to make sure they markers they placed in the biopsy areas were in the correct spot. I think I waiting for about 20 minutes “(my biopsy had gone faster than they anticipated). During that time, I was in tears from the pain. My breast felt very heavy and painful. I wish I would have had some Tylenol with me to take then. Once the “gentle mammogram” was over (which hurt because I was so sore) and we were in the car, I took some Tylenol. It kicked in after about 20 minutes and I was doing much better. I stayed on top of the Tylenol but around 2 am woke up in a lot of pain as it had worn off. I took Tylenol the next day. The day after that, the pain was gone and no Tylenol was needed.
So I guess I’m one of the women who doesn’t tolerate a biopsy well. The radiologist said that some tumors are hard to numb all the way and sometimes they can’t totally get rid of the pain. Good to know. Mine must have been one of them.
I hope to hear the results soon.
