Needle Biopsy Information Help

[Deirdre]

Hi my name is Deirdre.  I have recently had a pet scan that lit up a mass on my lung.  The surgeon wants to do a needle biopsy.  I have heard they are painful and they only numb the outside  area where the needle goes in.  I have no pain tolerance.  I do not know if I can handle this.

 

Is there someone here who has experienced a needle biopsy for a lung mass?

 

Was the experience very painful?

 

Were you given any kind of mild sedative?  Did it work?

 

Was anyone offered any stronger sedatives?

 

Is there anyone who refused the needle biopsy either before or after the process started because of pain?

 

If you refused the biopsy, what other alternatives were given to you?

[Tom Galli]

Deirdre,

 

Here is what I wrote on another blog you posted on the same topic.  Looks like you figured out our site navigation.  Good job!

 

We found you and welcome!

 

First to answer your site navigation questions.  This applies to all of our forum categories (Introduce Yourself, Share Your Lung Cancer Story, General, LC Survivors and etc.)  Choose a category in blue font.  Click on it and notice the dark blue box with the words "Start New Topic".  When you click on that box, a blog page opens with space for a Topic Title, tags (optional) and a place to type text.  So say your are a NSCLC [non-small cell lung cancer] survivor and want to blog your concerns in that forum, you'd select NSCLC Group.  But, we found you!

 

Pain from a needle biopsy?  Yes I was given a local and the amount of anesthetic depends on how deep they need to go to obtain the sample.  I didn't feel any pain but I didn't enjoy the process either and looked away.  I've also had a needle biopsy where they needed to go deeper and I was administered gas plus a local to make me compliant (and comfortable).  There was pain after either procedure.

 

I even had a local once when doctors had to cut a new chest tube opening in my back.  I didn't feel a thing.

 

It is important to communicate your fear of pain to the doctors that are performing the process.  There is no reason I can think of why doctors would want to make you as comfortable as possible during this procedure.

 

I've never refused a needle biopsy because the product of the biopsy defines the type of cancer I had (have).  Typing cancer is very important because different types respond to different drugs or procedures.  Here is a good resource on cancer types - https://www.lungevit...-of-lung-cancer

 

OBTW - a good way to see if someone has responded to your blog is to select the View New Content text in white font on blue background.  This opens a summary of all new blogs or the latest responder to an existing blog.  Indeed, it is the way I found your questions.

 

Stay the course.

 

Tom 

[marc9338]

I have not had a needle biopsy in my lung, but did have one last week into my pelvic bone.  They put me to sleep with a general anesthetic and there was no pain.  It was a piece of cake.

 

I agree with Tom...  If you are nervous talk to the Dr.  My Dr. explained in detail the process and worked with me to insure I was comfortable and understood everything that was happening.

 

I would say, the only thing that was remotely bad was how goofy I was after the procedure while I still had meds in me.