At 6:00 AM on Tuesday, I checked into Interventional Radiology for my needle biopsy.
A needle biopsy is done by inserting a needle in the chest and into the lung. It is guided by a series of CT scans. To select the starting point, they place a grid over the general area of the tumor. Grid lines were spaced about a centimeter each way. I assume the lines show up on a CT image. The radiologist can select a point to insert the needle which will miss a rib and will allow a clear path to the tumor. Mid-course corrections are made as necessary guided by CT scans until the needle is at the tumor.
When the radiologist is certain that the needle is at the site, cells are extracted. As I understand, a slide is made and then someone determines that the sample is adequate for a pathology determination. In any case, they took two samples from my tumor.
What makes this all tolerable is anesthesia. First, you are given a local anesthetic. Then a light anesthesia that maintains half consciousness. Nevertheless, I averted by eyes when they began to insert the needle. You can take directions for simple actions but little more. It is very similar to anesthesia for a colonoscopy.
One of the interesting experiences of the process was how comforting a warm blanket can be. They roll you into the CT scanner room and you are transferred to the CT scanner table. The room is cold, but not so cold that you are aware of it. Then they bring in a warm blanked and cover you with it. It is not only physically comforting but emotionally relaxing.
When I left the room and was being rolled back to recovery, I had terrible chest pains (maybe 7 on the 1 to 10 pain scale). I was immediately hooked up for a ECG, which was normal. After a while the pain subsided somewhat.
In an hour I was sent in for a chest xray. I was unable to stand up so they took the xray with the film against by back as I lay on the gurney.
Back to recovery where I was told that there was a small air pocket between my lung and the pleura. I would have to wait another hour for a follow up xray. What I later realized was that the air that leaked into the interstitial space from my lung had resulted in a partial lung collapse.
The second xray showed no change. I could not eat or have liquids because if they decided to insert a tube to suck the air out of the air bubble I would go into surgery under anesthesia which has to be done on an empty stomach.
This continued through a total of four or five chest xrays, I can’t even remember at this time. By the third I was able to get off the gurney and stand up for the xray.
At a little after 4:00 pm after the last xray, I was sent home with instructions to return the next day to make sure that the lung collapse was being corrected. If it did not, I would have to have a vent installed.
I had not eaten anything since 8 the night before nor had any liquid other than melting ice that was offered in the recovery area; so Jana and I went to the cafeteria for some refreshments.
I went home in some discomfort but by morning I was feeling fine. I was sure that the air bubble had disappeared and that my lung had returned to normal.
