May
28, 2013
MRI Guided
Biopsy
Appointed
time—8:00 a.m.; arrive at 7:45. Because
it has been six years since I was at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center (for
Verlin's end-of-life care) I wanted to arrive a bit early to allow for getting
lost between the parking garage and the MRI wing of the hospital. So I left home at 6:50. I arrived at 7:15. I had plenty of time to find my way, fill out
paperwork, and get checked in. It was
probably closer to 8:30 when they took me back to get dressed and put in the IV
line for the purpose of delivering contrast dye. More waiting.
"We're
just about ready. The doctor should be
here by 9:00."
I'm
cold.
"We'll
warm up a blanket for you."
(I began
to think back on deliveries of my babies and how cold I would get. I am not sure if the shivering was due to the
cold or the fear/anxiety. Having done it
nine times before, I was especially conscious of this when I had Teresa. I told Verlin that I didn't really think I
could go through it one more time, but I sure am glad I did, Teresa!!)
They
did warm a blanket for me today but it took a while before they could actually
put it over me. First they had me climb
up on the table, put elbow pads on my arms, hooked up the contrast feed to the
IV tube, and positioned me and repositioned me and repositioned me on the
table. Then they had me sit up again
while they made adjustments to the table to accommodate my body habitus. Finally they were ready to begin.
The
nurse helped me put the earplugs in this time, and they were in much better
than last time, so the noise was actually tolerable. After a few pictures were taken to locate the
mass of interest and what seemed like a very, very, long wait, the techs and
the doctor came back in and performed the biopsy. They placed a marker in the predetermined
site and then went out and checked with the MRI again to see if they had it
placed where they wanted it. They came
back and said we need to make a little adjustment. They placed a second marker and rechecked
with the MRI. Deciding that they were in
the best spot, the doctor then used a core needle and withdrew about a dozen
tissue samples. By the time he stopped,
I felt like there would be nothing left to be removed with the lumpectomy
tomorrow. The doctor tried not to make
comments about size, but he did say something about things being very tight
because of the "small margins".
The tech said if it had been 1 mm smaller, they probably wouldn't have
been able to perform the biopsy. Well,
it was accomplished, and I then went to mammography for a couple images to check
the position of the markers. That was
all there was to it. It was now
10:45. All that remained was to figure
out which way to the parking garage so I could go home.
Now
on to my next appointment.
The Bone Scan
The Bone Scan
My
afternoon has not been extremely hard, but neither has it been extremely uplifting. About 12:00 noon, the doctor's office called
me and left a message that I should call them back after their lunch hour,
which ended at 1:30. My bone scan
appointment was at 1:30, so I told them that I would be ready as soon as I
called my doctor. The nurse told me that
the doctor who did the biopsy was concerned about the tissue samples that he
had removed. Even though he couldn't say
if they were malignant or benign, it was his recommendation that I have a mastectomy,
not just a central lumpectomy. That
means an overnight stay and more recovery time, but I won't let that get me
down. I want to be sure we get all
unfriendly tissue removed.
The
bone scan was not nearly as uncomfortable as the MRI and it was fairly
brief. Well, actually, it wasn't uncomfortable at all. The results showed that there has
been a bit of bone density loss since my last scan five years ago. The spine area is now designated as having
osteopenia, which means pre-osteoporosis stage.
I will just continue to use calcium supplements and exercise to try and
maintain skeletal health
After
I came home from the clinic, I decided to go pick up a couple items at the
grocery store. I took one of my new
umbrellas with me in case there was a downpour while I was in the store. In retrospect, that wasn't such a good
idea. My mind was not too focused on
what I was doing, and when I left the store, I left my brand new umbrella in
the shopping cart. I realized it when I
got home and immediately returned to see if I was lucky enough to find it still
sitting in the cart. No such luck. I checked with Customer Service and with the
baggers who handle the carts. No one had
seen the umbrella. I felt like the
person who found it might still be in the store, so I wandered through the
store to see if I could spot it.
No. I guess it walked out of the
store shortly after I did, because I could not find it now. I hope the new owner appreciates it as much
as I did.
About
4:00 p.m. I got a call from Same Day Surgery to inform me that check-in time on
Wednesday is 7:45 a.m. First, I must
start a fast after midnight tonight--nothing by mouth including water, gum, or mints. If I can brush my teeth without ingesting any
of these things, that is okay. I have
been given further instructions, which although I know they are necessary for
safety and sterility, they seem to add insult to injury. I can bathe or shower and shampoo my hair
prior to surgery, but no other hair products, no makeup, no lotions, no
deodorant, no perfumes, and no powders. So
where does that leave my self-esteem? I
will be going into surgery with very little dignity, and will come out with
even less, losing part of my person, part of my womanhood. But do you know what? I think it is okay, because I know who I
am.
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