Diagnosis Part 2 - Stereotactic Core Biopsy

January 18^th was my appointment for the Stereotactic Core Biopsy. Me being me, I had to know what I was walking into and needed to prepare myself. I Googled it and proceeded to look at picture, videos, explanations, etc.

My findings were; you lie on a table that has holes so your breasts can hang below the table. They then clamp you in the mammogram machine and proceed to do the biopsy. I will get more detailed when I describe my experience.  It didn’t sound pleasant, but was less invasive than being put under to get a sample of the suspicious area.

Now for my reality…

The two nurses brought me into the room. I stopped dead in my tracks and asked where the table was? With confusion they asked; “What table?”  I proceeded to explain that I had looked up the procedure and everything I looked at had a table for the patient to lie on. That’s when they explained to me that I was not a candidate for a biopsy on a table.

Yup, the hits just keep coming. For this test, because of my breasts being small, dense, and the location of the suspicious area, I would have to sit in a chair and push myself forward throughout the entire biopsy.

So, there I sat with my left breast smooshed in the machine like a pancake (more like a crepe if you ask me). Side note to those that have never experienced this right of passage for women; the smaller the breast, the hard they pull and push trying to make something out of nothing.

Now that I am positioned for the biopsy part, smooshed, leaning forward against the machine, head turned to the right, and my left arm ‘resting’ on top of the machine, they were ready to begin.  A local numbing is administered and then they sliced me open (a small incision). Now comes the fun part, the biopsy needle delivers Lidocaine as it penetrates through the breast to the location of the suspicious area. The doctor is guided by the mammogram screen. Once the needle is at the suspicious area, the tip of the needle does a 360 and ‘vacuums’ the piece that it just removed. The needle is then guided out so the sample can be put in a jar to be sent for testing. Just when I thought I was in the home stretch they informed me they would need to take a few more samples. SIX TOTAL. Back and forth 6 times all while clamped in the mammogram machine, sitting forward in a chair, my head turned to the right, and my arm on top of the machine.

I found this picture which is a representation of the needle. It was found on mammotome.com. Just to give you an idea of what was going in and out of my breast while clamped in the mammogram machine.

Once they finished getting all the samples, they put some steri-strips on and gave me basic instruction on how to take care of the wound. The results would be phoned to me by the doctor in the next 7 to 10 business days. More waiting.

This truly was the hardest part, not knowing. It was hard for so many different reasons. We didn’t want to worry or alarm people if it wasn’t cancerous. We couldn’t make plans and schedule things. We started preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. We made lists of things we would have to take care of if it was cancerous. Canceling vacations, trips, dinners, things on our calendar.  It was awful, we felt like we were lying to people, and it was uncomfortable.

When I finally had a chance to look at the aftermath of my stereotactic core biopsy, it wasn’t pretty. I was bruised for over two weeks and now my left breast was misshapen.  It had a dent where they put the needle in and was sunken. Not pretty at all and those bruises hurt!

Now the waiting began…