The fun continues? In which more people see me topless and we talk biopsies.
I went to the dentist this week. The hygienist was lovely but not my normal person. I let her know about my change in health (I figured cancer counted) and she told me that it mattered to dental care in a few ways.
- because of the possibility of lymphedema wherever a lymph node is removed, they don't take blood pressure on that side (we can dive more into that condition on another post).
- chemo decimates your immune system, so you have to talk to your oncologist to see if you can have your teeth cleaned: even a cleaning can stir up bacteria that can f up your day.
Consider that in the category of things I didn't really want to have to learn.
We don't know if I'll need chemo yet, but still (*continues "no chemo no chemo" chant*).
Moving on, I do have an update of sorts.
Mostly just still waiting here. MRI results are back, and it looks like there is something else wonky. Not sure what it means (I know lots about lots but nothing about radiology) but by the time I contacted my surgeon to see what I should do with that, her coordinator had already scheduled me for a follow up imaging exam to get it inspected immediately after my next appointment with her (Tuesday).
As frustrating as that is (let's get in there and get this done!), I am also really happy to know that they are going into this with so much information it's mindboggling...and that can only be a good thing for making it more likely that my treatment is successful.
I didn't realize cancer would mean I would get groped by SO MANY PEOPLE.
This may mean another biopsy, it may not. We don't know yet. I'll learn more Tuesday, but won't have the biopsy that day, I would imagine.
About the biopsy. Alert: some squidgy details will follow here. If you're not into that, maybe stop reading.
In the last biopsy, a doctor I assume was a resident did the biopsy. It was a super cool process: he first numbed the spot, then made an incision. He numbed the whole area with lidocaine and epinephrine (same as the dentist gives you for tooth procedures). Since it's close to the heart, the epinephrine made me a little woozy (not nauseated, though, just feelin' a little light headed).
Then he put the probe in that would take the biopsy. It The whole thing was guided by ultrasound. I could see the whole thing on the screen which was cool. I considered asking him to turn it so I could see better but thought it was probably more important he could see. The probe continually numbed, so I felt NOTHING. And it used vacuum to suck up biopsy bits -- super bizarre but incredibly fascinating.
Less cool: as he was getting ready to biopsy, they brought the attending in to supervise. I was chilling out, feeling no pain, and watching the whole thing on the screen, so I ignored the attending until he decided it was cool to hold my hand.
Nope.
Sorry.
When I removed my hand from his he got irritated and spoke harshly at me to not touch the probe area. Cool story, bro, but I wasn't trying to. I was just watching the ultrasound screen and not moving.
It may seem like small potatoes, but the way patients are respected is important. My bodily autonomy is important, particularly in the midst of an illness where I've lost count of the people who have to touch me. Ask consent before you touch your patients.
The biopsy ended with them implanting my titanium clip that I hoped would give me super powers but so far has not. This lets the team easily find the tumor again (and at the time we didn't yet know it was cancer...ah the halcyon pre-cancer days...so was also a way for them to tag it, and if it were benign, indicate "nothing to see here, this is a known blob of weird"). For the record, I did ask my awesome surgeon if I could keep the tag when they take it out but no, it goes to path with the tumor.
After biopsy, they stopped the bleeding and then bound me up tightly and sent me home with instructions of not to lift more than a gallon of milk for 3 days. And by day 4, I was fine. It's like they know what they're doing or something.
So upside: this time I know what I'm getting into, and again, arming us with lots more knowledge. Downside...more waiting to just get this all overwith.