My Biopsy

I should probably know by now than to expect a procedure like this to go off without a hitch. Silly me. For those of you following along, you'll remember that I was supposed to get a call giving me specific instructions and details for the procedure. Had I received that call, a crap-ton of these issues could have easily been avoided. The biggest deal for me was that no one seemed to know whether or not they were keeping me overnight. Dr. Cool Whip said no, scheduling lady said yes, Indian Doctor (who would be assisting with the biopsy) said yes, and Asian Attending Doctor (who would be doing the biopsy) said no. Great. After much debate, it was decided that as long as my post-biopsy blood work looked good, I would be discharged around dinner time.

We definitely weren't off to a great start and we hadn't even started the biopsy yet. After peeing in a cup, getting stuck twice for blood (because Dr. Cool Whip added a little something extra after the first one) and chatting with Indian Doctor and Asian Attending about the procedure, I was wheeled into the biopsy room. I wish someone had told me it was going to be a party in there...I would have brought chips and soda! In addition to the two doctors, there was Grumpy McNo-Fun (the ultrasound tech), Perky Pathologist, and a super impatient nurse who came into the room no less than eight times asking if we were done yet. While I was more than ready to get everything over with, there was still an ultrasound to be done, some sterilizing, numbing and a very entertaining 10 minutes or so of both (probably brilliant) doctors trying to figure out how to put the bed rails down to sit through. We eventually got started and a sample was taken. I was doing really well until I heard Asian Attending say, "Good, just 2 more to go." Umm, what? No one told me that three pieces were being taken! You would think that somewhere along the line someone would have shared that important piece of information. Again, silly me. Add this to the fact that the room's air conditioning was broken, so the room was literally 92 degrees, that Indian Doctor was just learning how to biopsy (ouch!) and that 3 pieces turned into 5 and, by the end, I could have given Grumpy McNo-Fun a run for his money!

All in all, though, the procedure went well. I was wheeled into recovery, asked to keep pressure on the area for an hour and told my blood would be checked in 4 hours. If all was well, I could leave after that. All was not well. I was running a fever and my results showed a drop in my hematocrit which could indicate bleeding on the inside. It was decided they would recheck my blood in yet another 4 hours and go from there. I was actually fine with all of this until they started throwing around the word, "transfusion." Transfusions are the kryptonite of transplants, both current and future, because they introduce even more antibodies into your system making it that much more difficult to find a match. I was not a happy camper and found it impossible to focus or relax.

My second round of labs came back and made a sticky situation even stickier. The hematocrit dropped again, but only a slight .4. So then the issue became should we send her home or keep her until morning? The verdict? They discharged me at 1 a.m. only to have me come back in the morning for more blood work. Make sense? Yeah, it didn't to me either.

It all worked out, though, and the morning blood showed an increase in hematocrit. And despite being sore and tired, I was doing pretty well. I spent the rest of my time in Harrisburg hanging out with Jen and Zoey and having some pizza and Glee with the Laus and Charrons. I should have the results of the biopsy early next week and I am looking forward to getting them. After that, however, I don't want to hear the word biopsy for a very long time!!