Hi Grateful for help, thoughts, info. I am newly diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. Bones and a couople of microscopic spots on liver. Has anyone had a bone biopsy? I am due to have one next week prior to having surgery. Grateful for info - thanks Di x
Dear Dianedawhar
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I did have a bone biopsy for a different reason to you, as I don’t have bone secondaries. I had an abnormally low white blood count for a long time and in order to rule out anything sinister I had a bone marrow and bone biopsy and I had light anaesthetic and local anaesthetic so don’t remember a thing about it. At one point they were just going to give me a local and I refused to have it done until they’d knocked me out and really for me that was the best way to go. I think I was a little sore after but nothing unbearable. Good luck with it.
Ruby xx
thanks Ruby - feel reassured as the thought of it makes me shudder!! Many thanks Di x
Hello Di, I had a bone biopsy done about ten years ago. I had BC in 1989 then in 1999 I was diagnosed with bone mets. To confirm it was in my bones I had the biopsy done. I had it done under local…I don’t want to put you off but if I were you I would request to be sedated or something…it was the worst thing I have had done so far. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been so bad but they couldn’t get through the bone and said it was very hard??..It was meant to take about 15/20 mins in total but they kept trying and the local kept wearing off. So they would give me more and try again. At one point they asked if I wanted to call it a day as they thought I had had enough. I asked if I wouod have to come back to do it again and they said yes. So I said you’d better keep trying then coz I won’t be coming back to have this done again. PLEASE do not let me put you off, it is just that as I had such a bad experience I would insist on being sedated. Afterwards I was so light headed because of all the local. I had to go to a day ward and lie in a bed until they felt I was ok to go home. I asked for some painkilers and had to wait an HOUR as the doctor was in a meeting. They gave me 2 codamol! So I pretended to be ok(was with mu OH) and when I got to the car I took my oramorph nad was right as rain! I would add that I was VERY unwell at the time, very sore and bent. Ten years on, still have the mets but I feel ten years younger! I only wanted to suggest you might want to be sedated as I had such an awful experience. hope you understand my honesty. Please forgive me if I have been too honest and have upset you, love Val (Scottishlass) X
Hi thanks for responding to me. I am having it done under general as they said it was too big a needle to have done under local. Your experience certainly confirms that. I only finished treatment earlier this year so to be diagnosed with secondaries so soon afterards has come as a mighty blow to me. I have been changed from Arimidex to Tamoxifin to see if that will control it better. Apparently whilst they do the same job they do it in a different way - so fingers crossed and lots of prayers. Di x
Hi Di, I am so relieved to hear that you are having this done under general. I am sorry you have had to deal with all this so soon after your treatment. It is so hard to take it all on board and I remember it all too well. If I can be of any support to you through this I would only be too happy to be there for you. Let me know how it goes. There were no other after effects after my biopsy so will be thinking about you. love Val