Can anyone please prepare me or give me some advice on a Liver Biopsy!!
I am due in this fri! only had a weeks notice… really worried…
I have had so much done to me in such a short time I am getting very anxious over everything.
In my kiver percides the obvious Mr C, they reckon that I have sichorris of the liver plus I may be hep A or B.
What else is going to be thrown at me!
I am on warfarin as I habe a hickman line. This I have to stop as from today! Only had taxotere chemo yesterday so my immune system will be low!! they wont knock me out they will only sedate me…
I didn’t actually have a liver biopsy in the end but I was all ready and prepped to have it when the surgeon decided at the last minute he wasn’t going to do it. I had the gown on and the cannula in my arm ready to go. Basically, I was told that I had to lie still and would be given lots of local anaethetic plus sedation (definitely ask for this). Then once the procedure was finished, I was to stay for a good few hours on a ward before begin allowed to go home. Apparently you have to keep quite still afterwards for a while.
Sorry I can’t give you actual experience but I was nearly there! In the end I had an ultrasound scan.
Mel - Can’t give you any advice and hope that someone else will be along to do that soon. But I really understand how awful that “one thing after another” kind of feeling is, and wondering when it will ever end. So just to say I am thinking of you and sending a very big cyber hug. Good luck, I know they’ll take good care of you and talk you through everything, and don’t be afraid to say that you are feeling nervous and they should give you some extra TLC! Sarah xx
I had what my oncologist described as a difficult biopsy which failed to provide any cells. He said he wasn’t prepared to stick any more needles in me and assumed they were mets from the original bc.
All I can advise you is to ask them to explain the procedure (I was told it was the same as breast biopsy - it was not) and ask for advice on how to breathe during the process. I think I moved or breathed in/out at the wrong moments. Apparently the liver moves as you breathe and I think it’s a case of take aim and fire. I had to lay still on my side for an hour afterwards and stayed overnight as the biopsy was carried out early evening.
Good luck for Friday, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Hopefully I get good results from my latest liver scan and chest x-ray on Friday also, so I’ll cross my fingers and toes for us both.
Hi Mel,
I had a liver biopsy back in April. I was told it would be done under local anasthetic but I was still expecting to have some sort of sedation like they give for endoscopy etc. Wrong! It was local only. I asked if I could have pethidine but I was told that the anasthetist would have to come for that and if I wanted to go that route I could reschedule for a week’s time. I did not really want to wait as I was there and all psyched up for it. I was already in a lot of pain and discomfort with ascites on top of the distress that my new diagnosis of liver mets was causing. So they went ahead with the local only. It was not pleasant and I ended up having pethidine in ER after the event. I think the fact that I went in there in a lot of pain and feeling very poorly made it so much worse for me. I am glad they are offering you sedation as a matter of course. With sedation I am sure you will be fine. If I was having one again I would insist on it!
Good luck for Friday. I am having my midway chemo CT scan on Thursday so will be crossing fingers, toes for you, me and Jen and her results.
Take Care, love
Carolina
Hi Mel,
I was thinking about you yesterday, hoping that everything went OK with the biopsy and that it was not too bad. Please let us know how you got on.
Take care ,
Love
Carolina xx
I had my Liver Biopsy at 10am Yesterday and I am being truthfully honest - it was not as bad as I thought!
It took 30mins including prep. The needles used were thinner than those used for a Breast biopsy and believe me when I say they definately used more
local anaesthetic! It was far less painful than the breast biopsy, so if anyone is going for one it is ok!
The worst of it all was having to lie flat on my back still for two hours OMG Boredom!!! Then I was told that after that I could ginderly sit up and carefully move position, but not allowed out of the bed for another four hours whilst I was being monitored every half hourly! no chance of a cat nap then!
But gladly it is over and I hopefully get those results soon.
As for today, I am stiff and a little sore - but I have been through worse.
hi mel so glad you got through your biopsy ok ,thanks for the advice about it as i may have to have one myself in the near future ,take care ,dont do too much .catch you soon lynn x
Hi Mel,
I am glad it went OK and was not too painful. Sounds like your experience was a lot better than mine! I hope you get your results soon and that they are favourable.
Love,
carolina xx
Hi Mel
I have read your post and noted all the points that i will ask for, if I ever have to have a liver biopsy! Best of luck with the results - thinking of you
Hi hope you dont have to have a liver biopsy, but if you do,
* take plenty of reading material
* sweets - LOADS!!
* Drink - non alcoholic
* I treated myself to a new game for my nintendo ds! - any excuse to spend money…
* MP3 player
* most important MOBILE!!!
As the worst bit was lying still on my back for 2 hrs then staying in the bed for a further 4 hours!!!
As I stressed before it was definately not as painful as a breast biopsy!!
Like Caroline, I’m glad your experience was a lot better than mine - I suppose it depends on the doctor carrying out the procedure. Good luck for some good results.