Hi
If it is a CT guided biopsy it is a day case. You are admitted to a ward, then you are taken to the CT room for your biopsy. You won't be "under", it is done via local injections into the site of your lung cancer. Don't let the fact that you will be awake scare you, once the local anaesthetic takes effect you don't feel a thing. Also the lungs do not have pain receptors, the local anaesthetic to numb the area is for the chest wall.
When I had mine done about 18 month's ago I was a nervous wreck before I went to the scanning room, but was soon calm after all was explained to me by the consultant performing the biopsy. You are firstly sent under the CT scanner to pinpoint the exact location of the cancer, then the local anaesthetic injections are given, it is just like having your bloods done, just a sharp scratch. I had an injection either side of the area and one directly onto the area that was being biopsied. The consultant and chaperone nurse have a chat for a minute or two whilst waiting for the anaesthetic to take effect.
Once the consultant is happy you are adequately numb the biopsy is taken. Firstly, the consultant inserts, what I can only describe looks like a tampon holder with a needle on the end, into the area and left in place, I really did not feel a thing. You are then put back into the scanner to see if the holder is in the correct position. Then the biopsy needle, which has a trigger on one end and a tiny gripper on the other, is inserted into the holder. I was told I would hear a "click" when the trigger is pressed, that click is when the gripper takes a sample from the tumour. The click noise was exactly like the sound when you use a stapler. The sample is then withdrawn and placed in a biopsy pot to be sent for investigation. This is to determine what type of cancer it is, so then a treatment plan can be tailored to the particular type. I can truthfully say, apart from the local injections, that I did not feel a thing, and I was actually having a joke and a laugh with the chaperone nurse while the biopsy was being performed.
I was then wheeled back to the ward and given half hourly observation. Then after three to four hours I was then wheeled off for a chest X-ray to check my lung was okay, which mine was, and I was discharged home. The X-ray is needed because in a small percentage of patients there can be a lung collapse, so this can involve a longer stay on the ward until the lung recovers. There is usually no treatment for this and the lung recovers itself.
Sorry for the long reply, I just wanted you to know exactly what happens and to know it is not as daunting as you may think.
Best wishes.
Ann
Hi, thanks for your reply. I am very well thank you. I was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2023, and all my subsequent follow ups, three in all, have been positive. I have another three years of CT scans and follow ups, then hopefully discharge.
I am one of those people who like to know every detail about everything. I believe forewarned is forearmed. I also have a background in the NHS having worked over 25 years as a personal secretary to two consultant surgeons. I am now retired but still work in the medical field for a few hours every morning, but work from home transcribing a variety of medical reports and clinics etc. I think I would go batty if I didn't, I always like to keep body and mind active.
Best wishes for your biopsy on the 23rd, hopefully you can now attend with a good idea of what to expect. Half the time the anxiety felt is fear of the unknown.
Ann
