Preparation for the biopsy involved a 24-hour clear liquid diet starting Sunday morning. I decided to give protein water a try because I have been paying more attention to my protein intake. The protein water I got had 20g of protein each bottle. I ended up hating it. It tasted so horrible. I even convinced my husband to sample it, and his reaction was totally priceless. It gave me some good laughter on Sunday evening, which somewhat helped reduce the anxiety about the biopsy. I liked apple juice, regular water, sparkling water, fat-free chicken broth, and black tea. I will stick to those going forward.
I researched online to get myself prepared for the biopsy and found this video. It didn't help my anxiety, but at least I was knew what to expect.
The staff at iNova Alexandria Hospital's Interventional Radiology unit were great and took excellent care of me. I hate needles. I usually allow them to insert IVs into the inside of my right elbow. I am used to that entry point. Since I had to be laying on my stomach with my arms above the head during the procedure, they had to put the IV in my hand. After being wheeled into the room and lining up the bed to the patient table of the CT scan, I was instructed to flip over. They covered me well with heated blankets and ensured I was comfortable in that position. I had to remain that way for over an hour. They gave me medication to put me in a moderately sedated state. I was in and out of it throughout. They encouraged me to sleep if I could. I slept for most of the procedure. I could feel the table moving in and out. I could feel the needle going inside me. Near the end, I was hurting from the needle in my kidney. They took four samples from the tumor. Results will come in 5 to 7 days.
After the procedure, I was taken to the recovery room. I had to stay there for four hours to make sure I had no internal bleeding. I was not allowed to drink nor eat for one hour after the procedure but, I fell asleep for about two hours. When I woke up, I was allowed to drink and eat again. I wasn't hungry but had water and orange juice. Later on, I wanted applesauce. They would not discharge me until I could pee and my blood test showed no internal bleeding. They looked in the toilet bowl to make sure there was no blood in my urine. There was none. The blood test cleared me. They examined the incision site, and there was no bleeding. I was discharged a bit after 3 PM.
I felt pain at the incision site and some muscle pain in the back. I was not given any pain medications but I learned that a combination of Tylenol and ibuprofen worked quite well and allowed me to sleep through the night. Today, I am taking it easy as I rest and recover. I am moving with more easily today. I cannot lift anything more than 5 pounds for a week. I am looking forward to my first shower later this afternoon and to removing the bandage on my back. I cannot immerse myself in bath nor pool until the wound closes, which could take anywhere from 3 to 7 days. My husband and I are flying to Greece Friday night to celebrate my 50th birthday (the actual birthday is in June but May is a good time for us to go). We will need to adjust our plans so I don't get in the water until it is safe to do so. There's plenty to do in Greece without being in the water anyway.
I have an appointment with my urologist on June 5 to discuss the next steps.
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