Yesterday's biospy

Sure glad that is done and over with!  It wasn't that painful - but was highly stressful. First time blood pressure was over 170..... Since I have never had a procedure like this  before I didn't have any idea what to expect. Vivian and I were taken back to the Interventional Radiology Depart (which I have never heard of before) and put into a "pre-op" room with a hospital bed, one chair and curtains around it. The whole area was a beehive of activity!  Jenna, my RN nurse, came in and did the history, explained what would happen, went over discharge, etc and then more waiting. Altogether the delay was about an hour since other  procedures had run longer than expected.  I asked if we could see the film with the spot on it and after a few computer key strokes it came up on the screen.  There was the spot and she explained where it was located and then pointed out the plaque in the heart. The plaque really got my attention since it was so white, long and thick when compared to the spot which I knew was about 1/2" in diameter. That made me glad I am seeing the cardiologist on Monday....  I was finally wheeled back to the procedure room and placed on the table face down, arms straight up on the table and head turned. Think standing up with your arms straight up over your head.  They secured my wrists to the table so I couldn't move and the same with my legs. I tried not to think about being immobilized.... It was critical that I lay perfectly still and apparently some people in twilight sleep move without realizing it. Even though they gave me drugs, I was TOTALLY awake during the whole procedure. The only thing I felt was a few needle pricks when they were numbing the area on my back and then a strong pinch inside the body when they withdrew the tissue sample. The worst part was when one shoulder started to hurt from keeping it up so long and my neck from not being able to turn it. They kept moving the table in and out of the CT machine which was just annoying...  Usually they only do 1 sample but I had 3-4 due to where the spot was located.  It was very near the surface of the lung so they would scan to get a location, put the needle in, and then it would move when I breathed before they could get the sample. At least I was doing shallow breaths.. She said the breaths would have been deeper and longer if they would have given me more drugs so that is why I was awake. Finally it was over and I could move!  I was taken back to recovery and had a chest x-ray after an hour to see if there was any air in the lung. The likely hood of air was increased due to the number of times they had to go in with the needle and there was a small air pocket that showed up on the CT scan.  However an hour later it was gone so I could have a diet coke, eat a cookie, get dressed and come home. They had told me not to eat or drink ANYTHING after 6 a.m. yesterday morning so it was a long dry day. I was not hungry at 5:30 in the morning but ate anyway and glad I did. Even though it was not recommended that I stay the first night by myself, I had convinced them that I would be o.k. and would call 911 if there was any problem. Vivian had been against me staying by myself from the start and the nurse sided with her after the multiple sticks which increased the risk of complications so I lost that battle and Vivian stayed last night. It will be 3-5 long business days until we get the results and we were warned that the report could come back "inconclusive" so something more will be needed. I'm still not panicked but just want to know what I'm dealing with. I was very impressed with KU Med Center and the care.  Jenna started with me in pre-op, took me to the procedure scan, stayed with me there the whole time, took me to recovery and stayed there until her shift ended and another RN took her place. Not what I expected....

I thought she was kidding when after we confirmed the procedure was go be done on the right side she said "Am I writing yes on the correct side?"  She wasn't kidding... No bikini tops for awhile until the permanent ink wears/washes off......