Deep Nervous Biopsy Breath

Breathing is very dear and precious to me. I've had asthma issues pretty much all my life. Ever since I was young my lungs have been my most vulnerable part of my body. I started a drug called Advair about 5 years ago and it' s changed my life and my relationship with my lungs. I don't have to carry a rescue inhaler anymore and pretty much don't have to worry about my being out of breath or having an attack. I can exercise and even run for extended periods up to an hour when doing cardio without getting out of breath.

In January I had some severe chest pain over my heart which sent me into Urgent Care. Three hours later, a broad spectrum of blood work and a chest x-ray, I was diagnosed with walking pneumonia. I was given a round of antibiotics called Levaquin and then after another x-ray and then a CAT Scan it's been determined that a mass has formed in my right lung. The pulmonary doctors don't know what it is so they want to do a needle biopsy.

The biopsy is tomorrow morning and needless to say I'm a bit nervous and very grateful for Ambien tonight as I don't think I'd be able to get to sleep otherwise. One of the things I've learned from looking up medical information and procedures on line is that according to the internet nearly everything leads to death. So I try not to rely too much on the internet for too much information or else I go crazy speculating and worrying. I did however decide to look up the procedure to see what to expect at 10am tomorrow.

From the interwebs - NEEDLE BIOPSY: The patient is mildly sedated, but awake during the needle biopsy procedure. He or she sits in a chair with arms folded in front on a table. An x ray technician uses a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner or a fluoroscope to identify the precise location of the suspicious areas. Markers are placed on the overlying skin to identify the biopsy site. The skin is thoroughly cleansed with an antiseptic solution, and a local anesthetic is injected to numb the area. The patient will feel a brief stinging sensation when the anesthetic is injected.

The physician makes a small incision, about half an inch (1.25 cm) in length. The patient is asked to take a deep breath and hold it while the physician inserts the biopsy needle through the incision into the lung tissue to be biopsied. The patient may feel pressure, and a brief sharp pain when the needle touches the lung tissue. Most patients do not experience severe pain. The patient should refrain from coughing during the procedure. The needle is withdrawn when enough tissue has been obtained. Pressure is applied at the biopsy site and a sterile bandage is placed over the incision. A chest x-ray is performed immediately after the procedure to check for potential complications. The entire procedure takes 30 to 60 minutes.