Liver Biopsy

[LavRose]

My husband was recently diagnosed with Hepatitis C and has an appointment with a liver specialist early next month. He's wondering how badly a biopsy hurts.  

[emmi243]

I just had one this past monday, the wait and anticipation was the worse... i laid there thinking of all kinds of terrible things and how it must feel.   Once they gave me the iv i felt a little bit of a pinch when they inserted the needle, but after that nothing.   I did get the pain in the shoulder they told me about, that hurt pretty bad for about an hour.  Yes you will lay on your right side, I did for approx. 3 hours.  Yes, u do n eed someone to drive him home.

[dlr2007]

Sorry to hear of your husband's diagnosis (dx). I'm sure he will be just fine- Hep C treatment has come a looonng way! My husband, Rick and I are both Hep C+- he is doing treatment (tx) in December.
  Tell your hubby to ask for Versaid to relax him before the biopsy (bx). I had one bx without it- I found it rather painful and it hurt afterwards too. My 2nd one, I got Versaid and it was like a different procedure. No pain, no anxiety, and afterwards I felt fine. A little shot goes a long way ;) ... good luck to you and hubby.
-Dee

[Rockerforlife]

Heres an interesting read...alternative to the the biopsy

http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:o0cydIjknU8J:www.labcorp.com/pdf/08_HCV_Fibrosure_TR_1080.pdf+ARE+FIBROSURE+TESTS+ACCURATE&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=14&gl=ca


sorry bout the bx clip...it was cut short

some say this is really accurate and some say its not....who knows..its cheaper that the invasive traditional bx....maybe the doctors want more money as this way coats much more...but thats another topic

[Rockerforlife]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXTdt_ZtlgM

[Rockerforlife]

Just make sure ya dont do any heavy exercise or work for a couple of days...and you have a smooth ride home from the hospital...ya dont wanna jolt the liver right away...its not really a "harpoon"...lol...its looks like a gun that snaps in and out in a micro second...odds are you will just fine....dont sweat the small stuff.

[LavRose]

My husband says THANK YOU very much. "I just didn't want to be outta work for a few days. The harpoon is what I figured they were going to do. But it was just something else that I wanted to know. Thank you."

[Marc1955]

I've had two. For one the experience went great. The other was more painful.

There really should be no more than minor discomfort with a liver biopsy. Do tell your husband that it's important that he advocate for himself. If he doesn't feel comfortable or insufficiently numb, he should say so.

Good luck.

[Rockerforlife]

For me the bark was worst than the bite...its painless...the actual procdure take milliseconds to do...i was totally suprised ...as i was laying there waiting for the actual bx to happen ,i asked how long this would take...he said he was finished....its over even before you know its done...only other thing i can say is make sure the hospital has a good name and you may want to maybe ask the doc name who is actually doing the monor operation and check him or her out...dont mean to scare you but i have heard of some screwd up bx`s done...very few tho...and FIGUY...i dont thing you had to say harpoon here...what the hells wrong with you?

BET OF LUCK

[FlGuy]

It's not bad, as Gator points out. The process is something to be prepared for. Like a same day surgery event, you wait around for a while. He might get some oral med to take the edge off. There is a topical anestheics usually applied.  The harpooning takes only a few minutes.  After it's done they will have him lay on his side for a couple/few hours to make sure there ar no post complications.  They will suggest that he not drive.  The whole thing can really consume a large chunk of your day. His doc should have a biopsy report for him within two weeks.  Make sure you walk away with a copy of the report.

[Fl_Gator]

I have had two...didn't feel pain as they do give a local...it is a little freaky to have them poke you though...ut it is quick so tell hubby to buck up and don't let fear get the better of him.