1 of 2 biopsies done

[sandraellen17]

I had a stereotactic biopsy done last week.  I was told the area would be numbed beforehand.  They put a needle in to numb it then immediately proceeded with the biopsy.  There was NO NUMBING but a lot of unexpected pain.  Then to top it off they asked me if I was ok to do the second biopsy. I ask them not to and they agreed that the two areas looked similar on the mammogram and we would wait and see what the results were.  Well, the results were "no cancer" but they suggested I need surgery anyway to remove both areas.  My question is should I have had this much pain or did they not wait long enough or give me enough medicine?


This discussion is related to Painful Stereotactic Core Biopsy.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  I agree with japdip.  It's probably better to proceed with another needle biopsy and have someone else do it. It's probably better to have the more aggressive procedure (excision of the entire areas) only if the initial needle biopsy results were abnormal, or if the lesions look highly suspicious on mammography.

[japdip]

I wouldn't think you should have had so much pain but it's really an individual thing. Many women will say they felt no pain at all and some experience what you did. The numbing is usually almost immediate except for the needle stick. If you are going to have the second biopsy you might ask for someone else to perform the procedure and don't be shy about stating your reason.