All About My Liver...
Isn't that an intriguing subject?
It's not that long a story: my psoriasis responds pretty well to methotrexate, which is unfortunately a chemotherapy drug and a deadly poison in high enough doses. So every now and then the doctors must do a liver biopsy to be sure I'm not falling prey to liver failure. Like, I dunno, maybe once every year or two.
I thought it would be a painful procedure; it was not! The biopsy requires a CT-scan of the liver, to target the best place to take the specimen. The most painful thing about it was the nurses' attempts to establish an I.V. in preparation (my veins have gone soft with age, they keep blowing out!). A local anesthetic was administered to the biopsy site, that they likened to the novocaine shots given by a dentist, but it was actually much less uncomfortable!
Then a very thin needle took tiny bits of liver, which did not hurt at all! I had to keep my eyes closed because of the laser target of the CT-scanner, and when I felt the doctor pressing on my midsection I thought he was merely double-checking before he did the operation. It WAS the operation, and although I was required to rest in bed at the hospital for three hours afterward, just in case, I'm back home now and feeling only mild discomfort since the numbing wore off; it feels like a bruise. OTC Tylenol is all that's needed.
They even fed me a "box lunch" while I recovered, because I had to skip breakfast: couldn't eat after midnight before the procedure. Heck, it was more of a trial to have to stop drinking water after 8:00am today. Often I don't breakfast until late morning, anyway. (Also had to wait to go to the loo until the three hours of bed rest were up, or use a bedpan ...ick! I waited!)
And my poor husband had to stick around the hospital for four hours to drive me home, in case I needed a sedative due to pre-operation jitters: sedative NOT NECESSARY, I'm glad to say! The O.R. team inspired nothing but calm and confidence.
It's still a big relief to have it all over with for now, and by tomorrow I can resume my regular activities; have to take things a bit easy for the rest of today only.
So it wasn't much of a trial after all and although I can't say I'm looking forward to another one, I'm not scared of it anymore. It's more complicated than getting blood work at the lab, but not more painful.
X-posted to Guinnevere_B
It's not that long a story: my psoriasis responds pretty well to methotrexate, which is unfortunately a chemotherapy drug and a deadly poison in high enough doses. So every now and then the doctors must do a liver biopsy to be sure I'm not falling prey to liver failure. Like, I dunno, maybe once every year or two.
I thought it would be a painful procedure; it was not! The biopsy requires a CT-scan of the liver, to target the best place to take the specimen. The most painful thing about it was the nurses' attempts to establish an I.V. in preparation (my veins have gone soft with age, they keep blowing out!). A local anesthetic was administered to the biopsy site, that they likened to the novocaine shots given by a dentist, but it was actually much less uncomfortable!
Then a very thin needle took tiny bits of liver, which did not hurt at all! I had to keep my eyes closed because of the laser target of the CT-scanner, and when I felt the doctor pressing on my midsection I thought he was merely double-checking before he did the operation. It WAS the operation, and although I was required to rest in bed at the hospital for three hours afterward, just in case, I'm back home now and feeling only mild discomfort since the numbing wore off; it feels like a bruise. OTC Tylenol is all that's needed.
They even fed me a "box lunch" while I recovered, because I had to skip breakfast: couldn't eat after midnight before the procedure. Heck, it was more of a trial to have to stop drinking water after 8:00am today. Often I don't breakfast until late morning, anyway. (Also had to wait to go to the loo until the three hours of bed rest were up, or use a bedpan ...ick! I waited!)
And my poor husband had to stick around the hospital for four hours to drive me home, in case I needed a sedative due to pre-operation jitters: sedative NOT NECESSARY, I'm glad to say! The O.R. team inspired nothing but calm and confidence.
It's still a big relief to have it all over with for now, and by tomorrow I can resume my regular activities; have to take things a bit easy for the rest of today only.
So it wasn't much of a trial after all and although I can't say I'm looking forward to another one, I'm not scared of it anymore. It's more complicated than getting blood work at the lab, but not more painful.
X-posted to Guinnevere_B