This is my official procedure outfit. I have pull on pants with no zipper (easy to get on when groggy and no metal zipper or snaps), Top with no pesky buttons (could be a challenge when groggy), wool socks to keep the piggies warm in those cold rooms, and birkenstocks (wish they were my cute new sandals) that are easy to slip on and off. Who says I don't plan ahead!
I am holding my 24 hour sample. Seriously TMI, but it wasn't easy! Maybe I should have suspected the day would not be worthy of that smile........
We safely delivered the sample to the lab (OK-I was too embarrassed to carry it, I made Lon do it. I still feel kind of bad, but I'd make him do it again).
We checked into the hospital about 8:30 and it really does take about an hour and a half to get everything ready for me to get shipped off tho the procedure room. I changed and got my IV and went over the drugs I was taking in detail and the breakfast I had not eaten and blah, blah, blah. The same kind doctor who did my kidney biopsy was doing this biopsy, so I felt good about that. They were going to use the same happy combination of drugs--fentanyl (twilght sleep) and versed (forget everything) in the IV line with a generous amount of lidocaine in the biopsy area.
Before I continue, I need to mention my "reactions" to these kinds of drugs--basically not much of a reaction. I am able to produce a quality amount of adrenalin that overrides many anesthetic properties. So when I go to the dentist I need to take xanax to settle down my adrenalin so that it actually numbs my tooth. It's really a pain. The adrenalin rush would be good if a car fell on you and I could just pick it up, or a bear or aliens attacked I could fight back, but in general it's pretty useless and literally a real pain until doctors figure out a way to trick it into settling down a bit.
They shipped me off to the procedure room and started giving me stuff, but unlike the kidney biopsy, I didn't conk out right away. I saw them bring in the big bundle of stuff they used for the procedure, but looked away because I really didn't want to see the tool they use to get the bone and bone marrow. When they do a biopsy, the most common places are the hip or breastbone, but after the doctor looked at my x-rays (remember the 23 I had) and the MRI, he thought my iliac bone would be the primo spot. That is darn close to the tail bone, and they were going to use a fluoroscope to guide the tool. Fortunately, the last thing I remember is them starting to clean the area. I also remember hearing that there will be more pressure and give her some more lidocaine.
The next thing I knew I was back in the real world. They had just finished and I asked to see the bone sample (I know, pretty gross). It was unremarkable--two little hunks that were grey and maybe half the size of a pencil eraser. I then saw the two vials of bone marrow juice. They were kind of watery, bloody, but also pretty unremarkable. The nurse was making up 20 slides with some of that. That was interesting--she'd put a drop or so on the slide, then pull it across with the slide cover. It made quite a nice, smooth layer of stuff. In retrospect, maybe it was so interesting because I was still groggy.
Then it was back to Lon and I had to stay for a couple hours to make sure I didn't do anything exciting. I didn't, however my fairly pain free experience was changing a little bit. The lidocaine started "thawing" out and it kind of hurt. And it only hurt more. I asked for a vicodan and they brought me one and it worked OK, but I could still feel it. Could this be a tiny warning perhaps?
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