Stereotactic biopsy - was this normal?
I had a stereotactic biopsy this past Monday and I’m considering filing a formal complaint but need honest feedback from others who have been through this procedure. I’ve had a needle biopsy in the past and that was easy peasy, no issues, minor discomfort afterward. This stereotactic biopsy was an entirely different experience.
The biopsy was performed at a women’s diagnostic center, same center as the needle biopsy so I was familiar with my surroundings. When I was taken to the room for biopsy, the nurse explained the positioning needs, that she may have to reposition me a few times to position my breast in the paddles as needed for the biopsy. 4th reposition was a charm. I was in the normal belly down / head turned position with my left hip ‘open’ and my left leg bent and laying over back of my right knee. I was contorted but it wasn’t terrible. She told me not to move. The breast that was being biopsied was already painful but being squeezed in the paddles, contorted, was not pleasant. Then the nurse, for 20-30 mins, tried to locate the dr. She was clearly disturbed by how long it was taking bc she kept telling me “I’m trying to find her”, “I can’t leave this room so I’ve sent someone to look for her”, “she’s on a call with a patient”, she kept checking on me but the longer this went I started to panic bc this hurts and where the hell is the dr?!?!? I was already nervous, and I was 30 seconds from telling them to let me out right now. Finally the dr came in without an apology. She got right to it, completed the biopsy, told me it’s likely fibrocystic tissue and benign and then left the room. The nurses immediately got me up, gave me a drink and crackers, then took me straight to mammogram. They seemed to be aware this was not normal and wanted to get me out asap.
My husband was FREAKING out when I came out bc he’d been waiting 2 hours for me. I hadn’t taken my phone so he didn’t know I waited almost an hour to go back from waiting in the women’s waiting to the biopsy room. I cried my eyes out on the way out and most of the way home. I felt violated, in some sense. That night when the lidocaine wore off I was in the worst pain of my life. I could only take Tylenol til next morning when I asked my dr for pain meds. I smoked a little pot Monday night which helped me relax bc the pain was so intense. My breast was in a mammogram machine for 20-30 mins, in pain, and then biopsy the exact place that I was feeling the breast pain, all seemed like a perfect reason for the intensity.
Next day the diagnostic center called to let me know results were benign ( Thank god) and when I told her I got pain meds (tramadol) she seemed surprised s as bd said that’s not normal. I reminded her that I was in the machine for a very long time but she said that shouldn’t cause need for pain meds. There is no infection, just normal bruising and today is first day I’m not taking pain meds/tylenol.
Was this an acceptable experience to anyone here? I’m not sure what to do but I feel like I need to at least make a complaint to the healthcare system this facility is in and especially a complaint against the dr.
I’d love to hear feedback, pls and Ty!