I feel fancy

I'll save you a speed-reading skim by saying that I don't have any results yet.  However, the pathologist came into the room during the procedure and took the samples right away.  She and the radiologist think we'll have results this afternoon.

I wanted to let you all know that the spine biopsy is over and I am back in my room.  It is normally an outpatient procedure, but Dr. Oncologist wants me to eat a meal here before she sends me home.  Easiest thing I've done all day, to be sure.

I also wanted to tell you that the spine biopsy was no problemo.  I'm rockin' the morphine et al. and was awake the whole time.  I'm super with it, I just feel about 2-beers drunk and a little bit fancy.  I want to document this experience on the blog because I might not remember it in the future (thank you, morphine).

I was very brave and kept my nerves under control.  I laid down on a conveyor bed and slid in and out of the CT scanning machine a couple of times so that the radiologist could use the pictures to mark up my back with the exact position of the biopsy.  Then I slid out of the machine but remained on that conveyor bed, on my tummy, for the rest of the procedure (~another 30 minutes, less than 60 total minutes on the conveyor bed).  Dr. Radiologist was excellent:  very professional, very knowledgeable, and excellent bedside manners.  He told me what he was doing before every little thing, and every thing was indeed little:  little 5 mm incision, little 16 mm needle, little pressure while drilling through bone, little pain while aspirating bone marrow.  In addition to my oral goofy drugs, he did use a few levels of local anesthetic.  I would say there was only one time that my pain level raised above 2 (on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being excruciating), and that pain was more surprising than anything.  His nurse was also excellent, and chatting with her and Dr. Rad was very helpful.  They complimented my positive demeanor, and I explained that I have learned how important it is to be patient to be a Patient.  I proceeded to sing the song of the same name from Elmo goes to the Doctor (sorry--not on youtube or google, but you can probably rent the DVD from your public library).  I think that got some chuckles.  The real laughs came, however, when the procedure was complete and he was pulling the needle out of my bone.  He was tugging very, very, hard for a full 30 seconds and simultaneously trying to talk about something.  He started panting as his exertion increased; I told him he didn't have to talk while he was working.  The nurse and tech cracked up.  

OMG, my food is here.   poke tally then I'm out:

"port"  22

right arm 7

tummy  6

left arm  6

left breast  1

superior vena cava 1

T9 vertebral body 1