Lupus Support Group

I've had skin amd cervical biopsys. What muscle are you talking about Ann?

My thigh

I've had kidney, liver, and bone biopsies. I suspect that it's pretty similar to those. But to be sure, Ann, I looked up how to do one for you. Hope this info helps. It's very quick if it's like the other biopsies I've had, about 30 seconds.

Tracy

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus...


This procedure is usually done while you are awake. The health care provider will apply a numbing medicine (local anesthesia) to the biopsy area.

There are two types of muscle biopsy:

A needle biopsy involves inserting a needle into the muscle. When the needle is removed, a small piece of tissue remains in the needle. The tissue is sent to a laboratory for examination. More than one needle stick may be needed to get a large enough sample.

An open biopsy involves making a small cut in the skin and into the muscle. The muscle tissue is then removed.

Thanks Tracy - he made it sound terrifying. He says my muscle in my thigh is tender, inflamed is weakening, and he wants to find out why. Its not going to be that bad

thanks Sylvieh x

I firmly believe that doctors have NO CLUE how much anything hurts! I've had them tell me something would be nothing and be excrutiating; I've had others tell me things would hurt and they don't. I sort of wish that docs would have to go through some of these procedures themselves so they'd know! Have you seen the movie "The Doctor" with William Hurt? It's about a doctor who gets cancer and becomes a patient and suddenly has to see things from the patient''s point of view.

Your doc is going to use a needle with a large bore and it will take out a piece of tissue off your muscle. You will have some bleeding, some bruising, and if it's already inflamed I'm sure it will hurt for a few days. But Ann, I'm sure you've been through worse! Ever had an EMG? I suspect that was worse than this.

I think my all-time-worse procedure was having a bone marrow biopsy! Come on, lupies, tell us your WORST procedure (short of surgery). The bone marrow biopsy is very similiar to a muscle biopsy, the main difference being that they have to BREAK IN TO YOUR BONE to get a sample so they leave you with a FRACTURE where they take the specimen. The doc said to me that because it only "takes a sec" they wouldn't give me STRONGER anesthetics!!

So tell us your worst!!

Tracy

Worst proceedures were definitely the EMG. Needles and electrical shocks in muscles = no fun.......Second worse was a needle biopsy of a huge lymph node that had abscessed under my arm pit. It was the size of a lemon. The pain alone from the node was excruciating, but then to have several large needles stuck into it to get a biopsy almost made me pass out...That was a staph infection....

Compared to a bone marrow biopsy though I have nothing to complain about....

Ann, did the dr. say exactly what he is looking for? Is he looking for a metabolic disease or myasthenia gravis??? I have only ever heard of the muscle biopsy done for a metabolic or muscular disorder.

Totally agree with tracy...You cannot go on what doctors or even people tell you about proceedures. I too have been told a test would be horrible and it was nothing. Then a test was a breeze and it was horrible. I also had several people tell me that a C-Section was a walk in the park. HAHAHA....It was the worst pain I have ever been in in my life. Worse than having my chest sawed thru.....It was EXCRUCIATING.
Hope everyone had a nice day
Melissa