I'm booked in to have a liver biopsy next week and am pretty freaked out. I'm scared to death and have asked to be sedated but have been told I need to be awake, but I can have valium to keep me calm, but it's a BYO sedative deal.
It will be done at a radiology place, guided by ultrasound and that's about all I know, other than the fact that I'll be there for "several hours" after the procedure.
Can anyone tell me what the day will look like? The what happens before and after stuff, I'm not quite sure I'm ready to face what happens during the actual procedure.
My mum's had one. She said she was a little sore for a couple of days after it, but appeared to cope okay. I was quite far away at the time, so I didn't see close hand and am just going by what she said on the phone.
My stepfather had a liver transplant a couple of years ago and he's going great guns now.
It depends on the facilities policies and procedures. But I can tell you what we do at work.
Rock up at a pre-appointed time to be admitted. Be asked about fasting, allergies etc. Have any necessary bloods taken, get changed. Wait in waiting room and then go to imaging.
In imaging they will use the ultrasound to find the liver and the right spot they want to biopsy. I'll stop there but if you want to know more, let me know.
Afterwards, you'll have a clear dressing (tegaderm) over the site. Sometimes they put a small wad of gauze as well. You will have to lie flat (usually on your back) for a period of time. The time depends on the facility. Our protocol is 4 hours. Again, depending on the facility, you will have to stay on the trolley/bed until about 15-30 minutes before you go home.
You may get some left shoulder tip pain - this is considered to be common although I can count on 1 hand how many patients I've had with that. The most common complaint is discomfort breathing in.
At my hospital, we say that you must have someone stay with you over night, can not drive for 48 hours, can not operate machinery for 48 hours, drink alcohol for 24 hours.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks, MG. It's happening in a radiology place rather than a hospital and I've been told I don't need to fast. I asked about it, they said no. They said I could have a sedative, but had to organise that myself through the GP. I have diazepam... The anxiety attacks I've been having are pretty severe - feeling like I want to pass out when I talk about it kind of severe, so I know there's no way I can get through it without something to keep me calm.
DH is taking the day off work and Sam's in day care. We've got someone on standby to collect Sam from day care if things take ages. All I've been told is that I will need to remain at the radiology place for "several hours" after the procedure. I've also been given no instructions regarding medications I should or should not take that morning. My GP looked at my list of meds and said none of them effect clotting so I should be fine.
What about heavy lifting after the procedure? Will it be a good idea to organise friends to come over to help with Sam and/or collect Sam so I can rest?
And thank you for stopping where you did. I may ask about it eventually, but that's only going to happen if I can get myself feeling a lot calmer about the whole thing. I guess it doesn't help that I don't clearly understand WHY I'm having the biopsy and what sort of information they hope to gain from it. I have a diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and my LFTs aren't showing improvement (elevated GGT, AST, ALT, all others within normal limits) for the last few months despite withdrawing all medications that could be causing liver issues.
Just make sure they know exactly what sedation you've had, the dose, and time you took it. We don't make people fast either but still like to know when they last ate.
For your medications, anything that interfers with clotting should be stopped including aspirin unless there is a specific reason you can't (such as heart valve issues). They may not want you to alter your meds so they can see exactly what is happening and if it's because of your meds. Stopping them now would give a false result if that makes sense.
You will need to avoid heavy lifting. Again, it depends on the protocols of the venue but we say 72 hours.
Often they say "several hours" to account for if there are any set backs. For example, if you had pain that couldn't be controlled, you'd need to stay longer. You'd be surprised how many people go "I was told 3 hours and it's been 3 hours - I'm going!" when they are in no condition to leave!
The biopsy will reveal more than the bloods and they can also test for things bloods don't reveal.
Is there anything in particular you're worried about for the test? They will put local anesthetic into the site first so you shouldn't feel anything other than pressure.
I have an anxiety disorder, MG. This is an unknown and I have major anxiety issues with unknown medical procedures. The first time I had to go under a general anaesthetic I ended up hyperventilating so badly that I ended up paralysing myself and could not feel my extremities - they had a lot of trouble getting a canula into my hand. I'm fine with a GA now, and if I'm under a GA for a procedure I'm ok. I've always had major fears about having things done with a local anaesthetic and this - shoving a needle into my liver - has such a massive freak out factor that my GP has had to put me on valium to get through the week before it.
I'm just trying to find out as much as I can about the before and after so that there's less unknown about the day and it is reducing the anxiety a little. Just a little - nothing changes the fact that they are sticking a needle into my liver, and I just can't see much to be happy and calm about in terms of that!
Also, this is the deciding factor as to when/if I get to take my other arthritis medications again. I'm doing a bit better now that the weather has warmed up, but Winter was one big struggle... Trying to manage RA flares when you can't take any prednisone or NSAIDs is bloody difficult!
Who can help me through a liver biopsy?
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i'm glad its over. I hope the results are good. Thinking of you. 
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