Biopsy day: Getting closer to the diagnosis

Today was the big day to understand more about the tumour, and I was ready for the biopsy. Dr Hwang was going to perform an endoscopic ultrasound and biopsy, which would confirm the type of tumour I had.

Being at Wesley Hospital for an endoscopic procedure was new to me—I was used to Chermside Day Hospital. There were plenty of people waiting for procedures, and I was taken to the first waiting room. After doing some paperwork, I moved to the second waiting area. Without mobile phone reception on Vodafone, it felt pretty boring just sitting there, surrounded by the bustle of other patients.

At 2:30 PM, I was taken to the third waiting area. After another bit of a wait, I was taken through to get changed. As I waited, Ros, as usual, tried to inject some inappropriate thoughts into my head, hoping I might accidentally mention something funny when I was under anaesthetic. I just laughed, enjoying her light-hearted approach.

 No such issue (as far as I'm aware).

At 4:45 PM, I awoke in the recovery area, feeling groggy. They gave me some liquid Panadol for the headache. I had to stick to clear fluids for the next four hours, and the underwater-themed room felt oddly calming amidst the clinical environment. The lady in the room across from me had a Marvel theme, and I couldn’t help but smile at the contrast. Was I jealous? Maybe.

When Ros arrived, she asked if they did the biopsy. I advised her that I overheard them say they did. She was able to pick me up at 6 PM.

Dr Hwang informed me that results from the biopsy would be available on Thursday or Friday, and he would call me. He also suggested it would be best to arrange a consult with a surgeon. As I left the hospital, I felt a sense of relief at having taken this important step. I got some pretty pictures and a summary of the procedure to take home with me. The findings noted were "16 mm well-circumscribed, hypoechoic pancreas head lesion consistent with mass identified on imaging" and "the lesion is hypervascular consistent with NET." The conclusion was "pancreas head lesion consistent with pNET."

Home time!