D Day + 36: Friday 17 September 2010 - C is The Biopsy Man

Having checked with Sonya yesterday, C could not have anything to eat this morning - I felt so bad for him that I decided to join the 'fast' and didn't have breakfast either, well except two large cups of coffee.  Ironic that his appetite hasn't been up to much recently, but the one day he actually can't eat he gets hungry....
I took the dogs up on Culver again first thing this morning - another beautiful September morning - and the air was so clear and fresh, it was really invigorating being up there.  Views were amazing, more so than usual; a real 'good to be alive day' as my mum would have said.
We got C's overnight bag packed in case he had to stay in; then set off for St Mary's in time to arrive for 11.45.  Went up to the ward  (Whippingham, very nice, done out in a relaxing shade of lilac...) and spoke to a very nice, friendly ward clerk, who got C to a bed and answered some of our questions.  Then Sonya arrived and we got the paperwork sorted, and she explained the procedure, timings etc.  It's always good to know what to expect; I love a plan.  She then produced two of those damn hot and sexy hospital gowns...whoar!! Or not, really...So C had to get changed (right down to the buff, I'll have you know; not something he was happy about but caused much hilarity for me as he had to keep remembering to sit with his legs crossed!!) and onto the bed to await collection.  The hospital porters arrived to wheel him off a bit earlier than expected, and I promptly took myself off to the restaurant to have lunch...which sadly was the most bland and tasteless 'cheese and egg salad' that I've ever not tasted; but it filled a gap and stopped my tummy rumbling.
Back to the ward and before long C was wheeled back in - wide awake and looking distinctly un-ill!  He hadn't had any sedation for the biopsy.  Brave chap - personally, I'll take any kind of anasthesia going, even for taking out a splinter if I can get away with it...
The biopsy went as follows: the CT scanner was used to locate the specific biopsy area, then after 10 minutes a man appeared with a ruler and a felt tip pen to mark the spot on C's back for the doctor to aim at!!  Once the skin had been cleaned with an alcohol wipe (which C says was 'cold and tingly') the doc the injected some anaesthetic, then a second injection a bit deeper, after which a large hollow needle was inserted into the area where the anaesthetic had gone.  Then the doc got out his gun - which had a long, slim tube - and inserted it into the hollow needle, and then fired it twice into the tumour to grab bits of the b*****d thing - he got two chunks as a precaution.  C asked to see the biopsy bits - and when I asked him how he felt about seeing the tumour 'face to face', he said he felt really angry for a short time.  This feeling was however soon to be replaced by one of embarrassment, as the men reappeared with C's bed - now, to load him back on this it meant that the double doors of the CT room had to be open, and in full view of the entire Diagnostic Imaging waiting room C, in his sexy hospital gown and no underwear remember, shunted across to his bed to be wheeled back to the ward...someone in that room must have had a not very flattering view of C from, well, a not very flattering viewpoint, to be honest....
We had to wait for a while to make sure that no internal bleeding occurred on the biopsy site, so it meant a few hours on the ward.  Thankfully the Ipad has Scrabble on it, so we played against each other a few times (which I won, thank you very much) and I went out for cups of tea and snacks.  I also had to go out and renew the parking ticket - I got to the exit and realised I didn't have the car keys, so went back to the ward to find C ensconced with two nurses, one either side of him, while he flashed his Ipad at them...and when I got back from actually renewing the ticket they were still there!!!  I don't know, show a girl your latest gadget....
We finally left the hospital at 5.15pm, having been given the all clear.  This was not before C had to have the canula removed from his arm, which they hadn't needed to use, and was the entertainment highlight for me and the most painful part of the day for him - the canula had a large, very sticky, piece of protective gauze around it, and it had adhered itself nice and strongly to the long hairs on C's arm...I had thought that he was wincing big time at the canula coming out...but it was merely the sticky stuff; woos, complete woos....hilarious!!!!
Home again to C's favourite 'basic' dinner - egg and chips - cricket on the TV and a log fire; pretty normal stuff really, considering what went on today.  Now we just have to wait to see the consultant on 30 September to find out the best way to treat the cancer; chemo, here we come.