"Baby's First Biopsy! easy peasy!"
How I did it: At my annual in Nov. 2009, I asked my primary care Dr. to look at a mole on my shoulder which had started to feel 'ragged' to me and which was hurting a bit if anything pressed on it. It's kinda near my bra strap area, so that would happen from time to time. The mole had also been remarked on a time or two at the Chiropractor's office this past summer. So I figured I should ask my regular doc about it at my annual.
She didn't think it looked bad, but also isn't one of the Dr's who takes those things off regularly, so she wrote me a referral.
The referral took a couple weeks to be mailed to me, which brought us to the end of Nov.
I called the doctor I'd been referred to, and he didn't have anything available in Dec. except on a date that I was going to be out of town. So we scheduled for 1/5/10.
I went in this morning and Dr. Viernes looked me over & said the mole didn't look like a malignant one. He wasn't too worried about it. He gave me a couple of options: remove and biopsy it today, OR get a good photo of it today, and revisit in 6 months to a year to see if there's been any change. I decided to go ahead and get it removed.
I got a shot of local anesthetic, then he used a sterile razor blade to remove the mole, and a hot wire to cauterize a small capillary. (that was an unpleasant odor--judging from that, I would not taste good cooked.)
Since I did not have to see the needle or the procedure, I did not get sick or woozy or act like a baby. (I don't like needles.)
ANYWAY, easy peasy. I was in and out in half an hour. Dr. Viernes with Austin Regional Clinic does great work and has a really nice bunch of staff.
Afterwards, I got a sheet with care tips: keep it clean, i can wash in the shower as usual, then coat the wound with vaseline and a band-aid. No neosporin. If the removal site hurts, take Tylenol (acetomenophin) rather than Aspirin or Ibuprofin. No problem!
I should have my biopsy results in a week to 10 days, we do not expect any bad news.
Lessons & tips: If you are in Austin, I can't recommend Dr. Viernes enough; he did a great job & was respectful of my time without making me feel rushed.
Ask questions, make yourself aware of potential plus-es and minus-es of any medical options you have.
Read and follow directions given by the doctor and staff. Ask questions if you don't understand something.
Be polite to the doctor and staff.
Resources: Austin Regional Clinic.
Google maps helped me find the place.
Jan 05, 12:06PM PST
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