Page 115 of Never Stop
“Last time they gave me a sedative.”
“Why? Did you panic?”
Yeah, I panicked when I felt the fucking needle go in!“They did it before the biopsy.”
“Some hospitals do. We don’t. The lidocaine will numb you so you don’t feel anything.”
I shook my head slightly to disagree with her. “I still felt it last time, and they had to give me more.”
“Really?” She tilted her head slightly. “Usually patients don’t feel anything.”
I nodded. “It was because it was a desmoid tumor and they were having a hard time getting a sample.”
“I’ve never heard of a desmoid tumor. I’ll let Dr. Feldman know, and he’ll talk to you more about it.”
I nodded to her again, and she left. My gaze turned to Easton, and I shook my head, not believing that this was all happening.
“It will be okay, baby.” He brushed his thumb along the back of my hand.
The doctor came in a few minutes later, and introduced himself to both of us. “Nurse Abbie said you had a desmoid tumor biopsied last time?”
I snickered. “Well, they tried. They weren’t able to get a sample because it was too hard.”
He sat in front of me. “I was just reading about desmoid tumors. I’ve never heard of them before.”
I stared at him. The doctor that biopsied tumors for a living hadn’t heard of a desmoid tumor before?Great!“After my last surgery, they told me it was a rare tumor that is known to grow back.”
“I read that too. And I reviewed your scan and the report. They aren’t certain if it’s a mass or scar tissue. Whatever it is, I’ll make sure to get enough sample to test.” He looked to Easton and then me. “If you two don’t have any questions, I’ll have Nurse Abbie bring you back.”
I looked to Easton, and he shook his head. “Nope. Let’s get this over with.”
This hospital was totally different from the last. Unlike the time before, I walked into the room with the CT scanner. I wasn’t wheeled in on a bed and helped to lay face down on the machine. Instead, I walked in and laid on the machine myself. At least this time I didn’t feel helpless.
“Are you ready, sweetie?” Nurse Abbie asked.
I nodded my head that was turned on the pillow. I wasn’t in a comfortable position. I was laying on my stomach, my head turned to the side and my arms stretched above it.
As she untied the top of the gown from the back, she spoke, “Great. Dr. Feldman will be in just a second to administer the lidocaine. It will burn for a few seconds, and then he’ll bring you back, line you up and mark your back before he starts the biopsy. He may need to get a scan of the area a few times to make sure he’s in the right spot.”
It was then that I realized the doctor never told me what he was going to do. I mean, it wasn’t new to me but a desmoid tumor was new to him and that probably distracted him.
“Okay,” I replied. I just wanted it over with.
Dr. Feldman came in a minute or so later. He patted my shoulder. “I’m going to do the lidocaine now.”
I nodded and closed my eyes. The needle pricked my skin like I was being stung by a bee. It wasn’t too bad until fire radiated the entire area. When they say it burns, it fucking burns. I grimaced, trying to wait out the pain.
“You doing okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I choked out, the pain dissipating.
“Great. I’m going to pull the table back and line you up.”
I didn’t move, didn’t open my eyes as I waited for him to get started.
“Now I’m going to insert the needle for the biopsy. Let me know if you feel anything.”
I swallowed, feeling a needle poke me on the inside. I tensed and held my breath.
