Do not take aspirin or aspirin products 7 days before the biopsy. Do not take blood thinning products 7 days before the biopsy. Do not take anti-inflammatory products 7 days before the biopsy. Do not take Vitamin E products 7 days before the biopsy.
Your doctor may tell you not to eat or drink for eight hours before your biopsy. However, you may take your routine medications with sips of water. If you are diabetic and take insulin, ask your doctor if you need to adjust your usual insulin dose.
How you prepare. Most needle biopsy procedures don't require any preparation on your part. However, you may be asked to stop taking blood-thinning medications, such as warfarin (Jantoven) or aspirin, in the days before your biopsy.
If you are not sure what type of medicines you are taking, review your medicines with the doctor who referred you. Do this the night before the appointment: Take a shower. The biopsy site will need to be dry for 24 hours after your biopsy.
Rest as much as you can in the next day or two. Limit using the body part, if this is possible. For example, if you had a biopsy performed on your arm or leg, try to rest and raise the limb for the next day or so. Avoid vigorous exercise and lifting heavy objects.
Practice proper wound care.
Rinse thoroughly and gently pat dry with a clean washcloth. To keep the wound moist and help it heal faster, apply petroleum jelly from a squeeze tube to the wound. Then, cover the wound with an adhesive bandage or sterile gauze and paper tape.
Immediately Following a Biopsy
Vigorous mouth rinsing or chewing in the areas of the biopsy should be avoided. This may cause increased bleeding or the blood clot to dislodge. A liquid or soft diet is recommended for the first 24 hours. Avoid sucking through straws and eating hard or crunchy foods and spicy foods.
Rules about when to stop eating and drinking are created to keep patients safe! It is very important for every patient to have an empty stomach before any surgery or procedure that requires anesthesia, for two reasons: To prevent nausea. To keep any food or liquid from getting into the lungs.
The bra will provide comfort and support after your procedure. Please wear a bra for three to four days following surgery, even while you sleep. This minimizes post-operative bleeding and will make you more comfortable.
Avoid sticky, hard (such as ice cubes, nuts, popcorn, chips), brittle, spicy, highly seasoned, or acidic foods in your diet. Foods such as soups, pasta, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese etc. are best. Be sure to maintain adequate nutrition and drink plenty of fluids.
In most cases, biopsies are outpatient procedures, so you won't need to stay in hospital overnight. But occasionally some types of biopsy, such as those where a tissue sample needs to be taken from an internal organ, may require a general anaesthetic.
It is not necessary to restrict eating or drinking before the biopsy. In fact, we recommend that you eat a light breakfast or lunch before coming in for the procedure. You can take all your normal medications, with the exception of those mentioned above.
Don't use lotion, cream, powder, deodorant, or perfume on your arm, underarm, or breast on the day of the procedure. Tell your provider if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant. Tell your provider if you are sensitive to or allergic to any medicines, latex, tape, and local anesthesia medicines.
Keep a bandage on the biopsy site for a day. Do not drive or run machinery for at least 24 hours. Do not do any strenuous exercise or lifting for at least two days.
You may brush your teeth and rinse your mouth with a small sip of water, but do not swallow any of it. If you have been told to take medicine the day of surgery, take them with just a small sip of water. Stop smoking for at least twenty-four (24) hours before surgery.
Showers are fine starting the day after the biopsy. Leave the band-aids in place while you shower and change them after you dry off. During the time period of daily band-aid changes, do not soak in a bath or swim. If you need to clean the wounds, you can use hydrogen peroxide.
What preparations must I take before the exam? You may have a light breakfast, however, we ask that you not have coffee. Coumadin and other medications, which thin your blood, should not be taken for 7 days prior to the procedure.
You may eat anything soft and cool the first day by chewing away form the biopsy site. Do not drink hot fluids or eat hot food the first day. Avoid hard, crunchy foods that may harm the incision area as well as salty and spicy foods that may cause additional irritation.
This is very uncommon but check for signs of localised redness, heat, swelling or discharge from the wound. You may also feel unwell, possibly feverish. If this happens, seek medical advice from your General Practitioner. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us.
The biopsy site may be sore and tender for 1 to 2 days. This care sheet gives you a general idea about how long it will take for you to recover. But each person recovers at a different pace. Follow the steps below to feel better as quickly as possible.
The biopsy site may be sutured (stitched) closed, depending on the size of the skin defect. The area often heals with a small scar. Your doctor may ask you to return in 5 to 14 days for removal of the stitches. You will be given instructions on how to help the biopsy site heal.
Most biopsies will only require local anaesthetic, which means you won't need to stay in hospital overnight. However, an overnight stay is sometimes required when the biopsy is carried out under general anaesthetic. After having a biopsy, you won't usually feel any pain.
The time required for biopsy results will vary.
These procedures are usually fairly quick and might take 15 to 30 minutes to perform, depending on the part of the body being biopsied. Typically, the biopsy sample is then saved in a special type of preservative and sent to the pathology lab for processing.