I had an MRI last week because my neck has really been bothering me. Turns out I have bone spurs and will need to do some PT. The MRI also picked up a growth on my thyroid. I have to have a needle biopsy. I’m not really worried about the results, as 95% of these things are benign, but I’m a little freaked out at the idea of having a needle jabbed into my throat.
So, if you’ve had a needle biopsy on any part of your anatomy, please tell me how unpleasant it was.
I’ve had biopsies in several different places (my family has a history of skin cancer), and they’ve all been no big deal except for one. A little bit of topical anesthetic and neither the knives nor needles hurt a bit.
You don’t want to hear about the bone marrow biopsy.
Isaac Asimov on the operating table.
Good luck!
I had a needle biopsy done on my thyroid a couple of years ago and was surprised by just how painless it all was. Like you, I had been thinking that the tech was going to have to “punch” the needle through my throat, which was kinda disturbing at best. That’s not what happened though. Instead she used a contraption that allowed her to rotate the tip of the needle so she could slowly bore through the tissue. It sounds gross, but it only felt like steady pressure followed by a brief pinching sensation. There was almost no bleeding afterwards. All things considered, it wasn’t bad at all. I don’t even recall getting any anesthetic.
I’ve had two needle biopsies on my thryoid and several on my breast. No big deal at all. They give you a shot of anesthetic and you can kind of feel the pressure of the needle once it’s inside, but that’s only mildly weird, not painful. No bleeding to speak of, a little minor muscular pain afterward. I went directly to yoga class after the last one, did not do a headstand, but had a perfectly comfortable class otherwise, including shoulderstand.
Good luck!
I had a needle biopsy a few months ago for a lesion on my shoulder. A tiny prick when they inject the anesthetic, some pressure as it goes in. As for the actual biopsy being taken, I probably wouldn’t have been able to discern the actual penetration of the needle from the doctor poking me with her finger had I not been watching (it’s okay, I’m a nurse).
The greatest discomfort I had with the experience was a little bit of itching from the sutures.
Whew, I’m feeling better already. Those of you who have had the thyroid one, any hoarseness afterwards?
Had the biopsy and would agree with the other posters, it’s really not too bad. No hoarseness afterward.
The surgery that came after the results came back was a lot less fun.
I, my three sisters, a niece and a nephew have all had thyroid biopsies (result, two cancers, five thyroidectomies to date). It really wasn’t bad at all. THey took four samples from me, and the last was the most uncomfortable, so I wish they’d’ve done that first. No hoarseness after. Close your eyes - it’s sort of disconcerting to watch a needle go at your throat.
Good luck!
StG
I had a liver biopsy done. They gave me a mild sedative, and a topical anesthetic. It was over before I knew it, but then I had to lie down for several hours afterwards to prevent bleeding. That was the hard part!
Good luck with your procedure!
No, no hoarseness at all. According to PubMed, thyroid biopsy complications are exceedingly rare and only 4 out of 10,974 patients had any vocal changes post-procedure. I agree with the other poster though that it’s best to close your eyes if you’re at all squeamish. Other than that, it should be a piece of cake. 
I’ve had a kidney biopsy once, but in my case there was no mild sedative but morphine up to my gills (they didn’t want to tell me what it was, though, but I have no doubt about it), which helped me lying immobile on my back for six hours. I could hear people talking about me but I was so high I just didn’t care.
Closest thing I had was amniocentesis. I was so panicky before that I insisted the doc numb the skin. She tried telling me that the needle for the numbing would hurt as much as the needle for the amnio but as I said to her "I know what that will feel like. So I didn’t feel the needle going through the skin. I did feel something STRANGE when the needle punctured something inside, but it wasn’t actually painful.
I suspect the needle biopsy would be reasonably similar. Heck, with a thyroid thing, they might actually be able to get numbing closer to the ultimate target.
I’ve had needle biopsies on thyroid, lymph node, and breast. None were bad. The (non-bad!) worst part of the thyroid one was pressure. I did not experience hoarseness after; in fact, I went to a chorus retreat that day and sang for 12 hours the following day.
I had a needle biopsy on my thyroid several years ago and I’m afraid I can’t tell you much about it. But that’s a good thing, because I really don’t remember the details, and I would if there was anything bad or really uncomfortable about it. I went in, had it done, and went about my business. No problems.
Same thing with the iodine test. The only annoying thing about that was the timing. I don’t know if things have changed, but I had to go in to get the thing to swallow and then go back several hours later for the test.
I had a needle biopsy in each breast a few years ago, and it was easily the most painful thing I have ever felt. The only pain that can compare is the time the anasthesia wore off in the middle of a root canal. But the biospy was worse.
They didn’t give me anesthetic though. Said it would “ruin the sample.” They also said my level of pain was “unusual.” Also, the lumps were incredibly dense and they could not draw up any cells, so they sort of jabbed the needle back and forth, like packing crushed ice in the bottom of a straw. They sent me home with ice packs on my breasts.
I am not writing this to be a dick. But, it really hurt A LOT, and everyone told it would be no big whoop. I am sure I am an outlier in this procedure. The Dr. who was doing the sample was shaken by the experience, maybe not as shaken as me, but it was definitely not what she was anticipating.
I had an aspiration done on a swollen lymph node on the back of my neck. It hurt, but only took a few seconds so it wasn’t THAT big a deal.
A couple of things:
The people mentioning liver and kidney biopsies are referring to core needle biopsies, which sample a slender solid core of tissue. These are considerably larger bore than the skinny needles used for fine needle aspirates (FNAs, which most probably is what the OP is going to get). The FNAs are considerably less likely to cause significant pain. However…
What the doc said is the standard line used by many physicians who do FNAs. I should know, since I used it myself when doing FNAs. It is likely true in some cases, and using a local anesthetic introduces subcutaneous fluid that can obscure very small lesions. On the other hand my experience suggests that for many people the FNA is less stressful and painful when anesthetic is used. Thyroid FNAs typically require multiple sticks (to sample different parts of a lesion or lesions), so it’s a bit harder to adequately anesthetize the skin. I would want it myself, though.
I should mention that for most people I did FNAs on, they commented afterwards that it didn’t hurt as much as they expected.
Complications for a thyroid FNA are pretty rare - mainly a slight chance of infection (very unlikely if the skin is adequately sterilized with an alcohol swab beforehand) and (mostly in people with big goiters) a potential for significant bleeding in the thyroid gland - again, quite uncommon.
Don’t hesitate to ask for a second pathologist to review the FNA results if you feel it’s warranted.
And yes, the great majority of thyroid lesions are benign, most commonly relating to hyperplastic nodules (goiter).
Best wishes.
I almost had a needle biopsy in one of my breasts last fall. But they couldn’t locate the area via radiology and so had to abandon the procedure and schedule me for a surgical biopsy instead.
That was a huge relief, because in my case the surgical biopsy would also remove all of the problem area because it was so small, so I wouldn’t have to wait further to find out what it was and STILL have surgery possibly hanging over my head. The surgical biopsy was done under heavy sedation, so I didn’t know a thing after they sent the drugs into my IV.
I don’t remember if they got as far as giving me anesthetic for the aborted needle biopsy. The worst part was lying in a very weird position, just another reason to be happy when they said they had to quit.
I asked if I could have a little something to take the edge off during the procedure, because I was sure I would jitter myself right off the table, and they prescribed me one Xanax to take right before. They also granted my request to bring in a small CD player with soothing music. If either of these ideas appeals to you, and if your type of biopsy is expected to take a while and/or you must lie still for a long time, you could give them a try.
Good luck!
I’ve had needles and <very small> vacuums stuck into my eyeballs and eyelids <chelazion issues>. No drugs, though the needles were for the numbing agents.
The first time wasn’t THAT bad, I thought; I realized afterwards that, as I hadn’t been expecting it, I was all ‘ok’ about it until I left. At that point, I realized that I’d basically gone into shock and was REALLY glad I wasn’t driving myself home.
The second time was a lot worse, and I am sure it is in part because I knew what to expect.
Both times, the worst part about it was having to hold my head steady and not move my eyeballs. At all. Yes, they had eyelid-holder-openers in there, but still…'Don’t move your head at all or your eyeballs or…just don’t move, ok?"
WTF