Question about Biopsy? -

my mom has been nose-bleeding for quite some time now...she was confined last year november and the doctors found no problems, but still she was admitted to the hospital for 3 days...then after a year of not nose-bleeding, this october, it started to bleed again...it bleeds like unusual 2-3 times a day ... she is not high-blood, no history of hypertension.... upon check up, the doctor (EENT) just concluded it MIGHT be some infection that s why the bleeding keeps coming back...but as the sound of it, it wasn t that negative but she also advised a CT Scan... she s under medication for 5 days and then will undergo CT Scan...after which the result of the CT scan will be the basis as to whether she needs to undergo biopsy... question... what is the process of nose biopsy? is it painful? my mom is 65 and she might feel nervous with the process? is it safe does it have an anesthesia so she won t feel any pain? how long does it take normally? answers are appreciated.. tnx

Sorry to hear about your Mom s nosebleeds but try not to worry so much. It is very common for doctors to biopsy about anything. They just need to rule out everything. Standard procedure there. It may be an artery or a prior injury that starts the nose bleeds. My son got hit with a hockey puck and had profuse nosebleeds that had to be cauterized. That burns off the part of the vessel that causes the bleeding. No anesthesia....just cauterizing with a numbing solution first. A CT scan is another useful tool in diagnosing the problem if there is one. You say it started back up in October? What state do you live in, because altitude and the air changing can bring this on, as well as sinus infections or a deviated septum which requires surgery. I had the deviated septum and the worst part was the packing. If your humidity is too dry , then nosebleeds can occur. My guess is that they are looking for polyps and they remove them easily and biopsy them . It is usually benign and nothing to worry about. In a biospy they take a little piece of tissue, or a polyp if there is one and biospy as a standard precaution. Try not to worry as I know you are scared. This won t help your Mom to know you are scared. Think positive and support her. It is up to the doctor whether she is put out under anesthesia. Most doctors opt for outpatient surgery also called same day if possible. I assume by medication, you are talking about an antibiotic. If she gets frequent sinus infections, this may be why the doctors are doing these tests. Some people feel some discomfort but it shouln t be too bad. My tolerance for pain is high but I don t know your Mom. It sounds like she s in good hands and the right tests are being done. Have faith!

The ENT surgeon will numb the area before he takes the biopsy. Apart from a little soreness afterwards she will be fine.

I wish I could help with this one but I cannot. I had a liver biopsy a few years ago and it was no biggie. I don t know about the nose. Best wishes.