The biopsy from hell!

All the procedures leading up to this point had either been painless or tolerable. Even the colectomy was nothing compared to this procedure. In the collective wisdom of the oncology dept. it was thought best to do a bronchoscopy. The procedure is to insert a flexible camera with attached tools down my throat only using local anaesthetic in the form of lidacane which tastes horrendous to start with, not to mention all the gagging as they shove this thing down my throat squirting more lidacane as they go. The intent was to access the lymph nodes by inserting hollow tube needles from the inside of my windpipe and piercing the lymph nodes on the other side of my windpipe to extract tissue. They had to restrain my head and forced my mouth open with a plastic tube inserted in my mouth. I was awake and very much aware of all that was happening. They stabbed me twelve times and dug around each time trying unsuccessfully to get a sample. I have never felt such pain. I was in tears after that. I was trying to be so brave but it felt like I was going to choke to death or die from the stabbing pain of needles being shoved through my windpipe. Please God put a stop to this I can't bear any more! Finally after what felt like hours the procedure was halted and declared a bust! No viable samples were gathered and the Dr. who was performing the procedure said the lymph nodes were very large and very hard unlike normal tissue and he could not penetrate them. Sorry about all the discomfort he said but this was all for nought. Discomfort Hell!! This was torture!! Needles to say my throat was sore and I was horse for a few days but I soon recovered from my ordeal to face yet another biopsy.