Morning all,
I am just looking for a bit of reassurance really.
To those who have had a liver biopsy before, please can you tell me your experiences?
I’m really nervous as I have mine in a week.
Do you recover quickly?
Is there considerable pain?
How long does it take to get your results roughly?
Thanks all xx
My experience was not good, actual procedure ok but I had serious problems afterwards. Most people are absolutely fine.
Good luck.
Thanks for your reply Bantam12.
I’m sorry you had problems afterwards.
Can I ask what happened?
The needle caught my diaphragm, blood pressure dropped and everyone went into panic mode, I was kept on morphine for the day as my breathing was so painful, took several weeks to recover, but as I said most people have no problems.
Ouch! You poor thing! X
Hi I had one a couple of weeks ago it was fine a bit uncomfortable as had it done through my neck it’s worth thinking it is necessary to find out what is happening with your liver and to realise if you do need a transplant this is nothing compared to that hope this helps. Suzzanne
Hi. I had a liver biopsy approx 6 weeks ago. Reasonably painless with no problems afterwards. Was on my way home 2 hrs after with no pain or discomfort Good luck and don’t worry the thought is always worse than the act
Hi my hubby had his done privately as we weren't prepared to wait to be referred. He was fine ,discharged after a couple of hours and consultant rang is with the results same evening. Not sure how quick it will be via NHS.
Unfortunately damage can happen but it is rare and just unlucky for that particular patient.
Good Luck
Hi Bradders88
I was terrified before the biopsy and really nervous. However, I have to say it was painless! They gave me a local anaesthetic in the area and located the liver using ultrasound then I was asked to breathe shallow breaths and the needle was inserted between my lower ribs on the right hand side. I felt a very slight sting for a second and the procedure was over.
Afterwards you have to lie on your back and quite still for about four hours which is boring (I took a book) then I was allowed home. I had a dressing on (more like a plaster) and this came off two days later. I'm now a month after the procedure and have no scar to show where it was.
You have to take it easy for a couple of days and not do any lifting etc. but it really had no ill effects on me. I'm still waiting for results but I guess it depends which hospital trust and lab are processing the biopsy. Fingers crossed all OK!
Good luck with yours - I'm sure you will be fine - its a routine procedure but they do have to scare the life out of you with the risks beforehand. Just remember why you are having it done and that it only takes a few seconds and you'll be OK!
Thanks so much.
I’m glad it went well for you.
That’s a long wait for results though 🙁
The local anaesthetic was painful for a second. I felt nothing from the biobsy. I had to lay down for an hour. I had no side effects at all afterwards. Good luck, I am sure you will wonder why you worried about it
Thank you for the reassurance. I’m glad you had a positive experience. x
Hiya I have had a few biopsies now they can do 2 different ways both are painless, the worst bit is lying still for 6 hours it's boring lol
Nothing to worry about and results come back fairly quickly it's just waiting for the appointment to find out hope everything goes well and it's all good news x
Thank you, I think I will relish in the laying down for a few hours, just to get a rest from the kids lol x
Well in that case enjoy the break 😂 x let us know how you get on
Thank you, will do x
Like Jo-Jo my hubby has had liver biopsy's via both the side route and transjugular. Neither caused him any pain at all, a very minor pulling / clicking sensation when they actually took the sample and after the lie down afterwards he suffered absolutely no ill effects from either.
For his first biopsy the results took an age to come through as the same was too small and had to be sent to various labs and to Edinburgh for liver specialists to have a look - that all took about 8 weeks and at the end of that it was fairly inconclusive just confirmed his cirrhosis diagnosis. The 2nd biopsy results were back within days as it was done at the liver specialist unit rather than local hospital - it just confirmed an auto-immune cause to hubbies liver condition.
Hubby doesn't really like hospitals or needles and he's always said he would prefer any number of biopsies over a single endoscopy - sadly in his case endoscopies number well into double figures now and biopsies only two.
Don't work yourself up over it, enjoy your lie down - just make sure you go to the loo before your procedure as you are not even allowed up to do that in the immediate hours afterward.
All the very best, Katie x
Thanks so much x
Had one a little uncomfortable but not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Lying still 4 hours was ok
Thank you x
Husband has had about five! It’s the laying down for 6 hrs at the QE he’s fed up of!!
Thank you x
Hi
I was so scared before mine. It was fine, a bit uncomfortable but honestly it was fine. Pain after in my shoulder was eased by pain relief and I downloaded a couple of movies for the bed rest after. It was nowhere near as bad as I expected. Hope that helps 😊
Thanks so much x
Please dont worry, it doesnt really hurt the only thing I found frustrating was tge staying lay down for so many hours after, I got bored and holding a book up so I could read it made my arms really ache, a spoken story would b better, good luck xx
Thank you x
Hi Bradders,
You may find the section on liver biopsy in our publication 'Liver disease tests explained' useful to read- it starts on page 32 ;
britishlivertrust.org.uk/wp...
You could maybe make some notes of anything you then want to discuss and have them to hand when the doctor consents you for the procedure.
Wishing you well,
Trust1
Thank you
Hey bradders i didnt feel any Pain just went too sleep and when i woke up had to lay next to a pillow for half an hour its really not a big deal other than the waitin on the results wivh may take 10 days
Thank you x
I was nervous before mine but team was great. Mine was done at a teaching hospital and the nurse said the resident doctor [the one learning] had done about 200 of them since he arrived. They give the option of a little pain med or a lot; I took a lot and vaguely remember anything. Was in bed for two hours afterwards and then picked my son up from school in the afternoon-almost no pain. My doctor rang four days later with the results. Good luck!
Thank you 😀
My experience was good. Went to sleep for 5 minutes .procedure was done. A small bandaid. No pain. Like nothing ever happened. Wishing you the same.
Thank you so much x
My son still has his under a general anaesthetic as he is still at the children’s hospital but In a couple of years when he transitions over he is aware he will have them under a local. He has a pain in his shoulder afterwards which is apparently normal but last time we went home that evening and he was perfectly fine. Last time he had his biopsy on November 23rd and it was January before we got all the results back but he had cancer and as he already had a diseased liver it made it more complicated to diagnose apparently.
Thank you for sharing your sons story. I hope he is better now?x
Thankyou! They put him straight onto the transplant waiting list and on 7h Feb he received his gift and he is 12 weeks post transplant now and doing great!
Thank god he is doing well. X
Don't want to scare you but mine that I had at a London NHS hospital in March was a disaster.... felt uncomfortable but have also had gold seeds implanted in India without anesthetic so this was a breeze - my side was sore afterwards, I could not breathe properly, short of breath - was in Mozambique on a visit to try and get my dogs and parrot out as I had to leave Mozambique and live in the UK for 6 months (even though a full British citizen) - in that time I lost the criteria for liver transplant (thank you very much my grandfather and all his medals would turn in his grave with what he fought for Great Britain) - but I jumped on next flight went into A&E in London had scans - saw the main guy who overseas my treatment (horrible fellow who took me out of a cancer trial - going through legal channels now) - he said just tumour pressing my lung - I went and got a copy of the CD and report unbeknown to them - my lung was punctured and partially collapsed!!!!!! - so just make sure you have a senior doctor and tell them watch out for your lung!!!! They tried to hide that from me!!!
Oh dear! So sorry you had such a bad time of it. I hope you are recovered now. X
Hi Bradders88, I was sedated when they did the liver biopsy so I did not feel a thing, not afterwards either (Once I woke up ) No pain what so ever and I am not really sure where they took the sample as I can find any insertions, It took about 6-8 weeks to get the results. So no problem with the biopsy what so ever. The results showed that I had a stage 2 ( so now I am living a super healthy life, and enjoying it and my ambition is to get completely well or at least mover it down to a stage 1 ). Best of Luck Bradders88 and try not to worry. It will be fine.
Thanks so much. Good luck x
I was diagnosed with Nash with fibrosis, struggling to reverse it at the moment. Take care everyone
Liver biopsy recovery
Biopsy - liver cirhosis 
