6 month kidney biopsy today

Well...well...the day has come to have my 6 month protocol biopsy to ensure continued good heath of my new kidney. Below is a picture of all the assorted tools/instruments to used during my procedure. Needless to say, I'm less then thrilled about having this foot long needle thrust into my lower abdomen. In addition to this procedure, I have also undergone an MRI with dye, which was of course injected into my arm. Just before being prepped for this biopsy I had 6-8 tubes of blood draw. And the big show is the biopsy.

So, had the biopsy, and it was nearly as terrible as I imagined. It began with two needs to humble the area, one shallow and the other deeper. Then came the foot log need gun (The gun actually extracts the tissue sample). Fortunately, I didn't actually feel the foot long 18 gauge needle, although I did feel the movements of the needle while inside me. 2-3 samples where taken, each requiring a new stick with the big needle. Afterward, I was consoled with a band-aid and instructed to lay flat with a 5 LB weight at the entry site for 3-4 hours.