Experience with a Ganglion Cyst?

I would call the doctor and be sure that your self diagnosis is correct and ask the doc what you should do. When it comes to cysts, bumps, and lumps a doctors opinion is the best.

Good Luck

E.,
My grandfather gets them all the time. I know that the others said it can be dangerous, but I just talked to him and he said he just takes a heavy book (The Bible) and smashes the cyst. He's been getting them for years.
Since this is your first cyst though, I would call your doctor's advice line and see what (s)he has to say, but I don't think there is anything to worry about.
Best wishes, K.

My sister has had several. My advice is to make the appointment with your doctor. As long as it is not interfering with your movement and blood flow, they will probably just watch it for now. They will also be able to confirm that your diagnosis is correct.

My sister has had to have hers removed surgically. I think she has had to have 3 maybe 4 removed.

Anyhow, I know I haven't really given you information you really want to hear but I hope it helps. Good luck.

Hi E.,
I work with someone who just had the surgery. I think she let it go until it was causing real symptoms/discomfort.

Hi E.,
I had a ganglion cyst when I was 21 and did not need to do anything about it for a few years. I finally did have to have surgery because it got so big that it wrapped around my tendons and I had trouble gripping. At this point, maybe go see your family doctor and see what they recommend. Normally, if it is not bothering you, they let it go. In some cases they recommend draining it but the sac can fill back up again. If you need any other info, let me know. Good luck!
S.

I'm an old grandmother of 5. Many years ago I had a ganglion on my wrist next to my wrist bone. It looked like I had two wrist bones. I had lots of advice, such as put your hand down on a table with the ganglion on the top. Have someone smash it with a book. I didn't care for that advice and opted for a doctor instead. I was told ganglions are common and not harmful. I preferred to get rid of it for cosmetic reasons. It was removed surgically in the hospital but was no big deal. I would venture a good bet it is now an out patient procedure. If it bothers you, see a doctor. Otherwise, no sweat! Enjoy your time with your wee one. It goes so quickly! L. D.

i had those gangliions before - and they are typically from too much stress on teh wrists. form eit was riding my bike. but not like i was going to stop riding!
if you do nothing, it will go away on its own. i used to massage it though - i think they recommend in some literature to actually pound on it to make it go away? from what i remember 10+ years ago.
but it was a temporary thing and annoying rather than painful. maybe shaking out the writs will help, too.
good luck!
J.
www.nutrition-in-motion.net

My ex-husband had the same type of cyst on his wrist. If I recall correctly, it occurs typically where there is repetitive motion. You will want to get it at least checked out and monitored, if not removed. They can be dangerous depending on how they are impacting the areas they are attached to and the surrounding areas. Sometimes they break-up on their own, others need removed.

Get to the doctor.

My sister had one when she was young, and we heard the bible trick from the doctor! She did not do that, she just kind of dealt with it and somehow it eventually disappeared.

I have had these types of cysts removed purely b/c i did not like to look at them. They are like puss packets that get trapped in your skin and are not harmful to my knowledge (I am not a doctor). My cousin had some removed from her head, amd my uncle had one behind his knee that did cause him discomfort. I would have a doctor check it out to be on the safe side. i realize the internet is full of great knowledge but it is better to be safe than sorry!! If it is a ganglion cyst and it does not bother you than you could just leave it alone.... I hope this is helpful....

I had one of these years ago. If I'm not mistaken it feels like a very hard lump. It just goes away on its own. If you do go to your Dr. have them take a peek. But I believe it just wears away.
Liz

I have had one for 25 years. Mine is small and does not bother me. If yours does not hurt.....show it to a dr at your next visit. Just to be sure. If it is bothersome, make an appointment to have it looked at now.

Don't smash it. I had one for years on the outside of my wrist. The first time I noticed it, went to a dr (I was in architectural school & I couldn't write or draft) & he told me to wear a wrist brace & take it easy as much as I could.

So...whenever it started to bother me,I'd pull out the brace & wear it for a while.

Then when my older dd was about 2 (about 7 yrs after I first noticed it), I couldn't pick her up one day. The pain was just excrutiating. So...back to the dr. They said they could drain it but it would eventually just fill back up again. Or they could take it out.

I chose to take it out. They tried to go laporoscopically but mine was too big by then so they had to make a small incision. I went home that day, kept it iced & raised for a few days & was out of work for a few weeks. But...it is has been 6 yrs now & it does not bother me at all now.

I can bowl again & I've had not had any sign that it is coming back.

If you are not in pain, just annoyed by the look of it, I wouldn't take any action but...if you are in pain, then get help.

And for me, I think mine came back aggressively from the back patting we do for our babies as they lay over our shoulders. So...perhaps try the brace so that you are not bending your wrist quite so much & it will help it to not get so irritated.

Well it depends on what caused it. My son has a cyst and it went away. My daughter had one and it had to be surgery removed. My mom has one that comes and goses and i know people that have gotten massages done on the area to help bring it down and sometimes the body would just reobsorbe it all together.

Dosen't hurt to see if they can tell you what might have caused it. Dosen't mean that you have to take thier adice and run with it.

Hey E.,

What a popular topic! I had a ganglion cyst a few years ago that I had surgically removed. It was not causing any problems, but I chose to have it removed surgically purely for cosmetic reasons. There is the old trick of whacking it with a book or getting it drained, but the hand surgeon I saw said the only way to ensure that it did not return was to have it surgically removed. So I just chose that route instead of fooling around. From what I know the cysts are harmless, but I was getting married and didn't think the large lump was too attractive! The incision did go across the wrist (the cyst when down into the joint), but the recovery was pretty quick. I would suggest finding a hand surgeon to check it out. Good luck!

I had one on the base of my finger (where it meets the palm) a few years ago. It was a pain b/c whenever I grabbed anything it would hit it and hurt. I didn't know what it was so went to my PCP who sent me to an orthopedic doc. Basically they numbed my finger, stuck a needle in it and squeezed the stuff out of it. That was that. Its come back a few times but I've let it go and it usually goes away on its own. If it hadn't been in a place where it was causing discomfort my doctor wasn't going to do anything with it the first time. Also, I've talked to people who have had them on their wrist and said basically the doctor just smashed it with something hard to get rid of it. I would say if it hurts, go to the doctor and see what they say. Otherwise you can probably leave it alone and it may go away on its own!

I agree with some of the other posters--you should definitely see a doctor and not try to diagnose yourself! You have a very young baby, carrying around those horrible baby carriers and holding her to nurse, not to mention lifting her up and down puts great stress on your joints. I had lumps like that when my daughter was about that age and they were causing me great debilitating pain so I went to see an orthopedist--he diagnosed me with De Quervain's syndrome, a type of tendonitis he said is common with new mothers! I had a series of steroid shots in the wrist and the lumps and pain went away within days of getting a shot. If you start having pain, go see a doctor--don't smash your wrist or anything foolish like that!

Hi E., My mother got those....if it isn't causing you pain or impeeding your movement you can ignore it. If it is painful or limits your mobility then you need to see a Doctor. If I remember correctly they remove them as an out patient...My mom had 3 ganglion cysts removed (she got another one after she had the first one removed from one of her hands/wrists). Best wishes

I wouldn't do anything about it unless it's causing you discomfort. I had one removed in 1994 because it was causing me a lot of pain in my wrist. I've just recently noticed it's coming back (I guess they commonly come back) and I'm starting to experience some pain in my wrist again. It's a relatively minor day surgery only requiring local anesthetic. I have heard people say you can sometimes break the cyst by hitting it hard with a book or rubbing it hard in warm water. I tried all these things and none worked...

Hi E.,

I've had three in the same spot on my ankle. Once it was emptied in the doc's office then two times I needed surgery to remove since they were so big. Neither surgery was a big deal, just a local and then, to be blunt, they dig it out. Since then though I still need to massage that area and work out the scar tissue. I don't think I would recommend smashing it though, definitely check with your doctor. I think the surgeries may have left arthritis too, from scar tissue, so it really feels good when that spot is massaged.

J.

My husband used to get the same one on his wrist in the same spot...this was bout 13 years ago or so. I hit it a with a heavy book and it went away. He hasn't had one since then.

I know there are people saying not to do it but it does work! LOL

If it bothers you that much, go see a doctor and have it checked.