<p>Ok, I know it sounds gross, but I have to inquire if anyone has ever had this problem? Actually it just looks funny! I have been under a Doctor’s care for a month; being treated with anti-inflam and wrist brace. Doctor is somewhat reluctant to perform surgery and I am somewhat reluctant to insist on it. However, it does not seem to be going away and is minimally painful at this point. Any experience/suggestions?
Thanks!</p>
<p>I’ve had one for 45 years, and unless it is really medically necessary to take it out I’d strongly advise against it. Bone surgery hurts a LOT more than a ganglion ever does. And then you will have a scar that would be more noticable than the ganglion ever was!</p>
<p>I have had one off and on for decades. I have never had it treated by a Doc although I have had massage people work on it. A friend who had it treated with surgery had it reappear.</p>
<p>I don’t have one now. Do you do anything (like carry things) that strains your wrist? Mine was really only a problem when I did cartwheels (rarely.)</p>
<p>They seem to go away on their own, given time.</p>
<p>I have one of these. My doctor drained mine and it is still there but HARDLY noticiable and it does not hurt at all. DON’T HAVE SURGERY!! Trust me it is not worth it and it is not a big deal. It is just painful from time to time.</p>
<p>my son was a gymnast and had one removed when he was about 8…simple procedure, relief, no cyst many years later–small scar at incision site, but that’s all!</p>
<p>Is that one of those things that is called a bible bump? </p>
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<p>Could the College Board SAT book work? SAT bump sounds better than bible bump. :)</p>
<p>Draining it does not seem to involve a lot.</p>
<p>What exactly, is a ganglion cyst and how do you get one?</p>
<p>I have one as well - as a percussionist, it only bothers me when I do the Ricky Ricardo “babaloo” impression on the bongos. I have worn a brace too when it flares up, I would not go for the surgery unless the pain becomes unbearable or impedes normal everyday use of the wrist…</p>
<p>In medical school it was called a " Bible Wack Cyst", not that I’m recommending it.</p>
<p>That is the name of it in layman’s terms. I am not in favor of whacking it either!</p>
<p>I had one on the top of my right hand, very close to the wrist for a number of years. At first, it would come and go, and was minimally uncomfortable. Then it started to get bigger, and more painful, until I sought help from an orthopedist. He needle asperated it a couple of times, but it kept coming back, bigger and badder each time. Since I’m right hand dominant, it was really starting to interfere with everyday activities. Finally, the Ortho suggested that I consider having it removed altogether. I did opt for the surgery, which was an outpatient procedure. I had a puzzling post-op complication (very unusual, according to the Ortho), whereby I could not bend my wrist downward by more than about 20 degrees, so I spent about six weeks in physical therapy, working to regain mobility. That was 6 years ago. There has not been a cyst recurrence. I have full mobility back, and there’s just a slight scar. Giving the level of pain I was experiencing daily with that thing, I’m glad to be rid of it. </p>
<p>My son (17) now has one that comes and goes, too. Right now, it’s gone.</p>
<p>I have had one for about 7 years. My doc said to do nothing to it unless it starts to bother you in some way. Mine never has. As you say, it just looks funny.</p>
<p>I’ve had two of those things. One actually ruptured when I accidently hit it on the edge of a car door (guess that worked like the Bible whack). The other was at the base of a finger and was always irritated by everything–gripping the steering wheel, carrying grocery bags, etc. My brother is an orthopedic surgeon and he took it off–no big deal, local anesthesia, no reoccurrence after about 10 years.</p>
<p>About 2-3" ganglion" cysts pass under my microscope each week (pathologist). They appear as an area of degenerated “soft tissue”, usually aroung a tendon or joint. The degenerated area becomes cystic, and fluid accumlates in the created space. The fluid is clear and viscous.</p>
<p>The hand surgeon I saw offered to thwack mine with an orthopedics textbook. I declined. That was 25 years ago. It bothers me occasionally, but not enough to do anything about it.</p>
<p>I had a large one that was causing quite a bit of pain. I had my daughter’s orthopedic surgeon look at it (she was rather accident prone so we had used him before and trusted him). He strongly discouraged having surgery - said it would probably just reappear. I also used a wrist brace when it particularly bothered me which really helped. Luckily mine went away after a year or two.</p>
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<p>Actual surgical removal of the cyst itself offers the best chance against another appearing in its place. Mere needle asperation often results in reappearance of the cyst—the sac just fills back up. As I said, it’s been six years and counting now, and I’ve never had another.</p>
<p>I have one at the base of my little finger. That finger is slightly bent due to the pulling of the cyst on the tendon, but it doesn’t hurt, and I rarely even notice it. I’ve often wondered if I should have it removed, but from the posts here it sounds like it’s best just to leave it alone unless it begins to bother me.</p>
<p>About twenty-five years ago, I developed two such cysts–one directly on each wrist bone about an inch below the base of my thumb. Both cysts appeared suddenly, about two weeks after I was hired for a temporary full-time job requiring moderate (but daily) use of a battered old manual typewriter. My doctor told me the cysts would go away on their own. A year and a half later, about two weeks after the temporary job ended, both cysts disappeared just as suddenly as they had appeared. I haven’t used a manual typewriter since, and the cysts have never come back. (So, think back to how you began using your hand and wrist shortly before your cyst appeared. If you have been using new equipment and/or performing a new task requiring high impact and/or repetitive hand and wrist motion, then this could be the cause of your cyst, and if so, the cyst might persist for as long as you continue using the equipment and/or performing the task.)</p>
<p>My cysts were unsightly (long sleeves were the best camouflage), but they didn’t create any mobility problems for me, and they remained painless unless I accidentally bumped one. When that happened, the pain would shoot all the way up my arm, and I’d hit the ceiling! The cyst would promptly swell, and then remain painful to the touch for several days. (I alternated cool and warm–not cold and hot–compresses to deal with swelling and pain.) After awhile, I developed a “sixth sense” awareness of the cysts which enabled me to avoid bumping them on doors, drawers, cabinets, closets, kitchen appliances, and laundry appliances (the worst offenders).</p>
<p>I agree with your doctor and with others who discourage you from having surgery. Draining the cyst sounds like a better option, even though (as poetsheart pointed out) draining might provide only temporary relief, and not a permanent cure. Just the thought of you having the cyst smashed turns my stomach. I advise against it; you could end up with a broken wrist!</p>
<p>While the cyst persists, avoid bumping it, and if you do bump it, treat it gently. Wrap your wrist as necessary, and definitely wrap it before performing tasks (and especially before playing sports) where a bump is most likely to occur. If the cyst gets unaccountably larger, causes mobility problems, or becomes persistently painful, see your doctor and follow his or her advice. My best advice is to think carefully about which new equipment you began using and/or new physical tasks you began performing shortly before the cyst developed. If you can identify and eliminate the cause of the cyst, then the cyst might go away quickly and not come back. That was my experience.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I am so surprised to see all the doctors discouraging surgery on this thread. I had two ganglion cysts removed on the top of each wrist many years ago. The surgery sucessfully eliminated the constant tingling in my arms caused by the nerves being pressed by by cysts. The cysts grow down into and around the nerves and will not disappear by hitting it with a book. Surgery was easy to recover from and the scars are minimal. You must see a hand surgeon for this.</p>