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  1. #1
    advres Guest

    Ganglion cyst aspiration?

    My left wrist has been prone to this for most of my life. When I used to skate and take beaters daily, my wrist would grow huge. For the last few years the cyst shrunk to the point of being almost not noticeable. Within the last couple of weeks, for no apparent reason my left wrist has decided to get huge again. And with size comes increased pressure on the joint and ultimately much pain.

    I don't want to have surgery and really don't feel like going the book smashing route. Has anyone had this dilemma and gone the aspiration route? I heard they come back 50% of the time when removed via this procedure?

    advice needed...
    normal wrist:

    ganglion cyst wrist:

  2. #2
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    Just man up and hit it with a bible.

  3. #3
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    Have you been moving your wrist joint in a vigorous manner? Sounds like you need yourself a special lady friend.

    Anyhoo...So is this a swelling bursa or some erroneous bump? Do you possibly have some sort of injury that you've aggravated recently? It doesn't have to be some big traumatic thing, I recently ruptured a baker's cyst and I've no idea what lead to it. Okay, well maybe it wasn't for no good reason, I did find out that I have multiple meniscus tears that I've been ignoring for nearly 8 years. But that's a different thread.

    So, my advice. If you've insurance, get an MRI and see if you've any weird internal issues. I know nothing about your type of cyst, but I do know it's very painful when one ruptures.

    /armchair orthopodin'

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by karpiel View Post
    Just man up and hit it with a bible.
    bwaaaaa!

    stop drinking coffee.

    I used to get the bible cyst on the top of my hand a lot.
    And I've whacked it.
    no coffee - no problem.

  5. #5
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    First and foremost, I would not rec to hit it with a bible, encyclopedia, stack of Victoria Secret catalogues, or any other heavy object. As for coffee, not sure of any correlation, but rumor has it Splat's body works in funny ways...

    Story does sound like a classic ganglion cyst, but of course you'd need it examined to be sure. If it is a ganglion, it's caused by joint fluid getting pushed out from the joint in a one-way valve phenomenon that causes the accumulated fluid to grow as a cyst. Aspiration will lead to an approx 50% recurrence rate, so most surgeons I've seen have rec to either leave it alone or get it surgically removed if it's causing you enough discomfort (you need to get to the stalk of the cyst and then cauterize it). It's on the volar (palmer) side of your wrist, so the surgeon is going to have to dissect around the radial artery to remove it. Point is, if it's bothering you enough either a) go see a hand surgeon or b) switch hands.

    Oh yeah...and don't name it...that's how you get attached....

  6. #6
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    I have been mostly fine for the last five years since I first posted this. But this week it became bigger (and more painful) than it ever has. have actually been very much less active this week than most. I got sun poisoning last weekend so was in bed for 2 days basically. Yesterday I shot an event so that explains why it hurts so bad today, but the last few days prior there seems to be no reason it got so big again, so quickly.

    And I stopped drinking coffee daily a while ago. Haven't had any in weeks.

    The doc when I was a little kid called it a ganglion cyst so that is how I have been refering to it. Not sure if that is actually what it is or not. Never had an MRI or anything on it but it may be time to see the doc. If it keeps up, I won't even be able to ride my bike which sucks.
    Brought to you by Carl's Jr.

  7. #7
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    See a doc; but know that surgery isn't necessarily a permanent cure. I had a big one on my foot and had it surgically removed. It has now come back. This time, I'll just have it aspirated and hope for the best.

    Who the hell has a bible in their house these days?
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  8. #8
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    Recurrence rate after surgery is low. MRI not needed for the average ganglion, only if the doc thinks it could be something else. (A lot of these get misdiagnosed as radial artery aneurysms--because they are often next to the artery the arterial pulse is transmitted to the ganglion.) If it hurts a lot have it removed. Recovery should be pretty quick since no muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves or arteries have to be divided, repaired, or otherwise interfered with, other than possibly pulling out of the way. How many of us know anyone we would trust to whack our wrist hard witha heavy object? Belay us, sure, but not whack us with a bible.

  9. #9
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    had one more top of my wrist that would swell up to size of a quarter diameter every 6 months or so....had it drained at least 5 times. kept coming back.

    eventually had to take out....they removed two golf balls worth of cyst material or the sack whatever it is. the analogy was like a water balloon when squeezed....could only see top part but it had expanded into my joint.

    out patient - 2 hour surgery. few weeks of pt. pretty simple. hasnt come back since - 6 years later.
    60% of the time, it works every time.

  10. #10
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    Don't fuck with that thing. I had one exactly like it. Went to my local GP doc. He gave it a go with a scalpel and nicked an artery. He couldn't get the bleeding to stop and I ended up at a vascular surgeon. $15k later.......

    Luckily, $0 out of pocket. Good insurance.

  11. #11
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    ^^^^^

    Don't see a gp for surgery. If you need a hug, sure. Go to a hand surgeon.
    I rip the groomed on tele gear

  12. #12
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    Now that all the docs are throwin in....is there any correlation to anything that might cause these? Is it a function of eliminating toxins? (I've heard the typical top of the wrist bible cyst is a concentration of uric acid - is that possible?) Or is it just a one way valve problem? and that valve controls what? Kinda curious, glad I've never had to get one taken out.

  13. #13
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    I went to Dr. Ting for mine. He works on all the Sharks and 49ers. He said that surgery would be the cure, but I risked mobility a and other shit. I played competitive golf with pain because of his advice. Cost me hella scholarships.

    3 years later with shitty insurance... Poopy dr. Takes a needle, sticks it in my wrist, sucks it out, nearly painless, haven't seen it since.
    "One season per year, the gods open the skies, and releases a white, fluffy, pillow on top of the most forbidding mountain landscapes, allowing people to travel over them with ease and relative abandonment of concern for safety. It's incredible."

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by splat View Post
    stop drinking coffee.
    Is that even possible?
    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

  15. #15
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    (i'm still baffled by the OP photos -- looks more like an elbow or back of knee in the photos)


    i never knew what this was until this thread. i had one just like flyoverlandcaptive on my foot. at first, i was thinking it was a bunion but it was softer than what i'd expect a bunion to be. in the end, it went away on its own, tho; glad i didn't need surgery.

  16. #16
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    the pics are of the inside of my wrist. Bend your hand back the wrong way and see how it looks.
    Brought to you by Carl's Jr.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by systemoverblow'd View Post
    the pics are of the inside of my wrist. Bend your hand back the wrong way and see how it looks.
    thx,
    (holy m.c. escher photo, batman...it still took a couple of seconds to have it register)

  18. #18
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    Coffee is merely a cost retardant for a chai addiction.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by splat View Post
    Now that all the docs are throwin in....is there any correlation to anything that might cause these? Is it a function of eliminating toxins? (I've heard the typical top of the wrist bible cyst is a concentration of uric acid - is that possible?) Or is it just a one way valve problem? and that valve controls what? Kinda curious, glad I've never had to get one taken out.
    No particular cause, they just happen. No particular correlation with people who do a lot with their hands (which would be most of the people on this forum), unlike degenerative joint disease they don't increase with age. Concentration of uric acid would be gout, not ganglion. No toxins involved. I most definitely would not let a GP take out mine.

  20. #20
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    In my case, it was fluid leaking out of my toe joint that caused it. My doc says that's the main cause of these on feet, but not necessarily on hands.

  21. #21
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    A book/bible. Haha. I'm my experience I've needed a granite/marble countertop or an anvil, books are way too soft. I've crushed mine after 3-4 times after having surgery 15-20 yrs ago that required my arm to be drained(from shoulder down) of blood(to collapse the veins/arteries)... A long multi-stage process. There must have been a bit of root left cuz it eventually came back.

    Crushing it sometimes takes many tries and can result in massive brushing/contusion/,but in most cases it will come back at some point because their is still some root in the joint.

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