Ganglion cyst on wrist - painful!!
If you don't know what a ganglion is here is the about.com page on them:
http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/handwristsurg ery/a/wristganglion.htm
It occasionally would hurt a tad but it would go away in short time. It never impeded my life. Until about 3 weeks ago when it got a bit larger and now is so painful. It is hard as a bone.
Sometimes I am unable to even hold a can of soda or pick up my coffee mug with my left hand. I am popping ibuprofen to deal with it when the pain flares. The lump itself is still small but the pain radiates into my ring finger on occasion which is unpleasant. However, it is by no means totally terrible, in the grand scheme of pain it's fairly minor.
However, my friend recently had hers surgically removed, I am going to call her about it. She had it for the same length as I did. I think I need to see an orthopedist but I am afraid they will laugh at me (when it first appeared 12 years ago I saw one and he brushed it off as if "no biggie").
Does anyone have one and if so, have you had it removed? Do you live with it? Thoughts, suggestions, advice?
I don't have one but my Aunt did and she had it removed. She felt much better after. Like you was not extreme but annoying and somewhat bothersome.
I don't have one but I have an angionoma on the underside of my left fore arm and it's ugly looking. Bulges out like there is a golf ball in there. It's annoying and can hurt sometimes.
Hah, so it's good to see this topic is still active, as so is my ganglion. I went to the doc the other day and I was told it might not be a ganglion afterall but some sort of bone spur ... weird. Anyways, I now have pain in one of my fingers so I am getting my hand x-rayed on Tuesday. I will let you all know how it turns out.
I'm glad they are figuring out what is going on with you. I hope they can possibly do surgery to get rid of it or sometimes steroid shots help with bone spurs. I don't know how that works in the hand though. I have one 7mm on my heel that hurts really bad when I walk and I have to have that shot done soon.
Let us know what they find out. Good luck!
I had my ganglion removed Jan 29, 2009. (right wrist) ..i'd had it for almost 20 years and it got progressively worse, Iit would grow and pop (make my hand almost unusable due to the pai before popping and repeat)
I've seen probably 5 doc's about it over the years and finally waited two years to see a specialist who removed it.
-I was told to hit it with a bible (because historcially they were called bible bumps because the bible was the thickest book that could break it)
-i was told "everyone lives with pain"
-i was sent for an mri,
an ultra sound,
and xrays galore..
did i mention nerve testing ?
20 years later
I FINALLY got referred to the right Dr. and got it removed...it was a more painful recovery than i expected (just back to work a couple of days ago after 4 weeks) ..the Dr. said it was "quite deep" ..but i'm not getting the numbness or the constant pain anymore.
I HIGHLY recommend getting it surgically removed under general..(NOT DRAINED or scraped in the dr's office) if you get the opportunity
Hi, my name is Nikki and I'm 21. I've had what I believe to be a ganglion cyst on my wrist off and on since I was 17. Tonight, my boyfriend and I were researching info to possibly help me and we came upon this website. We read about the success and failure stories of the "old book" method, and although skeptical at first, he convinced me to let him try it out. He wrapped up a heavy pocket-knife in a washcloth and he gave it a good "whack!" ... To my surprise, it seems like it worked!! I'll keep everyone posted, but I'm really hopeful that it won't come back..well at least not for a while!!
I have had a ganglion cyst on my right wrist for about 15 years off and on. I had it surgically removed when it started to press on nerves in my wrist and I began losing strength and feeling in my hand. Similar to others, I couldn't hold a soda can or do my job with my right hand.
Well, after surgery, it came back about 3 months later. The doctor suggested getting the cortizone shots. DO NOT DO THIS! It hurts like nothing I have ever experienced in my lfie (I was about 22 when this happened) - as mentioned by others in this thread. Ungodly pain!!! And the kicker, it didn't do a darn thing. If you do anything, skip the corizone shots!!
I am a true believer in the book smashing technique. Yes, it is crazy and seems like it will make it worse, but it works for me, temporarily at least (like other treatments). When it gets really hard and sore, I move from using a book to striking it with a hammer with a thin book on my wrist. This breaks it up and it goes away for a couple months and will come back. I have decided that this is something I am going to live with rather than try to get rid of.
my name is sami and i am 14 years old. i think i have a cyst in my right wrist. i have had it ever since may of 2007. my mom doesn't think it's a big deal.she took me to a dr. last summer because i keep spraining my wrist. the dr. didn't make a big deal out of it either. i only used to get pain when i put a lot of pressure on it, but now its gotten worse. one time i sprained it by crushing a can. it is only shown when i bend my wrist its a liitle bigger than a marble. it onout as if a toothpick was poking out. it hurts on and off, (mainly on) but i don't know what to do. i'm on my school kick line and we also do flag, and i don't want to ruin my spot because i can't just suck up the pain. i really don't want to do that book thing it sounds immensely painful. i don't want it to come back if i get it removed. i don't like pain and i'm sort of scared. my family doesn't have a lot of money either, do you know how much it costs? and any advise?????
I have had cysts on both wrists off & on every few months for about 18 years. I have tried the most outrageous home remedies and had them drained at the doctors office. 3 years ago I attended my local state Fair and purchased a magnetic bracelet from Jeffrey Scott Magnetics. Magnetic bracelets is suppose to assist in circulating blood flow and ease sore joints. At the time I also had a cyst that was scheduled to be removed via surgery. 2 days before the surgery and 4 days after wearing the bracelet the cyst was gone. I was skeptical that it was due to the bracelet so when I got another cyst on my other wrist I wore the bracelet on that wrist and in 2 days the cyst was gone. From then on whenever I felt like a cyst was forming (soreness) I wore the bracelet on that wrist and the cyst never formed. I ended up getting a second bracelet the following year. Although, I do feel soreness on occasion like a cyst is present it will only last about a day and I never see any lumps appear. The bracelets can be pricey ($200-$400) and you have to commit to wearing them daily, but I have no doubt that they ended my 18 years of misery. In addition, tension headaches I was having regularly for about 6 years stopped after getting my first bracelet. This year I got one for my ankle to see if it helps with soreness in my knee I injured last Nov.
Original Post by skickgrl:
my name is sami and i am 14 years old. i think i have a cyst in my right wrist. i have had it ever since may of 2007. my mom doesn't think it's a big deal.she took me to a dr. last summer because i keep spraining my wrist. the dr. didn't make a big deal out of it either. i only used to get pain when i put a lot of pressure on it, but now its gotten worse. one time i sprained it by crushing a can. it is only shown when i bend my wrist its a liitle bigger than a marble. it onout as if a toothpick was poking out. it hurts on and off, (mainly on) but i don't know what to do. i'm on my school kick line and we also do flag, and i don't want to ruin my spot because i can't just suck up the pain. i really don't want to do that book thing it sounds immensely painful. i don't want it to come back if i get it removed. i don't like pain and i'm sort of scared. my family doesn't have a lot of money either, do you know how much it costs? and any advise?????
I did flag and it made mine worse. I got it when I was maybe 16 and i am now 21. It has been painful since about when it started but would come and go. Recently it has been worse and the pain will not go away. i type a lot for work and college, I also was in massage therapy school and had to change majors because it hurt to bad and I couldnt afford to take time off school or work at the time. It is big right in the middle top of my wrist and the pain will not go away.
I have a doctors appointment in a week so I will post how it goes.
Do your parents have health insurance, because i know how it feels to do flag and have this pain it is no fun and will not go away because you keep it active.
I'm glad this topic is still running. My mum has a ganglion cyst on her right wrist and she had it removed twice with a syringe. I don't know what the procedure is called. But the doctor offered to inject something inside to help stunt the re-growth of her ganglion cyst. Except she declined the offer so now it keeps coming back every month or so. The doctor said its caused by too much stress on her wrists. And my mum said she had that bump on her wrist ever since I was born.
I know this doesn't really help you. But I just hope all goes well. I am actually really terrified of possibly developing one myself.
Dont let all of us scare you, a lot of times they are just anoying more then painful.
Nobody in my family except my grandma and I have had them, and she had hers removed and it has never come back.
Through the years I have had one come and go--always on my right wrist and apparently always when I start up doing weight-lifting again. A few years ago I came very close to going to a doctor about it--but then it went away. Maybe I quit lifting at that point. Anyway, I started a diet/exercise regimen around 5 months ago. Sure enough, once I started doing wrist curls, it came back. But, again, it disappeared, although I am still doing wrist curls every other day, or so. My younger daughter also gets one on occasion, on her left wrist, but in the same place. Hers comes and goes, too.
I don't know about the rest of you--as far as if they run in the family and if they come and go.
I talked to the HS secretary the other morning; she had one removed a few years ago, because hers was quite painful. It has never come back. Also, the football coach's wife, also a secretary, had a very hard, painful one removed and it has not come back.
I recommend getting painful ones removed, but I have been fortunate since mine seems fairly benign.
I am fiftynine now. I developed a cyst on my left wrist when I was about ten. First tried to have it drained. The doctor moved the needle around when it was in the wrist and did multiple punctures. Grew back within months. Darn thing was the size of a golf ball. I was not suffering any loss of mobility. I had pain when I would catch myself falling by putting out my are to break the fall. As I am a male this happened quite often as I played football, baseball ect. Apparently the cyst was over a nerve or nerves in my wrist. If I fell at a certain angle the cyst would be compressed onto the nerves. The pain was quite severe. My hand would go numb and just hang there. While my wrist was just hanging there at the end of my arm the cyst was quite noticable on my wrist. Unless you were familiar with my little condition most people thought I had broken my wrist. I had not and within a minute or so I was able to move the wrist and regain the feeling back into my fingures. Was usually good for a few laughs. When I was twelve we tried to sugically remove it. Left me with a two inch scar across the back of the wrist. Once again it grew back but not quite in the same spot. It was far enough over that I no longer suffered the paralysis and pain so we pretty much left it as is. What I would do when I was in school was bang my wrist against the lockers as I was walking to my next class. That was usually enough to rupture the sac and let the cyst drain. It was a source of much entertainment during home room in high school. Twice it got rather large (golf ball size) and I had my twin brother hit it with a book. Then the other kids in the home room and for that matter the teacher too, would all watch as the cyst drained. You could actually watch the darn thing shrink down in size. Sometime in my late teens it was ruptured again and if it is still there it is so small that it is no longer noticable. Do not be afraid to bang the cyst against something hard. Most people think you need sledgehammer type blows to break it. Not the case. Just walking along and bumping it vigerously usually will do the trick. Note that the effect is accumalative one light bump usually will not be enough. If there is pain it should be very slight and no bruising. Save the surgery as a last resort. You end up trading a cyst for an ugly scare. However if it is a choice between a scare and constant pain and imparement do the surgery.
When I was in massage school it started to show on the inside of my right wrist. It became painful to massage since we use hand, wrist, forearm. Oct 04 had a small surgery in office with local annest.
Went back to finish school and during intership it came back. This time I was referred to a specialist who suggested having a surgery and removing everything. March of 05 had the surgery. I decided to not finish school since working with my hands that much seemed to be causing it to come back.
Had 2 wonderful years cyst free, then it starts coming back. It was ok at first no pain, didnt bother. By January 08 had another surgery. New doctor said he would be cleaning around to make sure it didnt come back. Well he was wrong, end of 08 it started to come back.
It was just one little peanut M&M size, but now there are 2 and they are a bit to the right of the scar.
Dont want another surgery but if pain starts up will have to do something about it. Maybe try the book method mentioned.
So happy I found this post even though it's quite old. What was the verdict with having the cyst surgically removed? I have had wrist pain for 9 years. Can't put any weight on my wrist so no yoga, massage career, push-ups, leaning on it, etc. Other activities may aggravate the wrist like excessive typing and tennis. I went to doctors for years and they would just give me anti-inflammatory medicine and put it in a splint. When I finally protested one doctor said "You don't believe me?" YES. I didn't and was frustrated and upset. After 9 years I finally found a doctor that would agree to an MRI and it turned out that I had a cyst inside my wrist. I never knew because it's not visible. I was so worried it was something degenerative for years.
Has anyone had a cyst inside their wrist before and had surgery on it? I've never had surgery so am a bit nervous about getting it done since it's inside the wrist and not on the outside like most people's. It doesn't hurt unless I am putting pressure on it, but you can imagine with my dominant hand that I bear weight on it and use it often. Has anyone else tried the magnet bracelets posted in a previous message? I'll try everything, but if surgery is the only way then I may have to do it.
How is your wrist after surgery with added scar tissue inside? Does your wrist heal and retain its mobility? Did you have hand therapy after or is it a simple healing process? Sounds like it's unpredictable if the cyst will return or not.
Thanks so much.
Can you give me you email pls? because I have one of these and it is driving me crazy!
I wanted to comment on the post above about magnetic bracelets and their ability to reduce pain and vanish cysts. I have also purchased two VERY expensive magnetic bracelets in the hope of relieving pain in my hands. I can tell you right up front... these bracelets from Jeffrey Scott Magnetics DO NOT WORK. They cost me close to $900 and I have worn them 24/7 for almost 3 months with no pain relief at all. It has been proven that basically there are no benefits to magnetic therapy and that if anything it is a placebo effect. I truly wish they did work. I would have paid 3 times as much if they would have. I should have realized when I asked the question at the fair, "what if they do not relieve the pain, do you offer a money-back guarantee?" The answer was a resounding no. But, I was told I would have two very nice bracelets to wear even if it did not relieve my pain. Please do not waste your money on this over-hyped jewelry. If you feel that you must try it, there are many magnetic bracelets online that are much cheaper. Bottom line... if it worked as stated, they would offer a money back guarantee. I hope this helps someone keep more of their money in their own pocket. Good luck.
Original Post by zebber:
I wanted to comment on the post above about magnetic bracelets and their ability to reduce pain and vanish cysts. I have also purchased two VERY expensive magnetic bracelets in the hope of relieving pain in my hands. I can tell you right up front... these bracelets from Jeffrey Scott Magnetics DO NOT WORK. They cost me close to $900 and I have worn them 24/7 for almost 3 months with no pain relief at all. It has been proven that basically there are no benefits to magnetic therapy and that if anything it is a placebo effect. I truly wish they did work. I would have paid 3 times as much if they would have. I should have realized when I asked the question at the fair, "what if they do not relieve the pain, do you offer a money-back guarantee?" The answer was a resounding no. But, I was told I would have two very nice bracelets to wear even if it did not relieve my pain. Please do not waste your money on this over-hyped jewelry. If you feel that you must try it, there are many magnetic bracelets online that are much cheaper. Bottom line... if it worked as stated, they would offer a money back guarantee. I hope this helps someone keep more of their money in their own pocket. Good luck.
Thanks for being a voice of reason, zebber. I'm just sad you are out all that cash. :( Don't forget to report them to the BBB for making false claims!
