Does anyone have a ganglion cyst near one of their joints? An x-ray of my left wrist showed possible joint erosion, so we had a CT scan performed and it showed a cyst instead. Needless to say I'm greatly relieved. My rhuemy was less than informative, basically just left me with it's no big deal.
Well I just have to know anything and everything. The first website I went to said they are common in people with RA. I can't believe he didn't mention that. Anyway, any info would be appreciated. But, yes, it sometimes works.
Thanks for the replies. Mine is not visible. The only reason we found it is because we thought that there was joint erosion in the wrist. It feels "tooth achey" most of the time, not too bad. But when I have to do physical therapy for my shoulder it hurts. I always have to move the therapist's hand away from my wrist.I've had on on the inside of my left wrist for about 20 years. It has never given me a problem, except the occasional ache when I over use my wrist or if I happen to bang it. It just looks kinda funny. Sometimes it is so squishy I can just smoosh it down with my finger and it will flatten out, and bounce back a few minutes later. I once dropped a tissue box on it, and the corner of the box landed right on the cyst. That didn't tickle.
I do believe most of the time, they are harmless.
OMG Mab...I *was* gonna say that but I didnt wanna feel bad if anyone actually tried it...My ortho JOKEINGLY suggested that...i looked at him like ohhh theres no way im gonna try that LOL
[QUOTE=mab52]I had one on my hand about ten years ago. Went to the doctor, there was nothing they could drain. Couldn't stand looking at it. Smacked it with a hefty metal object and it went away.
Don't try this at home--it's not recommended and you could hurt yourself. But, yes, it sometimes works.
[/QUOTE]
That very cure is mentioned in
Wikipedia:"One traditional method of treating a ganglion tumor was to strike the
lump with a large, heavy book, causing the cyst to rupture and drain
into the surrounding tissues. Since even the poorest households often
possessed a bible, this was commonly used, which led to the nicknaming
of ganglion cysts as "Bible Bumps" or "Gideon's Disease". This
treatment may be effective, but is no longer recommended, as patients
risk damaging the surrounding area. As this may make the cyst worse,
other treatment options are preferable."
I had a ganglion cyst removed last year. I had had it for a while but it started sending a shooting pain down my never(right hand, inside wrist). Anyway all is well and it is gone...I also got a month off of work!!!I am the synovial cyst person. My RA is mostly the cysts....huge ones even in my left kidney.I had the ones on my hands removed by a hand surgeon, he referred me to my RD.
I seem to be forming more.I also have erosions. Just ask away.
I found this very interesting, as my sister with RA had a ganglion cyst on her wrist many years before she was DX'd with RA. I didn't know there was a connection and apparently, neither did she. It was removed with no problem. Yeah-I didn't know about the RA-cyst connection until I put it in a search engine. Then I read it over and over again. My doc didn't even mention it. I don't know, it just seems like something you should just throw out there.
I will say that it makes sense though. It's basically swelling around the joint. It's not visible on me, mostly just an annoying pain unless pressure is put on it. I could see that if it got bigger the pain could become more than an annoyance. Just another thing to add to the list right. chris...I had mine in exactly that same spot...it sucked to work and write and such cause i did EVERTYING on the computer and wrote alot so yea good thing i was workin w/ my momma :DHi,
**Please read to the end***I had one about 10 years ago (way b4 RA). It was on my right writst. It was this round, hard ball and was extremely painful. I was worried, b/c my mom had one in the same spot and had it surgically removed. She had a big scar from it and it took a while to recover.
So the doctor explained he could take care of it that day. He took a big hollow needle, inserted into the 'ball' and pulled out the fluid. I was so fascinated and relieved, I asked to touch the stuff that came out. It was like gel! Anyway, there was practically no recovery time. The cyst was gone. No scar, and it has not returned. The doctor said it could return, but it hasn't.
My mom has regretted having surgery. Please do not have surgery unless it is absolutely necessary. The procedure took about 5 minutes! And the pain I was experiencing prior went away completely. And it was huge. Very noticeable.
Take care,
Nori
Thanks Nori-since mine isn't visible I hadn't really thought about possibilities concerning its removal. I can deal with the discomfort right now. But I'm definitely going to tuck away your bit of information for the future. Thanks again.You're welcome. I hate to hear that you have any discomfort associated with it. My mom did mention that of course they wanted to operated on her cyst. She went to a surgeon! I forgot what kind of doctor I went to, but the results were dramatic and in only a few minutes.
NoriThere's a huge difference between synovial cysts and ganglions, as well as where the placement is. I had a synovial that was also wrapped around my tendons, and kept me out of work for almost a year with weekly OT on the hand. It was from an injury. This was 15 years ago. Since the RA dx, I've had ganglions pop up in my wrists. My RD calls them schmutzes. They come and go on their own, and are like an ache, love the tooth ache analogy as I'm a dental hygienist by profession, but are livable compared to not being able to bend my wrists due to the RA. Did I ever tell you guys about the doctor who wanted to fuse my wrist? Crazy man! Can you imagine painful joints that really are stuck in one place?I have a ganglion cyst on my hand and have had it for the past 3 or 4
years. I got it way before I was diagnosed with PsA. It used to
hurt a lot and I had it xrayed and the dr said it was fine and it would go away on its own. I still have it now but
it doesnt hurt anymore its just ugly. I never knew that they could be associated with Arthritis. This just confirms my suspicion that I have actually had arthritis for most of my life without being diagnosed.
I'm just going through the ropes of finding out what this lump is that I have just below my my elbow.
It dose not hurt until I rest my forearm on a hard surface like the arm rest of a chair.
Had the Xrays last week and an ultra sound this thursday.
I'll see what they say before I get the mallet out..
Thanks to
Nori King for the info as I will suggest that as a coarse of action.
At the moment I have a big piece of foam strapped to the computer chair as support.
Why you're welcome, Bodak.
I think what was so amazing to me is that when I pressed on the ganglion cyst, it was hard as a rock. That's why I thought for sure I would have it surgically removed. And it was so painful. It was impacting my daily life way too much to 'let it be.'
So when that gel like sticky substance came out and the hard ball was not there anymore, I wanted to kiss the doctor!!! I could tell he was amused.
I think I lucked out with a doctor that wasn't looking to cut everyone he saw. And again, this was way before RA. Over a decade. In my situation, I don't think it was a red flag for a later problem for RA. Especially since I haven't had one since.
I guess the bottom line is before surgery, make sure the hollow needle isn't an option first. 'Cause it's a piece of cake!
Take care,
Nori
I have had two of these before. To me it seemed to be conected to the flare. I honestly thought it was a side effect from NSAID"S which i am allergic to now so i do not take anymore. So maybe from the RA or the meds i do not know. Just depends on how big they get and where they are to if they are a big deal. If it gets to big or painful see an ortho surgeon and have it removed. If it doesn't bother you then probably no big deal. Only horror story i ever heard my ex's daughter was dx ganglion cyst in her foot they where going to drain it. Her brother insisted they do surgery instead. Good call. It was a very very very rare form of cancer with a very quick mortality rate. She was 12 and is now 18. The wrist is a pretty common area to get a ganglion cyst. I had one in my foot. Did nothing about it and it went away in time. Had a giant one under my knee. It hurt i had removed. Have not had any for five years now.
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