Cyst to be removed

Those of you who remember me compalining at the open house about my wrist and how it was so very sore, had a bump that was growing and would get shooting pains that would make my thimb go mumb, well, I went to the doctor today and it is a cyst. A ganglion cyst, also known as a bible cyst, is a swelling that often appears on or around joints and tendons in the hand or foot. The size of the ganglion or cyst can vary over time. It is most frequently located around the dorsum of the wrist and on the fingers. The term "Bible bump" comes from a common treatment in the past that consisted of hitting the cyst with a Bible or another large book. Rupture of the cyst is rarely curative - which means, trying to pop it probably won't fix it and might make it worse. Ganglion cysts are idiopathic, but presumably reflect a variation in normal joint or tendon sheath function. Cysts near joints are connected to the joint and the leading theory is that a type of check valve forms that allows fluid out of the joint, but not back in. The cyst contains clear fluid similar to, but thicker than, normal synovial fluid. They are most often found around the wrist joint, especially at the scapho-lunate joint, which accounts for 80 percent of all ganglion cysts.

The upshot is that next week the doctor will cut it out. With surgery, the recurrence rate is reduced to 5 to 10 percent (but neither of my other ones have ever come back). if the check valve at the joint capsule is removed. Arthroscopy of the wrist is becoming available as an alternative to open excision of ganglion cysts.

 An out-dated method of treating a ganglion cyst was supposedly to strike the lump with a large heavy book, causing the cyst to rupture and drain into the surrounding tissues. An urban legend states that 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."

My Dad, Howard Pitts, used to get these. So I say, "Thanks, Howard Pitts."

Amy G wrote: Wow, that's kind of freaky looking!  Glad they can take care of it.  Todd's doing well today, sleeping right now. Amy