Ganglion Cyst

I don't know what kind of cyst was involved, but one of the swimmers that I coach told me a funny story. She had a cyst on her hand at the base of her thumb. She showed it to me one day and said she was going to have to see the doctor. As it happens, we did some sprinting that day and she was in the lane by the wall. On one of the sprints she hit her hand on the ladder. She came to me later to show me that the workout had cured her problem and saved her a doctor's visit. The cyst had broken from the impact with the ladder. A happy ending.

Has anyone had a ganglion cyst drained and if so, how long were you out of the water and did you feel stronger after? I had ankle surgery in Nov to repair a sprained ankle. I went in for a routine follow-up on Monday and there was a bump that I thought was scar tissue. The doctor told me that he thinks it's a ganglion cyst and I'm pretty sure he's right. I've had 2 in the past (hand and wrist) but I wasn't swimming much at the time. Both were drained but came back shortly after and had to be removed through surgery. I'm swimming at Nats and I'm wondering if I should have this one drained since I feel like I've lost strength in my ankle as this thing is getting larger (you can see it!). This would probably be a temporary fix but I was hoping it would get me through Nats. Opinions? Jeez Alison...nothing is simple with you is it? Good luck with the ganglion...

I have to admit that it is a rare idea that is so stupid that I won't try it, but this is up there. Still, I do have this cyst on my left arm.... . My husband's idea last night was to "poke it with a fork". Gee, thanks.

When I was in 7th grade my dad took a plantar wart off of my foot with a tool from his wood shop -- that was my most fun experiment with home surgery! He also cauterized my nose with a silver nitrate stick at the dinner table a couple of times when I was having nose bleeds as an pre-teen. I haven't been tempted to try any home surgery on my kids, yet.

And that was one gross video...and yep, most likely no health insurance, so you do what you gotta do. In poking around a bit, it seems that a decent number of people do home surgery for minor things as a matter of course. If you go to Youtube and search on "home surgery" or similar, it comes up with a disturbing # of videos of same. Disturbing to watch as well. They even had a book-slamming video. I have to admit that it is a rare idea that is so stupid that I won't try it, but this is up there. Still, I do have this cyst on my left arm.... -LBJ P.S. Haven't seen a "home vasectomy surgery" yet, but I bet some dim bulb has tired it.

This was on the top of my foot and it really didn't cause pain except from pressure from my shoe. It was sore for a couple of days after but nothing bad. At the time I was not swimming, but the only restriction was to wait a couple of days for the skin to seal since it was, in effect a puncture wound. I was very glad that I didn't have further problems and avoided the surgery. I had several surgeries on my leg a few years before and I did not look forward to more time in the hospital. Thanks for the info. I'm glad yours went away and didn't cause any more problems. I did a simple stretch and pointed my toes yesterday and had major pain. This is not good. I think walking around Disney a few weeks ago may have made this grow.

I had one removed from my foot years ago (when I was a teenager). My uncle did it for me (disclaimer: He is a surgeon; no home surgery here). I think that I was supposed to stay out of the water until the stitches came out, but I have a vague recollection of swimming with a ziploc duct-taped to my foot well before the stitched were removed.

Allision, don't do anything, particularly if you are hoping to swim well at Atlanta. Ganglion cysts can be uncomfortable and are a nuisance, but they are not a big deal. They don't make your joints weaker. In fact, they are a result of, and not the cause, of inherent joint issue. If you poke and prod, you may get temporary drainage, and if you are fortunate not have a complication. But if there is a complication of the procedure, you'll really be sorry. I'd suggest using it as a source of humor or distraction. Sounds like its already become that! Good luck at Nats; wish I could be there.

Allision, don't do anything, particularly if you are hoping to swim well at Atlanta. Ganglion cysts can be uncomfortable and are a nuisance, but they are not a big deal. They don't make your joints weaker. In fact, they are a result of, and not the cause, of inherent joint issue. If you poke and prod, you may get temporary drainage, and if you are fortunate not have a complication. But if there is a complication of the procedure, you'll really be sorry. I'd suggest using it as a source of humor or distraction. Sounds like its already become that! Good luck at Nats; wish I could be there. Yeah I want you to keep it too... I want my picture taken with it at Nats!!!

Bummer. I used to get ganglion cysts on/in my fingers due to Rheumatoid Arthritis. I never had them drained; the doctor would just inject them with a corticosteroid and presto, they would disappear. This was 15 years ago, so maybe draining is the thing to do now. My guess as to staying out of the water would be to gently stretch the area affected after the draining and swim gently. LOL @ the book-slamming technique. My mother still tells me stories of how my great-grandmother would "cure" her arthritis-laden hands and fingers with dictionaries. And that was one gross video...and yep, most likely no health insurance, so you do what you gotta do.