A couple of months ago, right after I started jogging regularly again, my wife noticed a lump on the back of my right knee. We went to the local clinic, where the doctor said it was probably fluid, and jabbed me with a needle to try to drain it. Nothing came out, so he recommended an MRI. This was going to cost somewhere in the $1000+ range, and I didn’t have any health insurance at the time, so that got put on hold.
Now, I have a full-time job and insurance, so I went to the foreigner’s hospital (all the staff are fluent in English, and they don’t freak at the sight of credit cards or overseas insurance forms), where I was immediately told by the doctor that I had a Baker’s Cyst. He said that it’s often accompanied by some kind of ligament damage, but as long as it wasn’t causing any pain or interfering with movement, I shouldn’t worry about it. Some X-rays were taken, and he’ll call me on Monday to let me know if he found anything unusual. He also mentioned “whatever you do, don’t let any doctor try and drain it. Nothing will come out, and you’ll just risk an infection.” :smack: Thanks, now you tell me. He also said it was safe for me to start jogging again, so that’s something I’m looking forward to.
Has anyone else had one of these? If so, what kind of treatment did you get for it, if any? Any horror stories?
I have one too, in my left leg, and it is kept under control with anti-inflammatory meds. Advil wasn’t strong enough, and Vioxx caused hives, so I use Celebrex, which helps my arthritis too.
When my family doc sent me for an MRI and diagnosed the cyst, he told me he was sending me to an orthopedic surgeon who would most likely do a needle aspiration and drain it. That’s what some websites I found said, too. However, the ortho doc said, “no way, too risky, too many nerves, we don’t do that” until it gets to the size of a tangerine and is bulging out of the back of the knee. Since mine at that time was about the size of an almond and was making it very difficult to walk, I couldn’t imagine waiting for a tangerine to sprout. But medication and physical therapy have helped, and while I’m by no means pain-free, I can stand at my two jobs for 11.5 hours and I don’t feel the cyst anymore (unless I forget to take that pill each morning)
Now my elderly aunt, who is essentially wheel-chair-bound (definitely not on her feet like I am) developed a cyst and they drained it right away…instant relief, she said, but only temporary, according to my doctor…if you don’t eliminate what is causing the injury, it will just refill, and removing the cyst itself is possible but not fun.
If I can find the link to the one website that had a diagram, I’ll post it…it helped my to see how the cyst pushed between the ligaments. Can’t really tell that from a white spot on an x-ray.
I think that’s the type of cyst my mother had on her wrist years ago. I think the doctor told her that there was nothing really to do about it and it would more than likely go away on its own.
Someone with experience with them (it’s been long enough that I don’t remember if this was a person with medical experience) told her she could try hitting it with a book or something to “disperse” it. This was when I was still living at home so she handed me a book and told me to give it a whack for her.
Hey! I was a teenager being given a chance to beat my mother, needless to say I was all for it! I took the book and give the cyst a pretty firm smack. Oh. My. God. The pain! She about passed out it was so bad. I remember repeating over and over, “But you told me to do it!” We both were kind of laughing because we have sick senses of humour.
I believe it did work too…for a time and then it came back. My mother, however, refused to let me “treat” it again.
Well, I just got a call from the doctor, and he said that after looking at the X-rays, it looks like it’s definitely a Baker’s Cyst. He also said to call him if it starts bothering me, but otherwise don’t worry about it. It’s not, so I’m not.
Looking at some of the websites about them, I feel kind of lucky that I’m not in any pain. I was kind of hoping, though, that if they removed it, I could take it home in a jar and keep it on my desk.
I think I’ve got one of those! It’s on the base of my right thumb, and my doctor said it was like a bubble on my tendon filled with the fluid that lubricates the joint. She said that most often they’re found on people’s wrists, and in the old days, people took care of them by smacking them with a heavy Bible. Shoot, Mauvaise, I nearly pass out when I accidentally bump my thumb against something…I’m nearly writhing thinking about the pain your mother must have felt!
I took the book and give the cyst a pretty firm smack. Oh. My. God. The pain! She about passed out it was so bad. I remember repeating over and over, “But you told me to do it!” We both were kind of laughing because we have sick senses of humour.