Has anyone ever heard of a ganglion cyst?

I have a ganglion cyst on my left wrist. I have my consult to have it removed in a few weeks. Does anyone know how this is removed and is there any pain after?

I had one removed from my left and right hands. One at a time. The haling time is realistically about a couple months...a few weeks of pain and stitches...then there is a pain when lifting too much weight, or bumping the hand in that spot. It hurts; just bask for some good pain meds. Make sure you keep it elevated...REMEMBER...IMPORTANT; while you are sleeping; hanging around, because if you don't it will get even more swollen than it will be already, from the surgery, itself. Ask the surgeon if you can see it. It looks like a spider; be glad it's gone. Good luck to you. You will be fine. get it out before it gets any bigger; one of mine was, and it still hurts; it's been 3 months. It is better every day. It is a standard procedure; very quick...20 minutes for the surgery, itself. Don't fret. relax.

yes, just get it drained off

The doc hits your wrist with a phone book, seriously.

i have one on my left wrist as well, but my doc said it isn't all that major and didn't have mine removed or drained. he actually said drained. i guess it's a pocket of fluid.

mine causes me pain if i put too much pressure on it for a long period of time. but usually it stays put. i'm sure it'll hurt if you remove it. how often does something get removed from an inside and doesn't hurt?

Ganglion cyst removal, called a ganglionectomy, is a procedure in which the doctor removes a cyst from your hand, wrist, foot, or other part of your body. A ganglion cyst is a swollen, closed sac under the skin. The sac is attached to the sheath of a tendon or may be attached to a joint. The cyst contains fluid similar to joint fluid.

Alternatives to this procedure include:
taking out the fluid with a needle or a syringe, with or without a cortisone injection

choosing not to have treatment, recognizing the risks of your condition.

How do I prepare for a ganglionectomy?
Plan for your care and recovery after the operation, especially if you are to have general anesthesia. Allow for time to rest and try to find other people to help you with your day-to-day duties.

Follow the instructions your doctor gives you. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight or the morning before the procedure. Do not even drink coffee, tea, or water after midnight.

What happens during the procedure?
You will be given a general, regional, or local anesthetic. Local and regional anesthetics numb part of the body while you remain awake. A general anesthetic relaxes your muscles and puts you to sleep. All three types of anesthesia should keep you from feeling pain during the operation.

Your doctor will cut around the cyst and remove it. Your doctor will then close the cut with stitches or special surgical strips.

What happens after the procedure?
You can go home the day you have the surgery. A bulky dressing, with or without a splint, may cover the area where you had the cyst to protect it. See your doctor in a week to get the stitches out.

You should ask your doctor what steps you should take and when you should come back for a checkup.

What are the benefits of this procedure?
The hand, wrist, foot, or other part of your body that had the cyst may return to normal function. The area may also feel and look better.

What are the risks associated with this procedure?
There are some risks when you have general anesthesia. Discuss these risks with your doctor.

A local or regional anesthetic may not numb the area quite enough and you may feel some minor discomfort. Also, in rare cases, you may have an allergic reaction to the drug used in this type of anesthesia. Local or regional anesthesia is considered safer than general anesthesia.

The cyst may come back.

There is a small risk of infection and bleeding. However, the cut usually heals quickly without any problems.

In rare cases, nerves or blood vessels in the area may be damaged.

The healing cut could form an unsightly scar. Usually the scar is not noticeable in the long run.
You should ask your doctor how these risks apply to you.

When should I call the doctor?
Call your doctor immediately if:

You have increasing pain despite taking the pain medicine recommended by your doctor.

You notice pus; drainage; or increasing redness, swelling, and tenderness near the cut and stitches.
Call your doctor during office hours if:

You have questions about the procedure or its result.

You want to make another appointment.

Yes! I've got one on my left hand inside on the bottom first finger knuckle. I had a bunch removed when I was in college.

They're water filled bubbles. Mine were cut out, but now I think they're zapped with ultra sound.

It used to be that fluid was drawn from the cyst with a large needle. I'm not sure if the procedure has improved in the lst 20 odd years. There may be some mild discomfort but I'm sure you are a brave little soldier!

I had a ganglion cyst on my left wrist a few years back, my Dr said old timers called it a "Bible Cyst" because in the old days they would slam the cyst with a bible or other large heavy book to pop it, ...lol brave people........I was scheduled to have my removed by aspiration and in a 3 week period it left on its own, I had had it several months.....having had this done before I can tell you the needle causes soreness after the numbness wears off but the procedure wasn't painful at all. Good Luck....it'll be a piece of cake

Yes I had one when i was a kid. My Dr. squeezed it till popped. Yeah it hurt. He thought he was miracle worker by popping it. I thought he was evil.

hi yes i have one on the back of my hand it comes up mostly when i do a lot of ironing...its just sort of a blockage somewere but its said if you hit it with a hard book it will go down...please dont try this.... its painless when you have it removed so dont worry about a thing ..good luck

Its a tighter type of cyst.Get it burnt off will bleed for a bit but has to be better than keeping it.

I DONT KNOW IF IT WOULD BE PAIN AFTER IT BUT I DONT THINK IT WILL BE. HERE IS THE ANSWER TO YOUR FIRST HALF OF YOUR QUESTION....


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How can a wrist ganglion cyst be removed?
There are several methods of treatment that are possible. Putting a needle into the ganglion cyst and aspirating the fluid may work. However, the gelatinous fluid within the cyst does not always come through a needle very well. Furthermore, this treatment leaves the cyst lining behind, and the ganglion cyst will return about 50% of the time.

Another alternative, that some call traditional, others call a bit barbaric, is to smash the wrist ganglion cyst with a hard object such as a book. This pops the cyst, and ruptures the lining of the cyst. Because the lining is disrupted, the smashed ganglion cyst may not return quite as often as those drained by a needle. However, many patients are uncomfortable with their doctor 'whacking' a book against their wrist...

The definitive treatment is to remove the ganglion cyst with a surgical procedure. In surgery, the wrist ganglion is "shelled out," meaning the fluid and the sac are removed. In addition, the connection to the joint or tendon sheath that supplied the fluid can be occluded. While this usually is effective, a small percentage of removed wrist ganglion will still return.

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A ganglion is essentially harmless. However, if you observe a bump on your wrist or foot, seek your doctor's counsel to rule out other causes such as a malignancy.

If the ganglion is painful, the doctor may be able to relieve the discomfort through surgical or other means, but in most cases the small, harmless lump requires no treatment and has no effect on one's daily activities.


Surgical treatment involves bursting the ganglion simply by putting pressure on it after puncturing it in several places with a needle or draining the jelly-like contents with a needle. A surgical procedure is regarded as unnecessary in most cases, but if the ganglion is painful and does not respond to drainage, it can be removed surgically