ganglian cyst...or small lump in the wrist?

[Tree House Academy]

Last night, I noticed (by mere chance) that one of my wrists (on the under side) was bulging a bit more than the other. It is nothing huge or anything, just very, very minor. Then I went to feeling around in my wrist in that area and there is a place in there that feels like a swollen lymph node (but it isn't because there are no lymph nodes in a wrist). It is very tiny and soft. It actually moves back and forth when I push on it...kind of like a knot in a muscle...like when I move my finger over it, I get half way and it pops up to the top of my finger, or I can be wunning my finger down over it and when I get about half way there, it pops under my finger. Hard to explain, but I hope it makes sense. Oh, and it doesn't hurt at all. It could have been there for years...I don't know! I would have never noticed it had I not been sitting a certain way in a certain light and happened upon it.

 

I tend to be a hypochondriac, so I am just looking for some logical things here. I read online that most cancers do not start in the wrist. If it were to be in the wrist, most likely it would be metastisis from the lung and I had a CBC just weeks ago and nothing at all was amiss. Surely if I had advanced lung cancer that was spreading, the CBC would have shown something or I would have been sick (cough, etc) which I am not...at all. (Sorry, told you I was a hypochondriac).

 

So...anyone had anything like this? Did it just go away? Should I go to a doctor...or wait a week and see what happens (if it gets bigger, smaller, goes away, starts hurting, etc?)

 

Thanks!

[HootyTooty]

I get ganglion cysts quite frequently on my right wrist. Sometimes they just go away on there own. If it is very large and causing you pain you can go to your doctor and s/he might send you over to a surgeon for removal.

 

If it will give you some peace go to your doctor.

[clementine]

My daughter (11yr.old) has one of these.

 

The dr. said it could be drained or removed, but most likely it would come back. So if it's not super painful, just to leave it be.

 

Every month or so she'll have a day or two where it hurts if she turns her wrist a certain way, but usually it's just a lump.

 

Don't worry - I google all of my pains and that is not good!!!;)

[Pamela H in Texas]

LOL. I just remembered mine (on my left wrist) so popped it...again. I've probably done so 1400 times. No biggie. Mine is really small.

 

It's called something like a Bible something or another because you can hit it with a Bible to pop it. Mine are so small that a Bible is not necessary. I just manuever my wrist so it can't roll easily and pop it.

 

My mom did get a really large one that caused issues. The doc just removed it for her; she just gets small ones now.

[Tree House Academy]

I have gone back and forth across mine many times and I am not sure I could "pop" it. It moves when I put pressure on it. Does that mean it is not one of the ganglion cysts?

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

I have gone back and forth across mine many times and I am not sure I could "pop" it. It moves when I put pressure on it. Does that mean it is not one of the ganglion cysts?

 

It's not that easy to "pop" a cyst. It would take a great deal of force. Ganglion cysts are wiggly. (Oh, and don't hit it with a bible. You'll hurt yourself and probably not do anything to the cyst.)

 

Ganglion cysts are very, very common. And you won't die, except maybe from worry. ;-)

 

It's a nuisance, rarely more than that. Show it to your doctor. He or she will likely say, "Oh, ok."

[Tree House Academy]

Thanks for the responses. :) I made an appt with my dr. for a week from now (giving it time to change or go away or whatever as well). I will try not to worry. Not EVERYTHING is cancer (hypochondriac motto) and actually MOST things are NOT. Thanks for the reality check. :)

[JudoMom]

Thanks for the responses. :) I made an appt with my dr. for a week from now (giving it time to change or go away or whatever as well). I will try not to worry. Not EVERYTHING is cancer (hypochondriac motto) and actually MOST things are NOT. Thanks for the reality check. :)

 

I've got one on the underside of my right wrist--the first time it made an appearance was about 1.5 years ago.. It comes and goes. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it doesn't. There is no way I could pop it. It has a thick hard gel-like feeling to it, and when I push on it it moves and feels like a bruise.

 

This round it's been visible in various sizes for about a month or so. Sometimes it goes away and comes back within a day or two.

 

It's a weird thing.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Thanks for the responses. :) I made an appt with my dr. for a week from now (giving it time to change or go away or whatever as well). I will try not to worry. Not EVERYTHING is cancer (hypochondriac motto) and actually MOST things are NOT. Thanks for the reality check. :)

 

If it's on your wrist and it's movable, the chances are greater that you will be hit by a rogue meteor that is ridden to earth by both the Easter Bunny AND Santa Claus while you stand naked outside in your front yard than it is being cancer.

 

Ok, maybe that COULD happen. But likely? I'm thinking more on the "Not" side of things.

 

Don't worry for one second. Really.

[Tree House Academy]

(((hug))) THANK YOU! :)

[Tess in the Burbs]

I have one that grew up my fingers and I had to stop playing piano until I had surgery and years to build the strength back. I just had another surgery(same hand) for a small one at the base of my finger. Mine tend to grow and cause me to be unable to move my hand...so when I feel a bump I go to the ortho Dr. mine also always have pain involved when moving the hand so when they offer surgery I accept!

[UnPrairieMuffin]

It was a small cyst, the result of some trauma my poor knuckles underwent during hurricane Ike.

 

Mine was on my right hand, my index finger's knuckle. It really hurt, and several times I moved my finger in such a way that it got very irritated and painful. After having it drained it felt so much better. I think it really depends on where the cyst is if you repetitively injure it. Mine was in a bad location, so it needed attention faster than most I believe.