Ganglion Cyst Help (cysts, pain, ankle, infection)

[Lini19]

My dad has ganglion cysts in his ankle. He has had them for a long time now. And he's had them drained - had surgery 3 times and it KEEPS coming back. My dads latest surgery was a little over a month ago. And he was in surgery for 8 hours. And my dad just went to the doctor today and found out he has 3 new ones. And he is at his wits end - he came home and started to cry. And that is a big deal because I have only seen my dad cry once in my life.

I was hoping someone here could either - tell me how to stop them from forming. Or give me a name of a great doctor that can make it stop.

Any help is appreciated.

[suzy_q2010]

So sorry your dad is going through this.

First of all, ganglion cysts are totally benign. That is a good thing.

But they do tend to recur. That's very discouraging.

I think that the question he needs to answer is how much the symptoms bother him. If the answer is "not too much," then one option is to leave them alone for a while.

An eight hour surgery for a ganglion cyst sounds like a lot. Did he use a podiatrist? Orthopedist? How experienced is the surgeon? He may want to ask for referral to a faculty orthopedist at a medical center for a second opinion.

[Lini19]

The cysts are right up against his nerve in his foot - so he *constantly* hurts. I am 95% sure he was a ortho surgeon. And he was supposed to be really good - my dad had two other doctors before this and we had good hopes with this latest doctor but they came back again.

[suzy_q2010]

That is a real bummer.

What did his current doc suggest?

[Lini19]

From what my dad said when he came home - he could go in for his 4th surgery, have the doctors just keep draining the cyst - or deal with it. He doesn't want to do surgery again - he can't do it. But the last time he got them drained the pain was worse after. =\

[stepka]

I don't know if this will help much but mom used to get them for awhile and then they just quit coming. I'm glad b/c now I'm getting them. They don't hurt but my fingers sure look witchy. I noticed after I began taking fish oil that they seem to be shrinking a bit but it's really too soon to tell. I will not be getting surgery but I'm tempted to lance one sometimes but am afraid that it would be too painful after doing that--sort of like popping a blister.

[Lini19]

How much fish oil are you taking?

[southernnaturelover]

I had one on my wrist for several years, then one day I looked down to read a menu in a restaurant and it was gone! Never felt a thing. That's been several years ago and it hasn't came back (knock wood).

[ducky lou]

I have a ganglion cyst in my ankle and I have found that it helps to wrap it and switch between ice and a heating pad

[stepka]

Originally Posted by stepka

I don't know if this will help much but mom used to get them for awhile and then they just quit coming. I'm glad b/c now I'm getting them. They don't hurt but my fingers sure look witchy. I noticed after I began taking fish oil that they seem to be shrinking a bit but it's really too soon to tell. I will not be getting surgery but I'm tempted to lance one sometimes but am afraid that it would be too painful after doing that--sort of like popping a blister.

Update on this story. The fish oil did not help that much but hard to say since I'm inconsistent about taking it. The long and short is that the cyst broke open and drained and it wasn't too gross--just clear fluid like a blister but thicker. That would have been fine but it healed over and grew again and busted open and drained and healed and grew and . . . fearing infection I went to a surgeon and had it removed. That was this past summer and it doesn't seem to be growing back. It made me feel funny to think that if this had been in the pre-antibiotic days that I would probably not still be here.