To be disappointed my scan was normal

Nowhere on that letter does it say 'you're a baby', 'it doesn't hurt', 'it doesn't matter','it's not painful'.

People are wasting their time responding to this - OP has posted loads of threads about her knee and they all go the same way.

I know where you're coming from. It's the removal of hope.

Every time I'm introduced to a new consultant I hopefully think, "maybe this one will be interested enough to find out what's going on with my failing organs", only to find out during and after the first appointment that they give zero shits.

I've met the actual consultant once. I nearly fell on the floor with shock.

Promises are only made about the FIRST appointment see, nothing about following it up afterwards.

Other hospitals might be different, I don't know, but there's only one round here and their reputation is shit. My experience tends to back that up. Even the doctors think it's a shithole. They badmouth it rotten online.

Theres definitely something wrong OP, the MRI is not the Oracle. There are some things an MRI cant pick up. My bro in law discovered this for himself. He had a maltracking issue which I cant remember so I googled it - here you go:

patellofemoral issues: (chondromalacia, maltracking) — cartilage wear under the kneecap, very common cause of pain-with-every-step that MRI can miss if it's not looked at specifically. Also the same search mentioned synovial plica syndrome ehich apparently is a fold of tissue that gets irritated and mimics meniscal pain.

Who knows if it is either but OP do not stop looking. If you feel the pain your body is telling you theres a problem and it is something an MRI cant identify.

@cantdothisanymor - your pain is real. All the current scan results mean is that they don’t know why you have such severe knee pain - but that is not the end of the road! When you see the consultant, you can tell him you are still in pain, and ask what the next steps are, to identify the source of the pain and to find a treatment.

This is not the end, it is just the end of step one.

Pain is exhausting and depressing, so I understand completely why you are feeling so despondent and hopeless right now, but I truly hope you can take a breath and realise there is still hope - not easy, I know.

OP, kindly, why don’t you wait until your consultant appointment. I presume they haven’t cancelled this? So they therefore think there is merit in seeing you.

They can test the nerve in neurology. I had testing which proved i had ulnar neuropathy.

So you go to PALS and complain.

I don't think there's anything that can be done OP. It's a small, painless cyst and the NHS won't operate on it. How are you going to manage the pain and disruption to your life for the next 70-odd years?

I understand my own version of this op and it's bloody awful.

Many people think a normal scan or blood results should be a relief, but that's often not the case and feels the opposite.

I can't tell you how much I've longed for an abnormal result over the years, just to feel validated and have hope for treatment or even just some relief.

The fact is, many tests do not show various forms of inflammation or other issues that can lead to pain or illness. And consequently, doctors don't recognise them. It's a horrible state of affairs and my heart goes out to you.

Have you looked into seeing someone privately?

And I’ve been told it’s all fine and I just have to live with it

But you haven't been told that at all... you haven't even seen the consultant yet. You need to have further investigations. You have pain. You have cysts. You need to stop saying everything is fine... its not, you just haven't got the answers yet.

No you havent you've been told its not a tear in your miniscus.

Theres a lot of pain so the cyst is probably pressing against something and needs removing. Go back and insist it be explored further.

No one expects you to simply live in pain.

But surely, there IS something wrong. The scan wasn’t normal. It just wasn’t a torn meniscus.

That said, I have had a torn meniscus and had it repaired 30+ years ago and let me tell you, it does not equate to a straightforward, pain free life. I’ve had to have further reconstructive surgery to fix the problems caused by the first repair and ongoing wear in the joint from no longer having a meniscus. It certainly impacts what I can do.

I had something similar last year - I was in agony. I could barely work for many months, I couldn't sit down. I paid for a sigmodioscopy privately (£3k!!) in the end as the NHS wait was so long. I thought I was in serious trouble. Turns out it was just a tiny fissure. I was in there for seconds and the colorectal surgeon just gave me some cream. I felt like a twat, everyone else in the waiting room looked like they were on their last legs.

But, it was bloody painful! Insanely painful! And it was just a tiny tear. So don't worry about it, it happens. A year on I feel fine, but it took months of applying that cream multiple times a day before it felt okay. The tiniest things can cause pain in our body but also, time is a healer for most things. Keep going to the appointments, you'll get to the bottom of it.

OP, most of the people commenting here do not understand the psychology of being in a chronic pain condition with no diagnosis or answers, it unfortunately is a very difficult place to be. If there is no surgical target however there are still treatments that can be done beyond taking painkillers, for you and anyone else struggling I would strongly recommend a referral to a Specialist consultant led pain clinic

@cantdothisanymor this is from the NHS website
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ganglion-cyst/

If it’s causing problems, treatment options are

• draining the cyst using a needle (aspiration)
• a steroid injection to reduce swelling
• cutting the cyst out with a small surgical operation

Have you requested any of the above be done?
Could you request a second opinion? A different doctor might help you, draining it could potentially be done at your GP surgery or local urgent care depending on their set up.

You don’t have to suffer. Get the cyst taken care of and if the pain continues, request further investigation.
You are not at all stupid, you’re suffering and deserve to have it fixed

Why are you so wedded to this potentially incorrect self-assessment?