To be disappointed my scan was normal

[cantdothisanymor]

I saw a physio ages ago and was told I likely had a torn meniscus.

I’ve finally had the scan and the report says all is fine, just a small cyst. It could be a ganglion or a parameniscal. But it’s all fine.

I’ve got an appointment booked in with an orthopaedic consultant to discuss the scan properly but I’m almost sad that I just have to live with this pain now. For the last year I’ve been in agony, every step hurts, and now it turns out it’s just me being a baby.

I could cry, I really thought that I was about to find an answer and a cure. But this is just how I live my life now. I can’t imagine another 70 years of this agony.

No it isn’t. It’s common and very normal for those who live with hidden illnesses and disabilities to wish something would be found, we want a reason for the pain/symptoms to be found because then it’s taken seriously and can potentially be fixed. Having a doctor tell you your results are normal is heartbreaking, frustrating and soul destroying.

OP why are you equating cyst=no pain?

Not related to the cyst, obviously.

I’d built myself up to this so much, convinced I’d get the results and have an answer and a clear solution.

Instead I’ve wasted £360 to be told I’m pathetic. I actually feel like such an idiot

They’re painless benign cysts, that’s why

Why have you made a twat of yourself? You’re not wrong to be upset, but your responses here are disproportionate

I have a ganglion cyst on my wrist. Yes it's benign but it's far from painless. Sometimes it flares up and I can't use my arm properly, other days it's just uncomfortable.

If it's right on a nerve of course it's not going to be painless. If it was affecting my life I would push for removal, but it's not (not enough anyway).

Also, mines smaller than yours!

The ganglion isn’t painful in itself but they push on nerves and other areas which causes the pain.
sounds like it needs to be removed.
I had one on my wrist was sooo painful cos was on the nerve

Starting to wonder if this hypochondria...

You are being irrational. You're not an idiot, you're not a twat, you're not pathetic. Unless you're making up the pain?

Assuming you're not, there is some reason for the pain which is, as yet, undiagnosed.

@cantdothisanymor As someone who suffers from chronic pain, & has had many a scan come back ‘clear’, can I suggest you keep a pain diary between now & your Ortho appointment? A really detailed, day to day breakdown of what the pain feels like, where it is, how long it lasts (if it worsens), any activity that you feel aggravates it - basically if you feel it, note it down. You’re not being a baby, & your pain is very real & needs answers. You’re right - you can’t go on like this, & this is the point you need to make to the consultant. A clear scan does NOT invalidate your pain & how you feel about it. No one deserves to live with pain everyday 💐

Respectfully OP, a painful knee isn’t ‘fine’ at all. And your pain sounds severe.
If the orthopedic person can’t suggest anything helpful you should be clear that OTC painkillers are not working. Ask if s/he will prescribe an analgesic that will actually help the pain if ordinary paracetamol or ibuprofen doesn’t touch it.
(You can actually buy paracetamol/codeine - usually around 500/10 mg tabs - over the counter from a chemist, eg Solpadeine Ultra or Paramol. )
I have found amytriptaline helps to some extent with my post-TKR knee pain.

I’ve shown you the report, I can upload each scan photo if you like?

I’ve lived with this pain for a year now. I can’t do anything I enjoy - hiking, running, even playing with my nieces and nephews is agony. I can’t squat, kneel or bend my knee properly. And I’ve been told it’s all fine and I just have to live with it

I realise you are in pain and cannot believe that a cause was not found, but honestly your posts are so negative.

You will be seeing the ortho surgeon soon. You must get fully positive and advocate for yourself. These people have seen everything and I doubt they will hunt you out the door with no possible treatment.

The cyst itself may be painless, but if it is resting on a nerve it will be excruciating. Speak up and fight for yourself.

You are surrendering far too quickly here I think.

The NHS don’t do ganglion removals unless it is causing nerve issues. There’s no way to prove my pain so there’s no way they’ll remove it

But it's not absolutely fine and you do need adequate pain relief. You're not an idiot or a baby. Pain that's so intense doesn't happen for no reason. There must be a cause. Nerve issues? Regional pain syndrome? Arthritis? Polymyalgia?

You can be OK orthopedically but still have something wrong with you that's making the knee hurt.
Please don't give up on finding the cause.

If they've been prescribing codeine they surely can't just suddenly withdraw it? It needs a reduction. Not that I think they should withdraw it at all.

Argh this is infuriating.

You are factually incorrect.

They are benign and painless unless in a location where they cause pain.

They can be treated. The NHS presumably has criteria for treatment including severity of pain.

But also a significant number of ganglion cysts do resolve, so it may resolve naturally in a shorter length of time than you would have waited for a knee surgery.

The report does not say that everything is fine ,nor that you will just have to live with it .

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

It does - it’s a ganglion.

@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

Because I’ve spent the last year believing it was a meniscus tear which would heal itself, or be operated on. Turns out it’s nothing and I’ve just been a baby about it

They can easily say it doesn’t cause any problems

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

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.

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.