Ganglion fun...

[acatcalledjohn]

I have a ganglion in my right wrist, which has just flared up leaving me with limited use of that hand/wrist (frustrating as I am right handed). Years ago I had one in a similar location in my left wrist which during flare ups stopped me from being able to do simple tasks like the washing up, and I got rid of it by accidentally whiplashing my wrist when opening a beer bottle (after several drainings had failed, during the last one the needle hit a nerve leaving me with a intermittently sore & weakened wrist for several years - much better now). Last time I was at the GP I found out that the NHS don't offer treatment anymore because of low success rates, so I wondered:

Does anyone else suffer from a ganglion and how do you cope with it, or know what the treatment options are outside of the NHS?

Sorry no help, but how awful that nhs don't deal with this anymore- what kind of philosophy is that?similar treatment used to be of ingrowing toenails but they've gone back on- check with a doc about nhs provision. hope you get answers soon, or hit the beer hard and hope same thing happens as last time.

Thanks for your response!

Thing is, treatment (drainage, surgery) doesn't appear to get rid of it, so I can see why the NHS have stopped offering invasive yet pointless treatment. After my first drainage session it got back to its full size within about 4 hours. After the last session that had extended to one week, and a damaged nerve. No wonder I hit the booze

I'm just hoping there is some alternative treatment I haven't come across yet.

Is that the thing where people tell you to whack it with a bible? Not that I'm recommending that.

You know the traditional treatment is to whack it with a bible?

I wouldn't recommend doing this but 2 of my sisters had them and we did the whacking (heavy dictionary, no bible) and it did work.

I suffer too. My left wrist is in a state of flux, it really needs full surgery but in have two small children and lone parent so I'm not bothering. So I don't use it fully. Splints help but mainly I just use tape around the joint. A physio could teach you how to do this for painful days. To limit movement.

Surgery gets rid. Aspiration doesn't. I've had both on both wrists.

You need a proper wrist specialist to do it.
I'm SE London. Can recommend.....

I hit mine with a book too. Worked for me!

I had one on my left wrist for 6 years. Tried whacking it with a big book but all that did was cause me to roll on the floor in pain.

It disappeared eventually of its own accord but I have noticed a small bump reappearing in the last few weeks so I think i might be coming back.

LL, would be interested to have some details should I decide to go down that route. Could you PM?

Thanks for the bible suggestions . Sadly, however, this one is more inside the wrist and I have to bend it to a 45°-90° angle to get it to protrude enough to warrant whacking. The bible method may just do more damage that way...

That does remind me of when my mum had one. In her sleep she somehow whacked her wrist against the wall above her head . The pain woke her up, but it got rid of the little bugger

By the way, LL, how on earth do you stay sane dealing with it? It does sound like yours is worse than mine by quite a bit, plus your situation makes it harder to do something about it.

I was offered NHS surgery to get rid of my flexor tendon ganglion very recently, and that wasn't even recurrent.

If you are in the SE, Harry Belcher is an amazing hand surgeon

I don't mind naming publicly.
I saw Mr Yanni at Chelsfield Orpington. He's a hand/wrist specialist. There's another, Jonathon ??? At Kings College Hosp London. Both do NHS and private.

Mine have always been embedded in my wrist, they don't protude. But they flare up and down. The right was done by Mr Yanni, amazing job, about 15 yrs ago.

Left wrist more troublesome. I've had it aspirated twice. It came back but in a slightly diff place. This is the one that needs surgery. But with a 6 week required rest period.... No chance.
So I try not to over use it, no yoga, drunken handstands etc! I really can't lean on it. And got to watch I don't sleep with it curled up.
If it flares up, I tape it for as long as it takes. Sometimes months! Then it subsides a little and doesn't hurt for a while.
Bloody things.
They are seemingly inherited in my family, and in the wrist. Thanks Dad!

Fab, thanks! Live in East Berks so all these suggestions are perfect! I am pretty adept now at keeping my wrist straight (both sides) as I can't put full weight on either. I will note down the surgeons you both have mentioned and keep an eye on this blasted thing until it becomes unbearable.