Baker's cysts

[eaglemom]

Wow, we all seem to have kindof different experiences with bakes cysts.  However, my os didn't call mine a bakers cyst, its a ganglion cyst because of the location.  It is on the outside of my tibial joint, very deep.  I've complained and complained and last Wed we did something about it.  He felt that he could drain it - if I would let him.  (This is the same os that said he doesn't drain ganglion cysts!)  It really wasn't that big of a deal at all.  He got it in one stick and tons of gunk (yellowish gel type looking stuff) came out.  He also did two cortisone shots into my menisus - that was the worst pain I've ever had,  I couldn't breath - nurse was shaking me to make certain I didn't pass out, os was yelling "stay with me its almost over."  And he did it two times. 

I came home and found the sofa, two pillows and ice and sat there all day.  It was sore but not what I'd expected after it hurting so darned much.  But, that was Wed and on Sunday where the cyst needle was turned bluish and has a very tender spot.  The area is very visabilly swollen - like it was difficult to shave my legs this morning because of the tenderness.

So, any idea's on this development?  There is an obvious "spot" where the needle to remove the cyst was, but you can't see the needle marks of the cortisone injections.

My first cortisone injection I too had a "flare" and they are very uncomfortable.  I'm thinking it took almost a week to feel what a bad knee would be called normal.  Didn't have the flare this time, yea.  I find no matter what my knee needs to be up and iced, always.

[Dani0009]

eaglemom -

That's an odd development.  Maybe it's just a bruise?  Sometimes I get bumps like that when I bruise for whatever reason. I think they call them goose eggs?  I'd keep an eye on it.

How is the cyst overall?  Is it still there or is it gone?  I thought mine was going away from the injection into the joint, but it's back again.  And my knee is killing me!  I didn't find the cortisone shot to be too bad, but the doc was talking to me and he managed to keep my mind off of it.  My knee feels rather full right now though, even though it's been 3 days. I feel like the fluid hasn't absorbed into my knee, as silly as that may sound.  I do think I'm on the tail end of the flare though, thank goodness!

Is your knee feeling better from the shots?  I can't say mine is, but I want to give it the full week to work like he told me to.  The shot was my last resort before a scope!

-D

[eaglemom]

Ok so here is the latest on the ganglion cyst.  I had pt today and the therapist looked at my leg and said "what have you done?!"  The what I'll call brusing is almost gone - however that area just doesn't look right.  Obviolusly swelling, again. 

We did pt and my therapist called over the other two therapists that were working and asked if they had any other idea's.  The talked to the os, who's answer always is either :it takes time, or let just try pt.  They were having another meeting with him not in my presence.  But what I found out that I didn't realize is that even through the cyst was drained it is still there - he removed the fluid but not the cyst.  (Now I've had multiple breast bioposies and cyst issues there - and always always always was told that removing fluid from a breast cyst removes and disolves the cyst completely.  I guess I didn't ask the correct questions as to if this would silmply go away since it had no fluid.  Who knows!

I too don't think the cortizone does a thing - but its part of the process.  I know in the bottom of my heart I'm headed for surgery and its upsetting since I've been rehabing, pt, etc since Dec.  and the end result could have been done by now.  Oh well, live and learn.

[Berta]

Hi there people, re cortizone shots,it's my theory that the more they hurt, the better they work, I've had several over the years, in my shoulders, back and now the knee, and every time I've found more benefit from the ones that hurt, but maybe that's just that anything feels better in comparison.

Well I've got good news and bad news, a whole new range of emotions.................The new Doc was a breath of fresh air, thank goodness. The first good news, NO ARTHRITIS Yippee, but I never believed there was any anyway. Todays diagnoses, a small tear in the medial meniscus, which confirms the PT' view. The swelling around and below my knee, probably due to fluid leaking from the cyst. More good news, the swelling was actually down today, we think that the current balance of walking and resting and use of the cryo cuff is helping. More good news, we went through the same range (and some that are new)of flexion and twisting tests as the physio did months ago, and today I was going ouch, back in April I was going OOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHH so it looks like things may be improving.

The bad news side, he thinks that as the original injury was over 9 months ago, it's not actually going to repair itself, so surgery waits in the future. The real bad news, if the OS decides that surgery is needed, the wait could be 2 years, his best advice, if I can afford it, which I can't at the moment, then I should pop down to the states for surgery. He also feels that some of the symptoms in my leg are generated from my back, so will have to follow up tomorrow and see if there is anything on the x-rays we did last week, I'll be suprised if there is anything, I've never had a 'bad' x-ray of my back, only seen problems on the MRI.

Apart from that, the regime I have put myself on, seems to be doing all the right things, the only thing that has been added, is to get myself a knee brace to support the knee during the busy harvest time. Any one got any first hand info on braces?

[Dani0009]

I'm so glad the new doc was better!  No arthritis is fantastic news!  You definitely don't want that.  The meniscal tear isn't the best diagnosis out there, but at least it's treatable.

I can't believe you'd have to wait 2 years for the surgery!!!  And here I am, complaining about waiting 6 months.  Wow.  Is the system in Canada similar to the UK where you can "go private"?  I hear that kind of talk on here, so that's where I'm getting that from!   

The back xray can't hurt.  At least it might give the doc an idea of possible problems in there.  He'll be able to rule some things out!

The brace I have is a DonJoy 4titude.  It's okay.  I'm not entirely thrilled with it.  The fabric rubs right on my baker's cyst/calf muscle tear, and I always wind up with scratches there.  And, it's difficult to do the bike because the plastic on the brace always hits the middle bar of the bike, and it just doesn't work well for me.  However, I do notice a difference in my stability when I have it on.  So, it works.  It's just not the most functional for me.  Unfortunately, they didn't really give me a choice, they just told me that would be the best one for me.  So, if you have the option to look at a few, you should.

The first OS I saw gave me a Drytex hinged brace (he thought I tore my MCL before he did the MRI).  It didn't do a darn thing for me.  But, it also didn't fit very well.  The woman who measured me for the ACL brace told me that my thighs are quite a bit larger than my calves.  I guess my leg isn't very proportionate.  So, that was working against me.  The thigh strap fit, but the calf strap didn't, so the hinges didn't lay at the side of my leg properly.

Whatever you do, just make sure it fits well!  What are you looking for the brace to do?  Provide stability, extra support, etc?
 

[karend14]

Hi guys!
I've only been away for a little while and so much has happened with you all! I have to admit, since my knee has been feeling better, I've been slacking a little about keeping up with you guys.

Dani- if it makes you feel any better, I've never had much luck with the cortisone either. I've had several and none of them seemed to make a huge difference. I'm glad that you finally had a good visit with a knowledgeable doctor. It took three tries for me to finally find someone who actually seemed like he cared. What exactly does he think that he'll find with the scope? Does he agree with the ACL tear? Hopefully, for your sake it won't be anything major and will be an easy fix.

Denny- Congrats on your good news! (It is good news, right?) I would prefer a meniscal tear over arthritis. At least it's fixable. (Unless your me, and then you could have major issues!) It is bad though that the wait could be so long. There's something about that just doesn't seem fair! It may be a small tear now, but walking around on it for the next 2 years could easily make it a big tear. That's what ultimately led me to a meniscal transplant. As far as a brace goes, I've been told there is no brace out there for a meniscal tear, but last summer my OS put me in an offloader brace. The purpose of it is to reposistion your leg to take weight off of the bad side of your knee, in my case, the lateral compartment. I think this would at least help from damaging the meniscus anymore than it already is. He put me in an X2K Counterforce Plus. It's fairly compact, though it doesn't fit under your clothes. It's relatively comfortable for being a brace. It's not the coolest when you're wearing it in the middle of July and August, but you deal. The downside is it's really expensive. Mine was around $900 but my insurance ended up covering it.

I wish I could bring both of you to Missouri to see my OS! I know there are other doctors besides him who are great, but I think he is just about the greatest thing ever! He's brilliant, he has an incredible sense of humor, and he's compassionate and caring. We didn't realize until after my very first visit with him that we go to church together, so now we've gotten to know each other so well and see each other so much that we joke about being family. I just wish there were more doctors out there that were like him. He seems to be in this for helping people, instead of being in it for the $$$.

[Berta]

Hi Karen, it's fantastic that you are feeling better, and although it's great to keep in touch it's nice to hear that you have been getting on with your life, that's how it should be. Oh yes, it's great news that I have a tear, I never thought that I had arthritis, but at the same time was really worried that I did have it, as you say at least this is fixable, so I'm relieved to get that one sorted out.

My only worries now, and this will have to wait until I see the OS................it really does feel like it's improved since the PT did his tests back in the spring (although Tuesday was about the best day I've had, very little swelling any where, apart from the cyst, today it's swollen again, typical ) part of me wants to believe that if it's improved this much, then it may be a red on red, and will heal itsellf completely. That would be fantastic, as it's scary reading the stories on here of repeated surgeries once you start. On the other hand, to get it this far I feel like I'm leading a half life, restricted walking, resting etc. etc, you know how it is, I want to get back to a full life, now if that will happen with another few months of living like this it would be great. I can't help thinking that it will need a repair, and I really can't face 2 years of living like this. I appreciate that there are many people here who would find this relatively minor complaint so much better than what they are coping with, but there are days when you just want to shout IT'S NOT FAIR.

Thanks to both of you for info on braces, wow that's a lot of money to invest, I'll have to think about this one. The Doc suggested it to try and stop any twisting on the knee, both physically and as a mental reminder not to turn on that foot. Ther's no way that I can splash out on anything fancy, so will either go for a cheap and cheerful, as the mental reminder, or will just keep reminding myself.

As to private treatment............none here in Saskatchewan, some of the other provinces do have some private care now, or as the dic reccomended, you can be a medicall tourist and pop down across the border, if we have a good harvest this year I may just do that.

Dani - I hope that the knee settled down after your shot, hope all goes well on Friday, let us know how you get on

Denny

[Dani0009]

Karen,

I'm really glad that you're feeling better!  I will start slacking on keeping up when I start feeling better, too.   It's so easy to become consumed by the knee when it's hurting.

It does make me feel a little better that I'm not the only one not getting relief from the shot!  It actually has made things worse.  My knee has been twice as swollen and stiff and the pain has gotten worse.  My PT said sometimes when you add more fluid to an already inflammed joint, it just gets more swollen.  But, I'm going Monday to discuss the scope with the doctor. 

He's mentioned that he thinks there is cartilage damage, but he didn't say if he thought meniscal or articular.  I have a lot of joint line pain, and he found the painful spot, which makes me think he knew what it was, but didn't want to get into it until we figured out whether or not the cortisone shot worked.  I'm going to grill him on Monday. 

He doesn't think the ACL tear is bad.  He seems to think it will last without ever rupturing.  He said 'obviously you never know', but he didn't feel it was too bad.

Anyway... I hope you continue to get better and better!  And just check in on us once a month or something.   

Denny -
I completely understand what you mean about living a half life.  I do think though that if your meniscus was going to heal, it would have healed right now.  The doc that originally operated on me told me that anything that's going to heal on its own generally will in 2 months.

Sometimes I find it hard to read some of these posts about TKRs gone wrong, MRSA, etc.  And, sometimes when I need a reality check I read those posts and get a little perspective.  I get so caught up in feeling sorry for myself that I forget what a little blip this is in the grand scheme of things.  Instead of thinking what you've got going on isn't a big deal, just keep it in mind when you start feeling sorry for yourself.  I think that's the best thing to do.  And of course, come on here to vent!  Sometimes you just have to get it out.

I wonder if you could wear my Drytex brace.  It was too big for me, so I never even wore it.  It's an XL with hinges on the side and velcro straps.  You can see it on the donjoy website:http://www.donjoy.com/index.asp/fuseaction/products.detail/cat/1/id/32
It says the XL is for 23 1/2-26 1/2 sized thigh, 6" above the patella.  If it's something you could use, let me know.  It's a decent brace, I would have worn it if it fit better.  Even if it's $20 to ship, that's better than $900 or whatever for a brace.

That's my report for the day.   I'll update on Monday after the appt w/the doc.  Have a good weekend!

[Dani0009]

All right ladies...

I am having my scope on Monday!  I'm nervous, but very ready at the same time.  The doc is expecting some articular cartilage damage, so it's basically just going to be a clean out. 

We'll see what happens.  Hope you both are doing well.

[Berta]

Wow, you get quick service down there. I'll be sending you good vibes for Monday, any idea what rehab will be like from this one?

Not doing to bad, apart from being sabotaged by the Doberman last Thursday, ran into my knee, straight on fortunatley, hadn't seen him coming so didn't turn, I thinl a side impact would of been worse. Took one day out for ice and elevation, then working back into it now. Looks like the combine will be ready to roll tomorrow, so had to climb up today to make sure I could get in there and sit comfortably, can do it just, so that will be my home for a few days. The only difficult bits are getting up the first step, because it's high, and starting the thing, because I have to use my left foot to clutch.

Will send a pm about the brace.

[Dani0009]

Monday is really quick.  I just lucked out and was able to grab an opening.  I took it as a sign.   Plus, if I didn't do it next week, I wouldn't be able to do it for another 2 weeks (work reasons).  And, I really want my knee better for my trip in October.

I had to laugh about the Doberman thing.  I have a German Shepherd, and he runs into my knee a lot.  He also smells my knee all the time, which is odd.  I've always wondered if he can smell that something is wrong in there.  I also smacked my knee against the dashboard hoping out of the passenger seat in my car.  It's funny - things that really shouldn't hurt badly really do when the knee is already injured.

I hope everything goes okay in the combine tomorrow and your knee feels a little better after the doberman related injury.

[Berta]

2 days into combining, and knee holding up well so far, drove for 5 hours on first day, and 3 hours today, but had to do a couple of long runs in the car to pick up spares, it's a good job it's my left knee that struggles,I can drive any of the automatics with little bother. All has settled down after knee v Doberman, thank goodness. As you say it feels like your knee becomes a magnet for anything searching for something to hit.

Where are you off to in October? Have a good weekend, hope you have nice things to do before your scope.

Wishing you the best

Denny

[Berta]

Hi Dani,

I hope that everything went well and that you're not feeling to sore.

[Dani0009]

So, everything went well yesterday. My mom talked to the doc, and all he found was inflamed scar tissue!  So, he removed it and hopefully I'll be as good as new. :-)  I guess it was inflammed from getting caught in my joint... so that's what was causing my joint to lock.

My knee isn't bad at all.  I've only taken 1 pain pill, and I'm down to walking with one crutch.  My knee is wrapped from mid thigh all the way around my foot, but I can take that off today or tomorrow.  I follow up on Monday, so I'll get the story straight from the horse's mouth. I'm just curious about my ACL (mom didn't know to ask) and how my articular cartilage looked.  He thought he was going to find some chondromalacia, but maybe he didn't.  He also mentioned to my mom that the knee cap is tracking right where it should be, which is great for 7 years post TTT.

So, your knee was holding up okay as of the 17th.  How is it doing now?

I'm off to Prague in October!  Which I'm excited about, even more so after this scope.  I feel like I'll truly be able to enjoy the trip once I've recovered completely. :-) 

Anyway, I hope your knee is still holding up well!

[Berta]

I'm glad to hear that things went well, and will keep fingers crossed that everything improves now. It's really great that the knee cap is tracking OK. I hope that you get more good news on Monday, hopefully you'll get all the answers then. I'll keep those fingers especially hard crossed that all is settled by October, I've never been to Prague, but friends who have been say it's beautiful, and it sounds like a great target to aim at, the joy of a holiday where the knee isn't the main concern.

The knee is holding up fairly well, but we have been stopped since Friday evening because of the weather, keeps raining in us, just starts to dry up and we get another load, very frustrating, but at least I'm getting a chance to rest up. We had a party Saturday night, so spent all Sat doing house work, and it ached after that, but not to bad. The pain has changed a little, walking is far easier, and I keep thinking that maybe it is healing, but then I sit and do some bookwork, and I know that it isn't! At the moment there seems to be more pain from the cyst, rather than the joint, so not sure whats going on there.

I'm quite chilled about it at the moment, only 5 weeks to go until I get to see the OS now, so I figure I'll just get on with everything I need to do until then, and then we can see whats going on.