hard pea sized lump one inch above knee

[janesaddiction]

my 12 year old son is due to have surgery on his knee to remove a hard pea sized lump about one inch above the kneecap
 we went to our gp and she gave it a quick glance and said it was a cyst and booked him for an op to remove it
 what im worried about is the fact they havent really answered any questions that we have asked and im worried that he could be suseptable to infections after the removal
 also i always thought cysts were fluid filled and his is very hard to the touch and causes pain when pressed
 if anyone could shed some light on this id be very grateful

[tanyap]

hiya,
i wouldnt worry, its probably no big deal at all. Its not a knee problem as such - you can get them anywhere.
I know a guy with quite literally hundreds of them on his body, initially the removed the first 2 or 3, then he developed them all over (its some condition he has) - so the docs said leave them - totally harmless.

Cysts are not necessarily soft or fluid filled. Is it a polyp? (not sure if I spelled that right). They can feel hard and they do hurt when pressed (think of someone pressing a marble into you).
Anyway they will just go in through the skin and whip it out, stitch it up and voila, tiny mark left behind when it heals.
Risk of infection is only the same as any cut on the body, just keep the wound clean and dry while its healing.