Fiona | 
03 8th, 2010| 
Almost 6 weeks ago I had a ganglion cyst removed from my wrist. I tried to do a fair bit of research before hand into recovery times, but there was little I could find. Most gave a rough estimate of 2-6 weeks. I figured it would be a simple procedure and I would be up and running, or at least using my wrist, in no time.
Er… Well let’s start at the beginning. Before I had the ganglion removed I didn’t have a lot of pain. I did have a fair bit of discomfort however and it stopped me from doing things I wanted to do, like push ups and tricep dips and other exercises that required me to extend my wrist. And that annoyed me. From early December I wore the secksay brace, which I blogged about previously. But the brace really restricted things, like riding Xena Queen, the Suzuki GS500 wonderbike!
I figured I would be in the group that had things sorted in 2 weeks. I saw the surgeon after a week and she said things were looking good, but suggested I not use it for around 4-5 weeks to let it recover fully and not give it any excuse to reoccur. I wasn’t happy, but I agreed.
And I went to Brisbane for work. And I wasn’t using my wrist, but even if I wanted to I couldn’t have. See I got this giant lump where the cyst had been. Caught up with friends down there, one of whom works as an Occupatinal Therapist with wrists and scars. She suggested lots of massage over the scar and binding it to keep pressure on it and hopefully reduce the swelling. A few days later, just as I was preparing to come home, I decided to ring the surgeon. She saw me later in the week and, well, was a little concerned.
I was sent for an ultrasound to check the cyst was not back. She surmised that where the cyst had been had been filled with fluid, either as a haematoma or as a return of the cyst. I didn’t want to believe that it could be back, let alone back so soon. So I dug out ye trusty olde wrist brace and put it on again. And I made an appointment to see a friend up here who is an OT who specialises in hands and stuff.
This was the best thing I have done for the recovery. I have been weekly and had ultrasound and laser therapy and dipped my hand and wrist into hot wax. Almost as good as a beauty parlour! And my OT gives great massages too, even if they do hurt a bit! I have done my homework each day as required and there has been some improvement. My OT even gave me a vibrator to use one it. Er… well it is a small massager, but the label says vibrator and it makes me snigger and will ensure my blog gets blocked in more places! And it is awesome- it makes my skin wobble and ripple and stuff.
I saw my surgeon on Friday and she is happy with my progress. She says that the ultrasound didn’t show a defined mass, so it is probably a haematoma that is getting rid of gunk, gunk being my medical term of choice! I have a little more movement in my wrist than I did, but not as much as the other wrist. The doc said that I should speak to my OT regarding returning to exercise with the hand/wrist/arm. She also said that I would be able to ride my bike around the block, but not up the Kurranda Range for a while! Tried to get her out on the weekend, but the battery charger hadn’t worked. May have to just go grab a carton of milk at some stage, just to go for a spin!
So advice for others- don’t expect to be up and running in 2 weeks. I think this is rather rare. Whilst my haematoma may be a little on the more unusual side, the advice to not use my wrist for 5-6 weeks post op is probably sage. And make sure you go see an OT!
