My orthopedic surgeon diagnosed the large bump on the top of my right foot as a ganglion cyst about 2 years ago. I also noticed that I had a bump on my ankle. He ordered an MRI to see what was going on. It turned out that it was also a ganglion cyst and the two were connected. He drained the cyst through the bump on the ankle. He said there was a 50% chance that it would return and it did. He said he could drain it again, but it would probably return again. Now I feel it is affecting the way I walk and makes me limp sometimes because my foot doesn't flex. It also hurts sometimes. He originally told me to leave it alone. But he also said that I could see another orthopedic surgeon who specializes in feet. I think I will do that to see what he thinks.

I first noticed my ganglion cyst on my right wrist when I was about 12. I had it drained with a needle several times, but it kept coming back. When I was 17, I had it surgically removed, but within two years it was back again. I am a massage therapist and my cyst disappears and reappears off and on, seeming to reappear and get bigger and more painful during times when I am massaging a lot. It's a nuisance and I wish it would stay away! I would not suggest the surgery if you are going to be paying out of pocket since it is likely to come back eventually.

I have a very small painful lump on my right wrist. I went to the doctor and she said it was a ganglion cyst. I was told to wear a wrist brace and was given an anti-inflammatory medication.

My son has had surgery to remove a ganglion cyst on his foot three times. Removal was needed because it hurt him to wear shoes and play. The last surgery he had was to do the same .However his surgeon came back to say this time it was a build-up of blood vessels and not a ganglion. I am concerned if this will now impact his life.

I had a golf-ball-sized ganglion cyst appear overnight on the top side of my right wrist about 2 years ago. It was so painful that I went to see my doctor immediately. She referred me to a hand surgeon who told me that he could drain it, but it would probably reappear. He recommended surgery. I had the surgery within a week of the cyst first appearing. Now, two years later my wrist still aches about 85% of the time. The surgeon said the root of the cyst went all the way to the bone. I now have a pea sized cyst at the base of my index finger on the palm side of my right hand. It has been coming/going intermittently for the past 25 years. It is always painful when I have it, but usually goes away within a month or so. I certainly wish the cause of these cysts could be determined and a "cure" found.

I had a ganglion surgically removed from the outside of my wrist 25 years ago. I also had one removed from the outside of my ankle 2 1/2 years ago. Both have been fine since. I now have one in the inside of each wrist. The left one is huge and very painful. The right one is small and hurts occasionally. I'm only hesitating on surgery because I've had many operations and am not anxious for more.

I have had three ganglion cysts on my right hand directly above my ulna. I would like to describe what happened in each instance. 1. I had the first cyst for about two months in 2006. That year, we had a severe winter and ice was blocking the drain to my driveway causing a backup of ice. I got an ice chipper and chipped ice for about four hours relatively continuously clutching the chipper with an up and down motion. Miraculously, I noticed the cyst went away right after that. 2. In the fall of 2010, I got another cyst. I went to the doctor's and had it drained in December. It cost $500. The cyst reappeared, and was even larger within a month. 3. I have had the cyst since January and today I went skiing. There was a lot of powder and I really had to dig in with my poles, of course clutching the pole with an up and down movement. When I took my gloves off after a seven hour ski, the cyst was GONE.

I am a 38yr old New Zealand male with a ganglion on the top right side of my wrist. This is painful and I drop things because of the pain. I have trouble holding the steering wheel of the car. I have tried to pop it with heavy books etc and lately have been so desperate. My doctor is reluctant to do anything with it as I have multiple sclerosis but don't have any symptoms but he says he could set it off if he hits a nerve I am so desperate to get rid of it and I also am developing one in my right wrist.

I had laser treatment on the ball of my foot near the big toe for a plantar wart. I believe the laser treatment contributed to the very large ganglion cyst that appeared immediately afterwards. My podiatrist did not know at the time that this was a ganglion cyst. He aspirated the bloody fluid and sent it for biopsy. The biopsy report said it was unlikely to be a ganglion cyst, but could not identify what it was, so I went for a second opinion. The second podiatrist sent me for an MRI. Again, the report said it could not identify what it was. I then had surgery to remove this mass because of the burning and pain associated with it. The incision has 18 stitches, I am in a cast to my knee for at least 3 weeks, and it is pretty painful.