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About 18 months ago I developed a ganglian cyst in my right wrist area. I am male 54 years old and in good health generally
After about 6months it stayed up and my orthopeadic surgeon decide to remove it.
It came back in december and now has grown again and stays up all the time. My surgeon says 20% come back and its not worth cutting again.
In september I sprained my right knee and MRI showed no tear in the meniscus etc but then I developed a bakers cyst.
The same surgeon diagnosed the B cyst and gave me a cortisone shot and it went down and I also did some physio which really helped to strenghthen the knee.
It came back a few weeks ago ( I think after I lifted something too heavy!)and this time he took 15 mls of fluid off and gave me a shot of cortisone agin and it went away.
It came back this weekend without any heavy lifting just some extra walking yardwork etc, and now I am getting worried, I know too much cortisone is not good on the joints
and we are not fixing the basic problem here.
Looking at your excellent archives on this it seems I must have a tear in the fluid sack at the rear of the knee that can be operated on. My surgeon told me he does not recommend surgery as the "cyst " is in the area of all the blood vessels and the one surgery he did the lady still has bleeding problems.
Are these ganglian and bakers cysts related? Is it possible
that I could have lyme disease? I got bit with a deer tick in OHIO 15 years ago and whilst I have had no rashes or temperatures ,The tick was engorged with blood when I found it on my ankle and I have also had anxiety problems and take pamelor (75Mg) for this
I only discovered lyme disease lately and it seems that joint degeneration and brain changes that can cause anxiety can be attributed sometimes to Lyme disease?
Do I need to consult a rheumatologist also?
thank you in advance for your advice here
In Reply to: baker's cyst / ganglian cyst/ lyme disease? posted by limeyjag on April 25, 2001 at 22:09:59:
lyme disease is capable of posing as so many different diseases -- if you think you might have it, then get tested.
HOWEVER, treatment of lyme disease is very political nowadays. You can have it, you can even test positive for it, and doctors will still tell you it's all in your head. There is a network of what they call LLMD's (lyme literate medical doctors) and folks that are into this don't advertise the name of these doctors because they are targets of the insurance companies. I wouldn't have believed it except I have been following some of the cases since my dog has Lyme.
Here is a link to a great lyme site -- be sure to go to the online library link and read Dr. B.'s guidelines for 2000 for a good overview. The flashnet BB will give you a good insight as to what type of different ailments the lymies feel.
Good luck.
In Reply to: baker's cyst / ganglian cyst/ lyme disease? posted by limeyjag on April 25, 2001 at 22:09:59:
Hi - I hope you will get another opinion about your recurring cyst, etc. But please be very careful about looking into Lyme disease. I have had lots of experience with the Lyme Disease Society and also with the doctors and nurses who specialize in its treatment. My son got Lyme a few years ago. The tick was very tiny and definitely a deer tick--it looked like a dot. His general practioner said to "wait and see". Then he developed Bell's Palsy, and then tested positive for Lyme. I bought a book on Lyme Disease and also called the Society for literature. What I read scared me, so I called a "specialist". They all know each other and recommend each other in different parts of the United States. They said that my son would be permanently damaged if he didn't start immediately on intravenous antibiotics. They wanted to put an IV site in his arm and he would have had to keep going back to them to change the site, etc. When I looked further into it, I learned that this was a real racket. The doctors were banned from most hospitals. Some of the clinics had only nurses running them!
The Lyme Disease Society still sends me horror stories about the disease and asks for donations. I just want you to be very cautious if you do decide to inquire about it.
Good luck! By the way, after three weeks on antibiotics my son (then 30) was completely cured, and the doctor said that if he got it again it would only mean that another tick had bitten him--not that the disease had returned.
In Reply to: Re: baker's cyst / ganglian cyst/ lyme disease? posted by Raisa on April 26, 2001 at 14:43:22:
in some people, it is much more difficult to treat. Much of it depends on which "brand" of lyme disease that the tick transmitted. If your son gets Lyme again, it could very well be a new infection, but it very well could be the same infection that has been rewakened -- I've read the scientific abstracts, it is *very* rare that this bug is completely eliminated -- however, I think very often a person's immune system can keep it in check. This is why, if your son is ever put on steroids, he should also be given antibiotics so that the lyme does not come back. I know someone that had Lyme and it took 3 years before she was symptom free, and many aren't that lucky.
Yes, your son was very lucky -- I do think it's important that you don't close your mind to the suffering of others that weren't so lucky.
In Reply to: your son is very lucky.... posted by LT on April 26, 2001 at 21:37:48:
Hi - I didn't mean at all to sound insensitive. I live in Connecticut and have known of many cases of Lyme disease where it wasn't caught in time and the people (my next door neighbor's nephew was one of the first to have Lyme) still suffer with arthritis, etc. It's a terrible disease. What I was trying to do was to warn this man not to get caught up in the scare tactics which were used on me when I called about my son. I knew people who spent fortunes going to those Lyme clinics and would get infections at the IV sites and became slaves to their disease. There are many good places to go to be treated, but I just wanted him to be very careful in choosing and to be absolutely positive that he HAS the disease before beginning.
In Reply to: baker's cyst / ganglian cyst/ lyme disease? posted by limeyjag on April 25, 2001 at 22:09:59:
Hi, Limeyjag.
Of course both wrist ganglions and Baker's are related. The most common cause of both is chronic bracing which greatly increases the pressures inside the joints and tendon sheaths.
"--we are not fixing the basic problem here."
Walt
In Reply to: Re: your son is very lucky.... posted by Raisa to LT on April 27, 2001 at 10:32:08:
I admit I read your original post the wrong way. It's really terrible that there are always those that tend to take advantage of a situation.
In Reply to: that's sound advice... posted by LT on April 27, 2001 at 23:46:32:
LT - Glad you understand what I meant! Now I would like to know how you found out that your little (?) dog has Lyme disease? That has always scared me. I have not had my dog vaccinated because I'm afraid of the vaccine!! Is your dog getting along O.K.?
In Reply to: Re: that's sound advice... posted by Raisa on April 28, 2001 at 10:22:45:
She is nearly 4, and I estimate that she has had lyme since she was roughly 7 months old (just diagnosed last Nov/Dec though). She had the lyme vaccine at I think 4 months old and 12 months old. She had a **terrible** reaction to the second one and I suspect it also triggered a treatment resistent form of lyme in her. So my girl is an example of 1) the vaccine not being effective (she got lyme anyway!) and 2) the vaccine being very harmful. In fact, she probably wouldn't have had her hip surgery at 14 months were it not for the lyme since we mistook her pain from lyme to be from her hips. (She did need the surgery though, but we probably wouldn't have found it so soon).
Since she was about 1 1/2 years old I have been trying to find a reason for her funny symptoms (digestive, fatigue, sore muscles, personality change, some joint pain). On my own and with the help of a holistic vet, we were treating her for lyme vaccinosis. Being in California, Lyme is not well known around here. I finally emailed someone at the serology lab at Cornell and asked them about the vaccine and my girl's symptoms and they instructed me to have a Western Blot run at their lab. I showed the email to vet #8 who agreed to run the test.
Even then her results are controversial -- Cornell's official diagnosis is Lyme-vaccine-induced disease (for which there is no treatment). But there were also a couple of infection bands that showed up, so we treated her with antibiotics, to which she has responded, which means she suffers from both lyme and the lyme vaccine.
She can't tolerate any of the good meds used to treat lyme -- just amoxycillin, which doesn't penetrate well enough to kill all the buggers, so I've been also treated holistically.
Sorry if that was more than you wanted to know -- it really has been a long road -- lots of time and money and lots of research -- I've learned a lot in the past several years ;-)
Lisa
In Reply to: it's been a long road... posted by LT on April 29, 2001 at 03:58:50:
I didn't know that Lyme had gotten to Ca.
VF
In Reply to: it's been a long road... posted by LT on April 29, 2001 at 03:58:50:
Hi, Lisa - Your dog is beautiful!! And she looks happy even with all her problems. She is very fortunate to have you as her owner--I'm sure it works both ways!
I'm so sorry to hear that the vaccine caused her to get the disease!! I've been hearing unfavorable things about the vaccine for humans--that they don't know how long it will last or that it even works. The vets keep pushing the vaccine here, too, although mine hasn't mentioned it; he just has signs all over the place. I'll be sure my Ellie doesn't get it. I use Frontline on her each month in the summer--my part of the state isn't bothered as much as the places near the shore. And also my Ellie isn't out much except to go for short walks (I think I mentioned she's a Boston Terrier and can't tolerate a lot of exercise at one time). I'll be taking her for a week end to New Jersey to visit my son, though, and I'm worried about that because the ticks are worse there than they are here! Once when I visited him, a deer tick blew onto a paper plate! My son doesn't seem concerned, even though he's had Lyme. I know my grandson had it-he had really weird symptoms - he was hallucinating, and said that the light bothered him; and he had a high fever. But, my daughter-in-law said it was just the Flu (no one else got it). Finally, they took him to the doctor when he wasn't getting better. The doctor didn't even test him for Lyme, but at least they gave him Amoxicillin for 10 days. He has been fine since, but I agree with you that it is possible for it to recur.
Then last summer, their next door neighbor's boy got Lyme.
My son and I both think my grandson had Lyme, but I'm just happy that he got the antibiotics on time. That seems to be the important thing.
I haven't heard of any dogs getting it, although I know they do. Cornell has an excellent veterinarian department, as does Tufts. My dog had a breathing problem as a puppy,and I ordered literature from the Tufts Veterinary School library to find out what it was. I had to take her to Boston to be operated on--she had pouches on her larynx.
Of course, when I first took her to be seen, she was breathing perfectly and they sent me home! But I called them back and they agreed to do an exploratory operation and then found the saccules. It's very hard to find good veterinarians here--is it there?
Thanks again for letting me know about your pup. What is her name? How did you send the photo?
In Reply to: Re: it's been a long road... posted by Raisa on April 29, 2001 at 09:01:14:
the ones I have now are good, but not great. The best thing about the conventional vet that I have is that I can argue with him. Most other vets don't listen and assume I know nothing -- this one will listen and argue where appropriate, which sometimes is often since we have different philosophies.
Interesing about your grandson -- I often think Indy (my dog) has head problems from this -- she has become very headshy since being ill. Sure am glad that your vet hasn't pushed the vaccine on your dog -- for susceptible dogs, it can ruin them for life. I know Univ. of Wisconson Madison doesn't recommend it, and I would be surprised if Cornell did -- I know those in the lab don't think highly of it at all. Thank goodness for these universities -- they have helped my girl and definitely have helped your Ellie. What an interesting operation -- so glad it went well.
About the picture -- I have an accunt (free) with webphotos (www.webphotos.com) where I can upload scanned photos. That gives them a URL (if you have your own webpage you could put them on that). Once they have an address/url, you put that in the Optional Image URL box that's at the bottom of this page, and presto, you've posted a pic. Does that make sense?
In Reply to: Re: it's been a long road... posted by Vince F on April 29, 2001 at 07:57:16:
we have several "hot spots", mostly along the coast and in the foothills.
In Reply to: I think it's the Western State with the most... posted by LT on April 29, 2001 at 15:37:04:
I wonder if mosquitos can transmit lyme ??
VF
In Reply to: Lyme and heartworm posted by Vince F on April 29, 2001 at 16:58:12:
I've seen both sides asserted, but it seems there hasn't been a real study. I think certain flies can, but it's hard to find it in the literature. I think there are things that some believe it's better off if the public doesn't know. It is true that mother can pass it to child and current thinking is that they will soon prove that it can be spread via sexual contact.
It just gets scarier and scarier...
In Reply to: A good vet is *very* hard to find.... posted by LT on April 29, 2001 at 15:34:54:
Hi, LT.
As dog lovers, we both know that things have to be VERY bad before our dogs will show any change in how they act. They are VERY stoic. Your dog LOOKS wonderful.
Contact the American Holistic Veterinarian Association (AHVA) for the closest EXCELLENT veterinarian: altvetmed.com
Let us know what you learn.
Also, use the search engine for "The Whole Dog Journal".
Good luck!
Namaste`
Walt
In Reply to: Re: A good vet is *very* hard to find.... (Archive in Vet.) posted by Walt Stoll on May 01, 2001 at 07:39:16:
Hi, Dr. Stoll -
I didn't think to look in the archives for veterinary information! I have ordered a sample copy of The Whole Dog Journal (800) 424-7887). I am also going to try to find Solid Gold dog food. My Boston Terrier is very healthy at the moment, thank goodness. I hesitate to give her raw meat and bones, although I know many do successfully.
Do you think that she will develop allergies and poor digestion if I continue to feed her Iams commercial dog food? I did find the name of a holistic veterinarian near my town and will look into his credentials. I have never heard of him, but I am not satisfied at all with my present vet.
I wish I had known about your site four years ago. Both my shephard-collie and my Lhasa apso developed allergies at around 9 years old. They lived to be 13 and 14, but my shephard-collie, especially looked as if she had mange--our vet kept giving us prednisilone cream to put on her skin and in her ears! Of course, that was not the correct treatment, but we didn't realize that. Well, now I know and will give my Ellie the essentials oils if she develops an allergy. Thanks again for your site, and please let me know your opinion about starting to give her raw food, etc.
In Reply to: Re: A good vet is *very* hard to find.... (Archive in Vet.) posted by Raisa on May 01, 2001 at 13:49:36:
Raisa,
I am wondering if the foods you were feeding changed that
your allergic dogs ate ?? I am slow to change things with my
guys and then I look at their activity level as a guide. My
male who I solved his digestion problem slowed down when I
started adding things that are said to be needed while my
female perked up on them so I guess they didn't agree with
him.
I hesitate with raw foods or bones for reasons but do give
them on occasion and watch what happenes. I like to know
what they did with a bone like if they chewed on it or
swallowed a big piece so usually hold them and let them work
on it when i give them but also have a lot of hair that can
get messed up so another reason I manage things.
VF
In Reply to: Re: A good vet is *very* hard to find.... (Archive in Vet.) posted by Vince F on May 01, 2001 at 15:17:23:
Yes, I did change foods. My shephard-collie was older, and she started having bladder problems as well as skin problems. The vet I then prescribed phynelpropanolamine (sp) for her bladder problem. The girl in his office told me that she gave that to her dog with the same problem and it cured it. So, I gave that. It helped the bladder problem. But then she started not eating well (I didn't realize that the phenyl would affect her appetite). So, I started giving her another kind of food. This definitely could have affected her skin. She was already deaf and kind of senile at the time. I guess I was trying to make her happy and gave her table foods, too. My other dog had very long hair and had ear problems. I also changed her diet when she got older--first to adult dog food and then later to kibbles and bits, which was all she would eat and I had to feed her that. I know now that I did all the wrong things, but everyone thought this vet was perfect and no one ever doubted her advice. At least my pups lived to 13 and 14 and were well until the last about year and a half. But I will always wonder whether they would have lived longer if I had fed them differently. My lhasa was the last of her litter to die, but her brothers and sisters got very heavy (people I knew owned them). I'm sure you are doing the right things with your dogs--it's really hard, since they can't talk to us and never complain!
In Reply to: Re: A good vet is *very* hard to find.... (Archive in Vet.) posted by Raisa on May 01, 2001 at 16:22:00:
Raisa,
do you think the drug cause the problems or the food ??
What was the bladder problem ??
My last girl was a nervous or excited pee'er and after
giving Proban flea pills that stoped. They can make muscles
stronger OR weaker so I guess her spincter muscles were
weak.
sounds like your dogs lived long and healthy till they VF
In Reply to: Re: A good vet is *very* hard to find.... (Archive in Vet.) posted by Vince F on May 01, 2001 at 16:56:10:
Vince, and also LT - Now that I've written about my other two dogs, I realize that they could have easily had Lyme disease! The bladder infection (or whatever it was) started out with her dribbling on the floor even while she was sleeping. She took antibiotics at first which cured it (I thought) but then it came back and wouldn't go away. The vet said it was her age and because she had been spayed when she was a puppy. This was before they knew that dogs could get Lyme, or at least they hadn't told us. Guess I was lucky they didn't have the vaccine! I can't imagine having to go through what you have gone through, LT, although we do whatever is necessary to keep our dogs as healthy as possible. I know it can't have been easy for you.
In Reply to: Re: A good vet is *very* hard to find.... (Archive in Vet.) posted by Raisa on May 01, 2001 at 17:11:24:
Raisa,
as with people age can cause a loss of control. My last I prefered the vets at the SPCA clinic since they seemd My guys are TOO big to be lap dogs Though they Try. My VF
In Reply to: Re: A good vet is *very* hard to find.... (Archive in Vet.) posted by Raisa on May 01, 2001 at 13:49:36:
Hi, Raisa.
The Whole Dog Journal has an excellent service for past issues and an index about what they are about. They have had a great series about the pros and cons of whole foods & raw diets for dogs within the past 2 years.
Let us know what you learn.
Walt
got old which is all we can hope for and Hopefully we Learn
from problems they got and do better the Next time so their
problems help the next that come along. That is what I hope
for but each are different and have different problems like
they have different personalities so it is a never ending
task and hopefully we can figure things out for the most
part or to make life mostly comfortable for them even near
the end. I Think they are happy being with us since they
are social animals like we are and why we like them around.
My 2 like to be close and touching me as i love to touch
them even if they want it while I am Typing... or when I
ache and it hurts just to be touched but I guess life would
be boring without a Little stress or discomfort. That makes
the good times/feelings so good.
Follow Ups:
Re: A good vet is *very* hard to find.... (Archive in Vet.)
Posted by Raisa on May 01, 2001 at 17:11:24:
Ellie has the best personality of any dog I've ever had. She loves to be on my lap (which I love, too), and she loves to play but isn't demanding. I've had her since she was eight weeks old, so that may be one reason I'm especially attached to her. I want to do what's best for her, and as LT says, it's very hard to find a vet who isn't a know-it-all. The one I have now is like that, and I rarely do what he says without checking with Tufts or the ASPCA in Boston and I would NEVER trust him in an emergency.
Follow Ups:
Re: A good vet is *very* hard to find.... (Archive in Vet.)
Posted by Vince F on May 01, 2001 at 17:27:05:
male would pee and poo while laying or sleeping the last
few days he was alive.
more caring and easier to deal with and I felt the money
might keep a dog or cat around a little longer to be adopted
if they had more money to care for them. Maybe in a private
practice the vets have more pressures or try to act like
experts.
female just tried Walking ON ME !!! Maybe she thinks she is
tiny or petite..........and she stepped where you Shouldn't
on a guy... Grrrrrrrrr !!! ouch...
Follow Ups:
Re: A good vet is *very* hard to find.... (Archive in Vet.)
Posted by Walt Stoll on May 03, 2001 at 08:16:16:
Follow Ups:
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