A Ganglion Cyst...awesome

I know I still have one more day of festivities to blog about, but I thought I'd add a little update that is happening now.

First of all, Brian and I are homeowners again. We closed on our new house yesterday and will take possession on Friday. The truck will hopefully be there bright and early and we can start to really get settled. YAY! In the meantime, we are staying at the Nealon's for a few days and the kitties have been exploring the basement (Mitsy likes all doors to be open....very annoying in the middle of the night.)

I am dealing with one other nuisance. Some of you are probably aware that 13 days ago, while Mitsy was in Macon, she got startled and my hand was the closest thing she could bite. I got a pretty decent puncture wound in the top of my hand. It was very painful at first, but the swelling went down after a few days and I never got infectious symptoms (cat bites can potentially be VERY serious). I thought it was all behind me, but when I woke up on Monday morning, ready to hit the road heading north, it felt like I'd slept on it wrong. During our trek north, I noticed that I was getting a mass between where the wound was and my right wrist joint. It is very tender and I can't bend my hand back or forward very far without it hurting a great deal. It didn't get any better yesterday, so I decided to "dial-a-doc" our good friend, Dr. Mary Frey. As soon as I said "cat bite" she recommended that I go to an urgent care facility and get it checked out today.

I did. I sat there waiting on the Dr. for what seemed like forever. He barely spoke any English, but I believe what I got out of his 30 second diagnosis is as follows: It is a Ganglion Cyst. It probably has nothing to do with the cat bite (I find that to be very strange). There is nothing I can do because I'm pregnant. I should take some Tylenol and if it doesn't hurt too bad, I can try massaging it repeatedly to see if it might go away. If not, I'll have to have is surgically removed in 11 weeks after the baby is born. SHEESH! I don't think I can deal with this kind of pain and restricted movement for another 11 weeks. I did a little internet research and apparently these cysts are not harmful unless they are painful (like mine) and it is just a nuisance...it won't turn into anything. They used to be called "Bible Bumps" because it is a fluid that is collected and sometimes by slamming a Bible or a heavy book on the cyst it could rupture and get better. However, that method is no loner recommended because they usually just come back. The only sure-fire way to get rid of it is surgically. If the pain keeps up, I'm going to go see an ortopedist to get it taken care of BEFORE the baby is born. I can't imagine having/getting to hold a newborn with it in its current state, but I also can't fathom doing the same thing right after having my hand worked on surgically.

from "Hand University" online:

The wrist may ache or feel tender. The ganglion may also interfere with activities. A volar wrist ganglion may compress the median or ulnar nerve, causing trouble with sensation and movement. An occult dorsal wrist ganglion may be quite painful and tender, even though it is smaller than other ganglions. Typically the symptoms from a ganglion are not harmful and do not grow worse. These cysts will not turn into cancer.

I know it will all work out, but I can't believe the drama that tends to surround my life! I swear I don't bring it on myself!

On a more fun note, I think Connor had the hiccups for the first time this evening. They lasted a good 3-5 minutes and Brian got to feel it too! :) They were pretty low and I just felt a consistent little bump every 4-5 seconds...hehehe. I like it.