33 Days - The Day After

Having spent a total of 10 1/2 hours of my Saturday waiting for doctors I had quite a bit of time to think besides the battery on my Ereader ran out.  While at the hospital during my ultrasound the technician all of a sudden left and said " I need to go consult with the doctor" this was clue number one that something was wrong.  Clue number two came when I hear her tell me husband "you better go sit in there with her" and clue three was " We can get ahold of the referring doctor but you really shouldn't leave....go register in the Emergency department and let them know you have had an ultrasound."  With the amount of pain that was in my leg already and having them push on it for the ultrasound I could barely walk.  My husband, Geoff had to help me get dressed and walk to the emergency department where It was packed!!!  A second triage was opened just to attempt to handle the overflow.  It took over an hour and twenty minutes just to be triaged.  By the time I saw a doctor ( hours later ) I was in a lot of pain.  The emergency doctor spent all of 5 minutes with me telling me there is a "large mass but we don't know what it is ...could be a blood clot or a fatty clot but it's in the tissue so we don't do anything for it.  Take a tylenol and it will go away in 5 to 6 weeks."  I quickly explained about the pain and the numbness in my leg but there was no aknowledgement of that.  Home I went with more pain than ever.  Took Tylenol and it did nothing!!! Through the course of several phone calls I was able to see another doctor.  This doctor is a specialist and he advised that he felt it was a bakers cyst. A bakers cyst as defined by the Mayo Clinic is the following:
A Baker's cyst is a fluid-filled cyst that causes a bulge and a feeling of tightness behind your knee. The pain can get worse when you fully flex or extend your knee or when you're active.
A Baker's cyst, also called a popliteal cyst, is usually the result of a problem with your knee joint, such as arthritis or a cartilage tear. Both conditions can cause your knee to produce too much fluid, which can lead to a Baker's cyst.  Treatment of a bakers cyst usual consist of leg elevation and hot and cold packs under the back of the knee for a smaller cyst. If the cyst is very large and causes a lot of pain, your doctor may use the following treatments:

• Physical therapy. Icing, a compression wrap and crutches may help reduce pain and swelling. Gentle range-of-motion and strengthening exercises for the muscles around your knee also may help to reduce your symptoms and preserve knee function.
• Fluid drainage. Your doctor may drain the fluid from the knee joint using a needle. This is called needle aspiration and is often performed under ultrasound guidance.
• Medication. Your doctor may inject a corticosteroid medication, such as cortisone, into your knee to reduce inflammation. This may relieve pain, but it doesn't always prevent recurrence of the cyst.

If all else fails then surgery is the last option.  So, to make a long story short I will have to live with the pain and discomfort for at least another week until my family doctor returns from her holidays and I can make an appointment.  The positive part of yesterday's journey was ....I don't think it will have any effect of my surgery.  No delays, No cancellation....the only thing is I will need to have any surgery done previous to the bypass surgery as I cannot have surgery for 18 months after.....I cannot go for 18 months with this pain.  The saga continues.....