Fiancee knee troubles - questions

Hey. Not sure if you guys recall a couple years ago that my fiancee had a cyst on her left knee. She had surgery to remove it, and all was well. No indication of malignancy or anything like that. Great! I forget what type of cyst it was.

A few weeks ago she started having issues with the same knee. It hurts really bad, especially when she's been up and around on it. And there is a large-ish mass visible if you look around her knee. She went to the orthopedic specialist today who did the last surgery, and the x-ray showed "a black spot" on the knee. She said the doctor told her he "doesn't think it's anything to be too terribly concerned about yet." The uncertainty is, of course, kind of scary.

They're supposed to call in the near future to schedule an MRI to get a better picture. Okay, cool. But it's a bit unnerving. The doctor is doing his due diligence not only in followup testing, but also in wording today's findings in a way that sound positive but also confirm what we all know - nothing in medicine is guaranteed. He's a really good doctor, as far as we're concerned.

Generally speaking, cysts apparently don't show up on x-rays. It's possible, yes, but not very likely. She does have some arthritis, but this is not a mild pain. It's very painful, and there is an obvious mass. The question is: what could it be? Do any of you have a similar experience to possibly shed some light on this?

Otherwise, she doesn't have any unusual "symptoms" or whatever. Some added fatigue lately, but I assume that's because she has to work harder to put less pressure on that leg. That'd be exhausting for anyone.

Vandelsrock21 said:

Black spot could have been a shodow i hear they are common. It would bepend on the cyst. Could be very fibery. And the fact it was a spot from trama in past would be assuring to me. They tend to come up after surgery.

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The doctor said it's not uncommon for a cyst to return after removal, but it's highly unusual for it to take this long. It's been two years since the surgery. I think that's what the doctor's concern partially or wholly stems from. That doesn't mean it can't happen, it's just highly unusual. However, my fiancee's body never goes by the book, so that would make sense. LoL.

We'll see what they find on the MRI. I'm not necessarily thinking it's "the worst thing ever". It could be a lot of benign things that still affect the use of her leg long term. That's where her concern is, too, because she works for a residential cleaning service. Leg function is extremely useful... I'll post an update once the MRI has been completed.

Hurt&Hopeful said:

Returning cysts are not uncommon, but it could also be scar tissue. It could be a LOT of things - hang in there. Hope you get good results.

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Thank you. I didn't think about scar tissue. That may be present, but would that show up on the xray? The mass was noticeably more visible today. Not like it grew twice as large, but still noticeable. That alone means nothing, I know, but that just says - at least to me - that *something* is growing there. Cyst or otherwise. Like I said I'll update you all when we have more info. She didn't hear from them about the MRI today, so maybe tomorrow or Friday

MRI is scheduled for Tuesday. We'll see what that says. I know the first time she had the cyst removed a couple years ago, they were also slightly concerned then because of the appearance. But everything was well when they did the surgery. The most they found was the cyst and a bit of arthritis at the back of the same knee. So it's definitely possible it's just a cyst again. Just seems a bit more concerning to the doctor this time.

mollyfin said:

Just wondering how you guys are doing.

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Thanks for checking in. She had the MRI Friday, because they rescheduled due to a delay in contacting her insurance company. We're just waiting to hear from the doctor with results, possibly today.

kj103 said:

My spouse had a cyst behind his knee when he was a teen. It was surgically removed. He is now 45 and has a large cyst in the same spot and it was again painful. He has had a scan and it is a cyst. They ortho doc said unless it’s causing significant issues, just leave it alone. My 8 year old son had a cyst in the very same spot on the very same knee. They can be inherited. Very weird, but harmless. Hope all is well.

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Not harmless in this case. Haha! It causes her leg from the knee down to swell like crazy. It's also hitting a nerve which makes her unable to move a few of the toes on the left foot. And she's in severe pain.

Her MRI results are back, and it is indeed just a cyst. Same location as before. She has surgery June 7, and they're going to try a bit of a different approach this time to try and prevent another recurrence.

Hurt&Hopeful said:

That sounds miserable - I'm so sorry she has to go through another surgery, but glad that it's just a cyst and is benign. Keep us posted!

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We're relieved, too! Thank you. She doesn't suffer from health anxiety, fortunately, but she knew malignancy was a possibility (even if small). I was quite worried for a bit, but all is well. She'll feel much better once she has surgery and recovers.

mollyfin said:

I'm glad it's nothing health threatening but that sounds godawful. I hope she can have her surgery soon.

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Thank you. Yes, it sucks, but it's not the end of the world. Surgery is scheduled for June 7. She's looking forward to it. The worst part is that she'll be down for at least a week or two, and she absolutely hates sitting still. Haha.

Gale said:

Hi Bin...... I believe that cyst is called a Bakers cyst. A friend of mine had one. Glad to hear MRI just showed another cyst. Stay well.

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Thank you, @Gale . It's a ganglion cyst, which is the same type she had a couple years ago. No worries though, it'll be taken care of.