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Worrying lump on wrist under skin
I’ve noticed I have a lump underneath the skin on my wrist. It’s been there about 4 months and hasn’t gotten any bigger. It doesn’t hurt and also when I press down on it it seems to be squishy because you really can’t feel it unless you put light pressure. I’m scared it’s something serious but I also don’t want to be dramatic. I was thinking it could be a lipoma but google said you can move those around and this doesn’t move but it’s not hard. It’s pretty small and it’s right in the middle of my wrist between my vein. I may be overthinking it but it’s scaring me.
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Good morning, @kennedyakelly. Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Members of the forum are just like you, we’ve all come to this space at one time or another to seek advice, opinions or support from other members who have similar experiences. We’re not medical professionals so we can’t diagnose or offer treatment.
That said, anytime we get a lump or bump on our bodies, it can be frightening…our thoughts go to the worst. Most of the time it’s nothing to worry about.
The bump on your wrist looks very much like a Ganglion Cyst which are non-cancerous and fairly common. I had one on the back of my wrist years ago due to repetitive wear and tear on my hand position from my job. My primary care physician took care of it in his office.
Here are a couple of articles to help ease your mind.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ganglion-cyst/symptoms-causes/syc-20351156
https://orthopedicnj.com/news/ganglion-cyst-of-the-wrist
However, these articles and my experience are not substitutes for you seeing your own doctor! Any time we have something unusual occurring in our bodies, the best thing is to see your doctor to make sure. Fear of the unknown just creates more stress as we try to guess what’s going on by checking in with Dr Google. He is not your friend and often has us looking at things that aren’t even relevant to our situation, creating more anxiety! ☺️
So for peace of mind, when things like this occur, don’t let fear stop you from doing the right thing in seeking medical attention. Do you feel a little less anxious about calling your doctor now?
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3 Reactions@kennedyakelly Let me echo the welcome to Mayo Clinic connect!
Like you, for several decades I have had a lump under my skin at my right wrist. It comes and goes, and sometimes is pretty noticeable. It was diagnosed as a ganglion cyst by my doctor, who told me it would be best to leave it alone unless it caused pain [which it never has]. It moves around sometimes, sometimes disappears for years. At the time of diagnosis he told me he could drain the cyst, but it would probably come back; he did do that and he was right! it did come back! Or, he could use a big heavy book to drop it on the cyst and break the "capsule" of tissue surrounding it. Apparently both were accepted methods.
Like @loribmt said, lumps and bumps can be unsettling. To ease your mind, see your doctor, and get a professional opinion. Will you come back and let me know what you find out?
Ginger
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1 ReactionGood morning @kennedyakelly ! I have a lump on both of my wrists on the top inside. One doc diagnosed it as a ganglion cyst. I consulted Dr Google and found out about the "heavy book treatment" OUCH! That dr was an associate to my primary, so I told my primary about it, book and all, he said OUCH don't do that! I have osteoarthritis from neck to toes. My lumps are from OA along with carpal tunnel. Cold packs wrapped around my wrists and hands help. I use the knee ice packs with little beads in it and velcro. It surrounds my whole hand and wrist taking the swelling down and eases pain. Hope this helps!