Persistent Cyst Assist

 Many moons ago when I was in college, I noticed something at the base of my neck that I started calling my stress bump. It seemed to be more noticeable during times I was under more pressure, like finals. Gradually it just became part and parcel of my existence and I stopped thinking about it.

Fast forward a couple decades to Arizona, where I had been living for four or five years and just out of the blue, the stress bump got huge, irritated, and a pain in the neck. Went to the doctor's and found out I had a cyst. Some minor prep work and they were able to remove it in the office.

 Except a couple of years later I noticed I was getting my bump back. Went to the doctor's and they said a small bit obviously got left behind. It was still too small to be able to have any real chance of a successful removal, so let it sit. So it once again became part and parcel of my existence.

Flash forward again, this time I've been in Maine for about four or five years and it suddenly flares up again. I get an appointment to see a physician's assistant and he says "So you think you might have a cyst?" Fortunately he had nobody booked in the next time slot, so he was able to do the surgery right off. Though it did take him a lot longer than he thought it would, about an hour. And he said it was a BIG cyst.

Top photo is before going in. Second photo is two days after the operation. I had to wait 48 hours before I could get it wet (and remove the bandage.) The last shot is after the stitches were taken out.

In other back and body related items, I usually go in to a chiropractor once every month or two just for maintenance.  I was thinking I was overdue for a visit when I was hit with some nasty stomach virus that kept me out of polite company for most of a week. I wasn't wanting to have my body twisted while I was feeling that way, let alone what I might have done to the office, so I put it off. Then when I thought maybe it was safe to try again, the cyst hit. It was painful enough with me leaving it alone, so I was not going to have somebody stress it and reopen the wound. Finally with the stiches out more than a week ago I went in.

I have one particular spot that usually involves extra effort to get straightened. After a lot of effort to get other spots not usually troublesome, the bad one wasn't budging. The chiropractor was all but jumping up and down on top of me and getting nowhere. My muscles were too tensed up from all the recent stress on my system. The vibrating relaxation machines don't relax me 'cause they stir up all my phlegm and I end up coughing out a lung or two. So they tried fifteen minutes with electrodes attached. Still no luck. We're going to try again in two weeks after I've healed more and done some heat therapy on the area.

click on any photo for a closer, more disgusting look