My Baker’s Cyst is Back

Three years ago I was diagnosed with Baker’s Cyst. It is not malignant. Baker’s Cyst, or more commonly called Popliteal Cyst, is simply a fluid-filled cyst that causes a bulge and a feeling of tightness behind the knee, and in my case, it is located in my left knee where it has always been. My doctor is Jose Libo-on from Doctor’s Hospital in Bacolod. He is a good doctor who was recommended to me by my best friend, Janice Lopez.  He had suggested then to have it drained every six months which I religiously followed until such time the pain and the swelling did not come back for almost two years. I really thought it was gone forever. But I was wrong.

Let me make that clear though, I was more of… hopeful and wistful that it was gone forever. My doctor had explained the case to me clearly, that it will always come back and that despite choosing to go under the knife, the effusion will still continue, which is why we chose the aspiration route.

I was more of… hopeful and wisTFUL that it was gone forever.

I think It was partly my fault that it came back. Ralph believes that our last window shopping at SM Bacolod where I walked back and forth triggered it but I didn’t think so. I remember asking my helper one night to fully stretch my ankle to the point where it hurt. It was a very stupid thing though because I don’t normally stretch, owing to my very sedentary lifestyle. I have started feeling the pain gradually the days following that night until it hurt to extend my left leg anymore.

So I went back to Dr. Libo-on two weeks ago hoping to have it drained once again. To my surprise though, despite the obvious presence of the bulge behind my knee, he wouldn’t do the draining. Instead, he asked me to have an ultrasound to the affected leg done first. I don’t know if it’s the protocol but he’s always been my doctor for this case and it seemed as though he didn’t believe it even though the bulge is staring right at his face as if screaming “drain me already!”.

The diagnostic section of the hospital was already close at the time so I had to come back a week later after getting the ultrasound from Hinigaran. Of course the ultrasound showed that it was back. In fact, the ultrasound showed that there’s an approximately 80 ml of fluid that has to be aspirated. Dr. Comique of Hinigaran, one who did the ultrasound, marked the area where the aspiration should be as was indicated by Dr. Libo-on in his request.

So I went back to Bacolod Doctor’s Hospital last Monday for the scheduled aspiration. The very friendly receptionist named Arlene informed me that Dr. Libo-on already asked her to prepare all the necessary stuffs for the “operation” which meant it’s really a sure thing, thank God! The first time I came back to see him where he didn’t do the aspiration, we ended up going home with a new parrot (chattering lory), because it would have been such a waste if we had just gone home straight and not have done anything special while we were in city. It’s not every week we get to have a day off you know. Yeah, I know exactly what you’re thinking. We ended up spending more for the parrot than what we would have only had to pay for the procedure.

So he did the aspiration but it was not a hundred percent success. The ultrasound said that 80 ml is how much there is to be aspirated but he was only able to drain around 25 ml. He said that it was because the cyst is already chronic and that septations have already formed. He tried numerous times to drain more but I guess he was overly cautious not to introduce an infection.

I saw how big the syringe needle was but I just kept closing my eyes and tried thinking about other things. I think I also hummed very quietly that only I can hear to get my mind off of what was actually going on. It didn’t help though that whenever I looked at my husband, he was doing this grossed-out facial expressions while looking at the area where I was getting aspirated. Thanks a lot honey!

He did say that if it still gets more swollen and bigger later, that we may have to go the route of surgery where he really opens it and take it out. I didn’t like the sound of it though. I think I’m good for now. I’m actually feeling a lot better today and it’s been three days since I last saw the doctor. Yeah I still feel a little heaviness on my leg but I can extend it now unlike before. He prescribed me antibiotics but I puked the first time I took it. He prescribed another but I decided to give it another shot, because I didn’t want to have to go back to Bacolod just to return the medicines which I already bought good for one week’s quantity.

I’m just hoping for the best now. Maybe I will just have to be very careful on what I do with my leg so as not to trigger another ordeal such as what I just caused myself.