hi and thanks for your post. No we were kidding about the book. It the way they used to treat them. Our hand surgeon said that it will take about 12 stitches and about 3 weeks to recover. The hand will have to be in a brace for a couple of weeks I think then it will be ok to use. I hear it is hard to always get to the "stalk" but generally is successful. Is this about the recovery time it took at the doctor you worked for? We could get a second opinion.
thanks,
mkh9
Let me just say this, DO NOT hit it with a book! Also, the reason why the cyst keeps coming back is because it is stemming from the joint and has a 'stalk' of sorts. Until it is completely removed surgically, odds are it is not going to go away. I'm not sure why the surgeon told you that it's a large, difficult surgery. Yes, on that side of the wrist you have to be careful because of the radial artery but the surgeon I used to work for did these procedures ALL the time, with great success and fairly quick recovery times! Best of luck!