Likely ganglion cyst on foot

[TDBC]

About 8 days ago I noticed a lump on the top of my foot, right on top of one of the tendons that run from the ankle to the toes.  The lump was pretty hard, but had a slight amount of give to it (when pressed).  It was also slightly movable.  I had a terrible experience with the first ortho I saw -- while he said he thought it was a ganglion, he refused to attempt to aspirate it because it was possible that it was a sarcoma and an aspiration would "spread malignant cells all over my body and then I'd be done for".  He said no decent doctor would aspirate a lump, even if it did feel fluid-filled.

He actually said that.

He sent me on my way, with a prescription for an MRI, as well as a prescription for some topical anti-inflammatory/pain reliever from a sketchy online compound pharmacy (who, when I balked at the $70 co-pay for the meds, offered to split the cost with me).  Odd.

I went to another orthopedist today who examined the lump and said it seemed a bit hard to be a ganglion, but it was movable and said he'd try to aspirate it.  The aspiration yielded a fair amount of a thick, jelly-like substance (which was clear/translucent, but yellowish).  The MD said he was surprised by how much fluid there was.  The discrete lump is now gone, although the area is still a bit swollen.

Here are my questions:  based on my description, can I be pretty confident it was indeed a ganglion?  If it's not a ganglion, what else could it be?  Also, he said he was sending the fluid to pathology.  Is that common?  I live in Florida, where there is a very CYA approach to healthcare.  Should I be concerned that it was sent for pathology?

Thanks!!  

[Michael L Gross, MD]

Sounds like a ganglion.  I wouldn't worry

[TDBC]

OK - so I just checked and the lump is not TOTALLY gone, but it;s smaller and softer