The Fatty Cyst

Another $35 bucks spent on health. That makes it what? Hmm about $150 YTD and it's only mid Feb. Great.. should've upped the heathcare spending account to like a grand or something. Well today was for the removal of my fatty cyst embedded on the back of my forearm. One of the many many many cycsts. Why do I have them? "Blame your father" is what my dermatologist said to me. So it's in the genes. I received the thick skin and the fat cysts tagged along. This particular cyst was a midsized one compared others in my arm. I nevered named it so I'll just refer to it as it.

Well fat cysts are for the most part invisible to others. But you can definitely feel them if you got them in the skin. You can pinch them (although my doc does not suggest that cuz it'll just make them grow bigger), you can move them.. they feel like a little soft BB in the skin. I got this huge one at the shoulder but doc did not suggest that I remove it cuz due to the size and location of the cyst, the scar will stretch and tend to get quite big.

So on with the procedure. I arrived at the office approximately 8:44 AM. I was called in to the room around 8:55 AM. I waited around and stripped down to my T-shirt of course the jeans stayed on. Doc came in and asked "Are you sure you want to do this?". Doc didn't really think removing these things were necessary cuz others can't see them and they are harmless. But I wanted the one on my forearm gone. Why? Cuz I see it and I tend to squeeze them everytime I see it. Besides, I really wanted to make sure it's not cancerous. Call me pessimistic.

The doc had me laid down on my side and have my arm facing him. Not sure why I needed to lay down for that but what the heck, it was comfy. So he first drew on me with a pen to marke the spot of the cyst. He drew a circle in blue ink pen. Now was that sanitary?

Next he took a little needle filled with some type of local numbing agent. I am too tired to look up correct spelling of anethssthics.. So numbing agent it is. He took that and gave me little shots around the target. The skin I noticed immediately puffed up a bit. Looked like a huge bug bite without the redness.

"You don't have to watch this." he said.

"Ah, I am curious on what it looks like." As I look on with the procedure.

"Cool you are going to watch." doc beamed.

I guess not a lot of patients like to watch? Not I, as long as I don't feel any pain why not?

Then he took this blue tube like thing.. and twisted it down on the mark he drew. Kinda like corkscrew, he turned and turned and that is how the top layer of skin was removed. Out came this little chunk of circular layer of skin. He snipped it off and put what was a part of me into this plastic lab cup.

Now comes the interesting part..the doc then tries to pop out the cyst but it was stubborn so in goes the scissors. Snip snip snip, and out came this yellow ball. It's very similiar to color of chicken fat, but darker. The cyst was enclosed in this type of outer flexy membrane. I was surprised how big it was compared to what I felt. Interesting. That also went into the lab cup.

The doc also cauterized the insides of the cut to minimize bleeding. I was surprised to see less blood than what I had imagined. Doc only sewed me up with 1 stitch. What's up with that? I would think at least 2.

So that was the fat cyst removal process.

I still got my original bandage on there, wondering how it will look tomorrow.