Done myself a damage

Being a typist I am at my computer for up to eight hours each day. Couple that with a newly formed blogging habit (so really only adding to my trouble there) and fluttering about the Cyberscraps forum amongst others, I have really aggravated a ganglion I have had on my wrist for about 18 years. Just in case you don't know what I'm talking about, a ganglion is a cyst filled with synovial (lubricating) fluid in a joint, usually hands or fingers and as the cyst swells because of use of the joint it then presses on nerves and tendons, causing pain and sometimes numbness. It first started when I was 14 and played a lot of basketball at school and broke my wrist twice. I did go to the doctor then and the only option suggested was surgery which at 14 I wasn't keen on and nor was my mum. So I left it and it has intermittently given me trouble but always settles down. Probably in the last year, because I spend so many hours in front of a computer now, and spread over so much of my day from when I get up until when I go to sleep, it has started causing regular problems and I think I've reached that point where I have to go back to the doctor about it. You know that point - it's the one where you'd rather go through all the crap of having a health issue fixed than live with the symptoms any more, or the problem of a toothache that gets so bad that even if you're terrified of the dentist (which I absolutely am) you will go just to get relief of the pain. The only reason I'm at this point I guess is that while I don't mind living with a bit of pain (I'm one of those "have a panadol and get on with it" kind of people), I do mind that it's slowing down my typing and thus my income. The options for treatment sound ghastly though. Either have the cyst aspirated (gross out here - stick a big needle in it and draw all the fluid out - URGH) or have surgery to have it removed. I don't like either option, especially as neither is guaranteed to fix it for good (recurrence rate of at least 20% or something but that's not too bad I didn't think). So I've bandaged up and am pondering my options. I've only started typing again yesterday after a two week period of only recreational typing (blogging, forum stuff) so I didn't think it would get so bad so quickly. If anyone else has had one of these I'd love to hear your advice. I've tried smashing a big book over it and have had it burst spontaneously a few times (I'm really, really sorry here if this is grossing anyone out - I'm morbidly curious by nature so it doesn't bother me) but it's always come back. I might go buy one of those sports braces for it to see if that helps. Apparently the less the joint moves the less swelling and thus supposedly less pain. So that's my bitch for the day- I don't have one every day, at least I try not to because worse things happen to nicer people.