I just had surgery yesterday for a supposed Ganglion but it turned out to be Dupuytren instead. The nodule and cord were located in my right palm below my middle finger. My hand is heavily bandaged and I have around 6 sutures whcih will be removed in 2 weeks time. Can anyone advise me what recovery period to expect?

Thankyou Wolfgang for your helpful response and kind wishes. I wonder if this is a common mistake with diagnosing a ganglion as opposed to DC. The Dr who performed the surgery has worked with the well known Doctor in Germany (forgot his name). So I was bit surprised his diagnosis was incorrect, although he did not see the ultrasound report done by another Doctor who also said it was not Dupuytren C.

That certainly helps explain things. I am sorry if I gave the impression of placing blame onto the doctors involved, it was certainly not my intention. I have a great deal of respect for the Dr. who performed my surgery as he has been extremely accommodating to my requests including scheduling my surgery at short notice before leaving Sweden to return to Australia.

Hi Katie Australia Calling,
Could I pass on the advice I was given back at my first surgery many moons ago. Firstly it is very important to keep your hand elevated after surgery. ie above the heart line ,which will help in reducing the swelling and any build up of fluid .Rest your hand on your shoulder, when you are siting down and relaxing. Move your fingers as much and as often as is comfortable (like playing the piano) this helps pump the blood back ,through the viens. Dont get the wound wet until the doctor removes the dressing.
Once the dressing is removed then bathe your hand in warm water, trying to gently stretch and form a fist. Be careful in the early stages . Dry the wound with your hair dryer and apply just a smear of Vitemin E creme along the scar line. In my last few ops they applied the Elastoplast wrap or hydrofix straight over the area, which alows the air in and helps with healing process. In my case ,I believe exercise as you move along the healing process is very important. Once the stitches are out or they have disolved ,thats the time to increase the exercise, as I have found ,that the movement gained in the first four weeks ,in some cases is all you will have. However this may not apply to you as I did not read how much contraction you had prior to surgery. Regards

Edited at 08/30/08 12:17