Hi there,
My name is Steve, I live in the U.K. and I am new to this forum.
I came across this site today after doing some research on various health problems I have had over the last year and now I have realised that they are all probably related.
I am 54 and diabetic. The first problem I had started around this time last year. I had quite severe pain in my right shoulder which limited movement of my arm and, as it never improved, I saw my GP who said it was probably impingement. I was referred to physio but never actually went as by the time I got an appointment it was starting to improve and is now almost back to normal. I just thought this was normal wear and tear.
Next I started to feel small lumps in the palm of my left hand. They were not really painful so I didn't really worry about them. They are still there.
Shortly after I got a painful swelling in one of the knuckles of my left hand. The pain comes and goes but doesn't worry me greatly. Although it seemed likely that the lumps in my palm and knuckle were connected, I didn't think they could be linked to my shoulder problem.
Then about two months ago I started getting painful erections. Like a typical man I hoped this problem, like my others, would just go away. It hasn't and is now affecting my sex life and making me depressed. So depressed that this evening I started my research and now it seems I have found that all my problems are related. I have to say that it is a bit of a shock to realise that I now have multiple connected health problems to deal with.
Yes I will be going to see my GP but I am not hopeful of any resolution given past experiences.
Is anyone in the same boat or has been in the past, particularly men in the U.K.? Has anyone got any advice for me given their own experiences with these conditions? Any support would be much appreciated.
Many thanks.
Steve.

To spanishbuddha,
Although I thank you for taking the time to reply to my message, and I am sure it was sent with good intention, I have to say that I found it unhelpful.
I was asking for advice from someone with similar experience, not a rather judgemental reply from someone who gave absolutely no indication of their own experience. You seemed to construct your opinion just from the basic description I gave without asking me for more detail and made wild assumptions about a person that you don't know. The worst part was your comment regarding my general health, diet and exercise history that seems prompted by my statement that I am diabetic! This appears to be part of something that is becoming more and more frequent in discussions with people who have revealed that they are diabetic - an assumption that we are all guilty of not looking after ourselves, that we are fat and lazy.
For your information, I was diagnosed as being diabetic five years ago and since then I have been working very hard with my GP and specialist nurse to limit its effects as much as possible. Like all other sufferers, I never wanted nor deserved to be diabetic, which is a very serious condition that has changed my life forever.
At the point where I am now struggling to find out what all these additional pains and problems that have appeared this year and what to do about them, I do not need to be told that I can essentially solve all of them just by seeing my GP (who I already see regularly) and by changing my lifestyle (when in fact this has already changed out of all recognition).
Do I now just have to accept that I will have debilitating shoulder and hand problems, as well as saying goodbye to my sex life, without trying to understand what is going on and what I can do about it? By the way, I am surprised you don't know that painful erections can be an initial sign of Peyronies before any lumps or curvatures appear. This is why I want to find out early what other people's experiences are as I don't trust the NHS to tell me all I need to know.

If there is anyone out there who DOES have similar experiences to mine, then do please get in touch. I will appreciate any understanding and non-judgemental replies and of course offer my reciprocal support. Thanks.

spanishbuddha:

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Yes, I apologise, my wording was poorly chosen in my hurry to respond. However I stand by the overall point which was to get a appropriate diagnosis from experts, consider the possibility that hopefully you do not have a combination of DD, FS and Peyronies, and look at risk factors relevant to these conditions.

Hi Steve. Hope this won't be interpreted as being patronizing, but it is obvious that things are difficult for you at the moment and that you are under a lot of stress. It is easy to misread online posts when you feel vulnerable. We are not trained psychologists but everybody here really just tried to help you. I hope it turns out you do not have half of what you suspect, and perhaps it is not Dupuytrens and nothing worse which can be cured. It can be difficult to figure what is going on between doctors who lack knowledge and our ability to piece things together from online posts. All the best for you,

Stef

[54 year-old male, DD diagnosis 2006, RH contracture and NA/PNF 2014, RT 2015, wearing night splint glove]

I agree with spanishbuddha, and would also recommend seeing yr doc