It appears I have just developed what looks like Dupuytren's. I typed in "lumps in the hand" and Dupuytren's came up, but I have not yet been to see a doctor. The reason being, I am here in the UK and the medical establishment still favours open hand surgery. There are one or two doctors who practice N/A, but they don't appear to be hand specialists and I understand one must be very careful to only see a hand specialist, otherwise the tendons and nerves could be damaged.

So I am not sure what to do. I have it in both hands, started on the right, now on the left and it is quite painful, but there is no contracture yet. There is a cord going to my right thumb.

Can anyone give me their thoughts ? Would you wait until there is contracture, or should I fly to see someone like Dr Eaton in Florida to prevent the disease developing further. I live alone and could never manage with the open hand surgery, anyway it seems old fashioned now and N/A or possible Collaganese is the way to go.

By the way, just about everything on here as to the causes fits with me. I had an accident and broke my arm and ankle, badly injured my shoulder. So trauma, I took far too many paracetemol for the pain, not overdosing but every day for quite a while. I was also taking glucosomine and there have been links made there.

Anyway any advice, would be gratefully received. No one in my family has it, never heard of it before now.

Edited 06/13/09 16:38

Also, you said, "open hand surgery, anyway it seems old fashioned now". There is nothing "old fashioned" about "open hand surgery". The techniques of microsurgery are very current. I had surgery 7 1/2 years ago and my finger is still as good as before Dupuytren's (zero contraction).

you can find the list here http://www.dupuytren-online.info/NA_list_UK.html

Thank you to all those kind enough to reply to me.

I am pretty sure I have Dupuytren's, my hands are exactly the same as the photos and I can see the cords going from the lumps on my left hand to the little finger and ring finger and on my right hand, travelling clearly to my thumb. As I say, there has never been any sign of this in my family.

Just my opinion, but I think the pain comes from where the lumps sit on nerves and, where the cord it attached to the thumb the thumb joint aches.

A thought of mine is, I don't see why surgeons cannot break up the cords before they contract. It could save a lot of problems, because it appears that quite often, once there is real contracture, even after surgery, the fingers affected cannot completely straighten so I don't understand why it is allowed to get that far.

Reading the British Medical Journal, they are only now beginning to acknowledge N/A and many doctors still favour open hand surgery. As someone who has travelled and lived abroad, I know that the British medical world is much slower in adopting new ideas.

N/A appears to have been invented and practiced in France for many years and quite a long time in the States. It is only recently that it has been given the all clear here and surgeons are carrying out the operation.

Well I will have a look at the list of surgeons you have been kind enough to post.

As I say, thank you so much, it does help to hear from others.

K

Edited 06/15/09 22:48

Quote:

---

So I am not sure what to do. I have it in both hands, started on the right, now on the left and it is quite painful, but there is no contracture yet. There is a cord going to my right thumb.

Can anyone give me their thoughts ? Would you wait until there is contracture, or should I fly to see someone like Dr Eaton in Florida to prevent the disease developing further. I live alone and could never manage with the open hand surgery, anyway it seems old fashioned now and N/A or possible Collaganese is the way to go.

---

Edited 06/15/09 23:51