Hello. I'm new to this forum so please bear with me. I'm a 70 YO male, I've had DC in my left hand (only) now for about 30 years but it has progressed slowly over the years and hasn't kept me from doing things. I worked as a maintenance tech on big automated assembly lines for years but never had it interfere with my job. Now that I am retired I have thought about having surgery to correct it as it seems like my two fingers are curling more lately. Now I have recently noticed it is now starting on my right hand also. There are two small thick bumps developing and it is more uncomfortable than when my left hand was affected, probably because I do most everything with my right hand. I read somewhere years ago that drs wouldn't operate on DS until it reached a certain stage, because it would continue to grow on spite of surgical intervention. I'd like to take care of it while it's still small, would seem like less invasive surgery to fix it now. I've also seen some of the other injection "fixes" but haven't read much about long term affects. Any input? Is it too small to deal with now? Any personal experiences with injections?

Thanks

Hi econn--

Sorry about your hand problems. I had Xiaflex, so I am most familiar with that treatment.

For Xiaflex, think my ortho doctor required at least a 20 - 30 % contracture, as measured on the joints (knuckles) of your finger. I had a 40 - 50 % contracture on my ring and middle fingers -- I was 66 y/o at the time.

Xiaflex is expensive -- if you are U.S. and have Medicare Part B, they pay a sizable chunk of that -- any supplement may pay the rest. Check with the doctor's office -- they should be able to tell you what to expect.

Your ortho doctor should be able to tell you whether your a good candidate for Xiaflex or not. You don't want to allow the contracture to get too great, because the procedure may be dangerous or impossible to do then.

Personally, I researched the different treatments for DC, decided I wanted Xiaflex, and then found a local doctor that did that procedure. I think that was a good choice to do, because my doctor was enthusiastic about Xiaflex, and sounded like he had repeatedly good results doing the procedure.

The Xiaflex injections hurt -- it is recommended the doctor doesn't give you anesthetic during the shots.
The next day when he broke the chords, my contracture resolved to 0 degrees. That was in January.

econn, some questions that might help people here estimate your condition:

If you place your hand palm-down on the table, and press it down, is there any space under your contracted fingers?

Can you estimate the degrees of contraction when holding your hand freely (not pressed on a table)?

Do you feel sensations in your hand like itchiness, or a creeping feeling?