UK calling.
It seems that where ever you are in the world the same problems exist--hand surgeons are loathe to recomend RT or even mention it as a possible treatment. GP's seem not to even be aware that RT can be used as a treatment for DC.
Makes you loose faith in some practitioners.

I did go to a hand treatment center. He is one of the leading experts in diagnosing diseases/problems with hands. He also is a hand surgeon. He said for me to "wait until I couldn't take it anymore" and then come back for surgery. I don't expect a plumber to advise me about my car but I DO expect the hand specialist/surgeon to provide information concerning treatment options. All the doctor had to say is while surgery is my specality and this is the protocol I adivse you to do, you are not a candidate for surgery at this time and there are several alternative treatments on the internet that you might want to take a look at. With this kind of advice he has covered himself if I choose to ignore his advise and seek a different treatment. He also would not have lost a patient who works in the medical field and bad mouths him at every opportunity she gets. A doctor's oath is to do no harm, and they are walking a fine line that borders on being unethical by not disclosing treatment options. Doctors do not have to support those treatments, but when specifically asked should disclose alternative and researched treatments. At least say I don't know of any but you may want to look on the internet or I have heard of alternative treatments and check into them on the internet. Give some form of guidance other than wait for surgery. I asked about alternative treatments to surgery and he said there were none. After researcing the internet and this site and seeing several different treatment options, I called the center a few days later to once again give him an opportunity to disscuss treatment. Reading about Xiaflex on the internet I asked about trial studies. His response was there were no other treatments and no trials "around here."

My DD was very aggressive and painful. If I did not have internet access and had I taken this hand specialist/surgeon's advice harm might have occured. I do not know for sure that harm would have resulted, since I treated it, but I am self employed and do not have disability insurance and would surely have had to either change jobs or hire someone to help me. I was already having difficulty working and it was progressing so rapidly that it appeared contraction was occuring in front of my face.

I am fortunate that RT seems to have worked and as of now seems to have stopped the progression. I will always be grateful for this site.


Lori

I'm going to make this short and sweet. I agree with almost everyone on here except Callie. Didn't we have this type of disagreement on the topic-Going under the knife! I had RT 1 year ago and it did what it was suppose to do. If i would of listened to the hand surgeon that i went to i was suppose to come back when contractions start to do surgery. He also said there was nothing else out there. These surgeons that wait for certain people to walk in there door with the word sucker on there shirt hoping you will listen to them and let them mutilate your hands. I think these doctors should learn and inform patients. I said from the beginning i would never have surgery and i never will. I would do radiation over again in a flash and i have to thank everyone on here that helped me learn about it and helped me to decide. WHICH WAS THE RIGHT DECISION AND WAS RIGHT FOR ME. Thanks everybody!

Lori,

My mistake. I thought that RT stabilized the Dupuytren's at the stage when RT was performed. I did not realize that it made the contraction ease, or go away. I thought it just slowed, or stopped, the progression of Dupuytren's.

Cindy850,

I still think your choice of words are poor. Many surgeons who also perform NA do not "mutilate hands". You said, "These surgeons that wait for certain people to walk in there door with the word sucker on there shirt hoping you will listen to them and let them mutilate your hands."

callie,

You got an excellent result with surgery. I work with a couple of people that have DD. We think of DD as a rare disorder but it is not. They had traditional surgery with great results. So good that they are not interested in hearing about RT or NA. Any future problems and they will go with surgery again. It was painless for them and fixed their problem.

The big issue I see with surgery is a higher risk of complications along with a longer recovery time because of the incision. Plus you have a chance for more scar tissue to build up. But if you aren't in those categories it can give a nice result like you got.

The problem with NA is a higher rate of recurrence and for diffuse disease or aggressive DD with skin involvement it seems that surgery with skin grafts is what those folks are facing. RT seems to offer the best front line options. At least from what I can tell.