Hello Everyone,
I have posted a video on YouTube regarding my personal experience with Dupuytren's Contracture & Plantar Fibroma (Ledderhose) disease, if anyone may be interested in what it is like living with these conditions, on a daily basis. I would have posted the video on here, however, I do not see where that is possible yet. Just type in the search bar...(Living with Dupuytren's and Ledderhose Disease), and there you will find it. I hope this helps many of you out, Thank you, Kevin T.

callie:

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Interesting video. Thank you. I have a couple of comments from my experience.

1) I think it is a very poor decision to have surgery for a Dupuytren's lump/nodule. I have never heard a surgeon recommending that procedure who has had extensive Dupuytren's experience. I would recommend surgery at 30 degrees contracture if that is a person's preference. I had surgery 11 years ago at 90 degrees contracture which was late. However, my hand is still as good as before Dupuytren's (zero contracture, zero scar tissue). There was very little pain involved in my surgery.

2) I would never recommend surgery for ledderhose unless a very, very last resort. I first noticed two lumps in both my arches about 12 years ago. They were annoying and painful if i weren't careful. Through the years these lumps have almost disappeared and I never feel them nor think about them now. I have heard too many stories of surgery for ledderhose that have produced very poor results post surgery.

zinkadoodle:

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Each to his/her own is right. I did the Xiaflex injections about six weeks ago in my right hand. My hand is almost straight, and pain is minimal. A good doc is very careful about placing the injections, and will not inject through a cord to the other side, thereby dissolving underlying tendon tissue. I agree that it's a risk, but very slight one. Also, when it comes to Xiaflex, one thing it does not do is dissolve nerve tissue. Surgery has a distinct risk of nerve damage, as well as a risk of tendon damage. I have to admit that I skipped over a lot of your video, as it was redundant and long, so if you discussed the risks of surgery, then good. Otherwise, you're giving an inaccurate comparison of Xiaflex to surgery.

Also, the thing about Xiaflex is that has a much, MUCH quicker recovery than surgery, although I guess maybe a bit longer than NA. I had surgery about 14 years ago in my left hand, and although my hand is perfect now after all those years, I was in PT and rehab for months. Not so with Xiaflex. Lots of pain at first, diminishing over the course of a week, and now a bit painful when I do my exercises. But, otherwise a fully functional hand after six weeks.

And finally, although you clearly have DD, it's very early in the process, wherein you seem to have minimal contracture. I'd be amazed if any surgeon would operate on your hand at this stage. And although you did indicate in the title that it was your personal experience, your dialog presented a different picture. wherein you indicated that DD seems to mirror one hand from the other; pitting in one hand and nodules in the other. Maybe that's the case for you, but it's not typical, it's not bilateral, it's not the same for everyone. In that respect, I think you gave an inaccurate portrayal of DD.

Each to his/her own, and my 2 cents.

I am interested about where you got the information of pitting on one hand and nodules on the other. I have read extensively about Dupuytren's for 12 years and have never run across that. I had pitting on both hands almost exactly at the same time 12 years ago, no nodules. The interesting part is that one hand went dormant for 12 years while the other hand had a 90 degree contracture.