| NA for early-stage Dupuytren's? |
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07/06/2010 15:09
cindy850 
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07/06/2010 15:09
cindy850
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Re: NA for early-stage Dupuytren's?
Since we are all talking about NA and RT i just wanted to add that i'm very grateful for this site also. Everyone has been very helpful. There has been times where i couldn't decide on anything until i got on here. Its been 4 months since i finished my RT and i'm very glad i did it. It did what it was suppose to do and that was put this crazy stuff to sleep. My nodules have gotten smaller and they are soft. But as you know i have posted on here about the tightness in my palms of my hands where the cords are. At times they ache and most of the time they are swollen. I can do things that i wasn't able to do before RT but then i still can't do some things. So i have been reading what everyone is talking about on NA and i got to checking around and was wondering if anybody has did NA after RT to release cords in palm? I have no contracture in either hand but i feel if i could release cords in palm i could use hands better. Will this wake up the disease again if i go and do NA on palms? I don't want to go backwards with DD. Hope someone can explain. Take care
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07/06/2010 16:17
LubaM.
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07/06/2010 16:17
LubaM.
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Re: NA for early-stage Dupuytren's?
patandpaula:
Hi Luba,
I was wondering, you said the DIP and the Pip joint on your pinkie were both involved. Was that from a cord coming up from your palm or just from nodules? In my case, there are no cords coming from my palm, but the pinky has a large nodule that is causing it to bend at the PIP joint and possibly the top joint (is that the DIP?) seems to be bending also.
I can see it getting worse day by day.
Paula
Hi Paula,
Yes, the last joint (closest to your fingernail) is the DIP joint. Before my last NA, my PIP joint was bent at 90 degrees and the DIP was bent in the opposite direction (I'm not sure how many degrees) but it made the finger look like the letter Z. The finger tip was pulling so hard that it was painful. I had a cord running along the palm under the pinkie, a few nodules and some dimpling., almost half of my palm was involved.
I had this pinky bent for many years and in 2006 had NA with Dr. Denkler. He corrected the contracture but it only lasted about three months, and slowly the contracture started to return. I was able to get away with it about four years, and in March of this year I decided to re-do the NA, this time with Dr. Eaton in Florida. Dr. Eaton was able to straighten the finger out again and he did alot of work on the cord as well as on the DIP joint. Now the cord is gone, there is no dimpling and my palm is nice and flat. At first the finger was very straight, I did about two months of physical therapy, am wearing a night brace since I had the procedure done.... but I am seeing it slowing contracting again.
Unfortunately, the pinky contractures of the PIP joint are the hardest to correct. I was told by the doctors and had read about it, that I was to expect only a 50% correction. The PIP joint is now at about 25-30 degrees that is still better than the 90 degrees it was. I am trying to avoid surgery and I am not sure about Xiaflex injections yet, its too new and I am waiting for long term results. I am hoping that this second NA will buy me enough time until I decide what to do next.
I am very watchful of my left hand that has nodules and dimpling but no contractures. That is why I had radiation on my left hand (and left foot too) because I want to catch this disease at the early stages.
Edited 07/06/10 19:22
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07/07/2010 21:24
golf wilsonnot registered
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07/07/2010 21:24
golf wilsonnot registered
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Re: NA for early-stage Dupuytren's?
To address dups in both hands ( left more so). I received a treatment to improve the mobility and flexibility in both hands. The treatment is "Gratson" technique. Overall, I am pleased with the improved flexibiltiy.
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07/07/2010 21:54
patandpaula 
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07/07/2010 21:54
patandpaula
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Re: NA for early-stage Dupuytren's?
Thank you, Luba, for your reply. I just think I must have a cord somewhere in that pinkie because it is definitely contracting. So it must be in the actual finger itself. Thanks for all the info. I have pretty much made up my mind that if I have NA I will go to Eaton, its just a matter of the cost right now. Anyway, thanks again.
Paula
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07/08/2010 04:12
LubaM.
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07/08/2010 04:12
LubaM.
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Re: NA for early-stage Dupuytren's?
patandpaula:
Thank you, Luba, for your reply. I just think I must have a cord somewhere in that pinkie because it is definitely contracting. So it must be in the actual finger itself. Thanks for all the info. I have pretty much made up my mind that if I have NA I will go to Eaton, its just a matter of the cost right now. Anyway, thanks again.
Paula
Paula,
What you say is interesting. After my NA with Dr. Eaton four months ago (second NA on same finger), there were no signs of cords or nodules on the palm. The cord that was there pre-NA was gone and the palm was totally flat and looked disease free. I had hoped that is would be a sign that the contracture would not re-appear for a long while....and yet about a month ago, only three months after the NA procedure, I noticed the contracture slowly returning, could there be a cord in the actual finger itself like you say ??? the palm of the hand is still completely flat and there are no signs of cords.
If you decide on NA try to do it sooner rather than later. Especially with the pinky you don't want to wait for the contracture to be too severe, it gets harder to correct. You will love Dr. Eaton and his staff. I know he did everything possible to help me (as did Dr. Denkler in 2006) but ours is a "weird" "stubborn" disease with a mind of its own and very unpredictable.
I believe the best advice is "early intervention" with NA when contractures just begin, and better yet with radiation when there are no contractures yet.
I had radiation on my other hand and one one foot, last November. So far, it has stopped the progression. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
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07/08/2010 13:36
brian123not registered
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07/08/2010 13:36
brian123not registered
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Re: NA for early-stage Dupuytren's?
FYI...NA WITH EATON..18 MONTHS AGO...95 DEGREE LITTLE FINGER....BENT FOR 5 YEARS..NO CORD AT ALL IN PALM NO NODULES IN PALM..PALM WAS PERFECT....NODOLES ON FINGER ONLY...
FINGER STILL PERFECT..NODULES IN FINGER ARE SMALLER AND SOFTER...
STILL WEAR SPLINT EACH NIGHT ...
AGREE 100 % DR. EATON AND STAFF ARE WORLD CLASS !
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07/09/2010 02:02
flojo
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07/09/2010 02:02
flojo
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Re: NA for early-stage Dupuytren's?
Luba, At least this crazy disease hasn't stopped us from "keeping our fingers crossed"! Gotta keep laughing!
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07/09/2010 04:20
LubaM.
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07/09/2010 04:20
LubaM.
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Re: NA for early-stage Dupuytren's?
@brian123:
FYI...NA WITH EATON..18 MONTHS AGO...95 DEGREE LITTLE FINGER....BENT FOR 5 YEARS..NO CORD AT ALL IN PALM NO NODULES IN PALM..PALM WAS PERFECT....NODOLES ON FINGER ONLY...
FINGER STILL PERFECT..NODULES IN FINGER ARE SMALLER AND SOFTER...
STILL WEAR SPLINT EACH NIGHT ...
AGREE 100 % DR. EATON AND STAFF ARE WORLD CLASS !
Brian123,
So happy for you that your little finger NA was successful and is still perfect. That proves once more how different Dups. is from one person to another....nothing makes sense. (maybe mine was more complicated because of the boutonniere deformity with the DIP joint on top of the PIP joint).
Flojo,
Very funny...we have to keep our sense of humour...
Edited 07/09/10 07:21
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07/09/2010 05:31
tam1 
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07/09/2010 05:31
tam1
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Re: NA for early-stage Dupuytren's?
Flojo,
You mentioned in an earlier message that your metacarpal joints weren't affected a lot by DD except for the one in your thumb. What kinds of changes have you experienced in your MCP joint(s)? Do you have pain or stiffness in the thumb MCP joint? I think I remember reading somewhere on the forum a message or two about enlarged MCP joints. Do you know what kinds of changes can occur in these joints when a person has DD?
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07/11/2010 03:14
flojo
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07/11/2010 03:14
flojo
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Re: NA for early-stage Dupuytren's?
Tam1,
Looking back, I believe my first symptom was discomfort/mild pain deep in the joint of my thumb when I exercised with pressure on my hands when flat, i.e. yoga "downward dog" position. I did my own diagnosis of that as arthritis. Later other symptoms appeared (nodules, weak grip, mild contracture from my thumb to pinky and thumb across the web to my forefinger. After it was diagnosed by doctors (dermatologist, GP, my husband's orthopedic surgeon) as DD, I asked my GP if I had arthritis in my thumb, too. He told me no.
Not sure if I've explained what you were asking.
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