Hello, This is my 1st post. I have had DD for about 2 years. It started as a few lumps in my right hand. I thought it was just a calus from all my years of truck driving. No pain no problem, life goes on. Then about a year ago I hurt my hand at work. I jammed my hand and fingers backwards. My hand hurt for 3 months. Then the pincky and ring finger start to contract. One day I'm talking to my mom and discover she has it also. She tells me they are working on a new drug to fix this. This gets me started looking for info on the internet. Thats how I ended up on this wonderful site. I spent days reading the forums post and all the other info here. I also spent a lot of time on Dr. Eatons site. I decided I was going to have NA or the Xiaflex injections. I then went to a local hand surgeon to confirm my DD. I got the standard response, wait till it gets worse and we can operate. I asked her about NA. She didn't like NA because it was a blind procedure. I also asked her about xiaflex. She would do the ring finger when it got worse (it was contracted 15 degrees at the mcp joint). However, my pincky wasn't a good canidate because of where the cord was in relation to the tendon. Pincky contracture was 30 degrees at PIP joint and 15 degrees at MCP. I originally wanted to have Dr. Eaton do my NA. He was a 1000 miles from me and didn't accept insurance. I found Dr. Pess on this site. He's in my insurance network and only 250 miles away. I e-mailed him my pictures on a Sunday and he answered back the same day. The big day was 10/13. I was nervous, but after meeting and talking to Dr. Pess I was much more at ease. The procedure was done at a surgical center. He marked my hand and fingers in 13 places where he was going to use the needles. I had some discomfort during the procedure, but not bad at all. When he was done he said look they're all straight. WOW even my PIP joint on my pincky is straight. Needless to say I was thrilled with the outcome. Any one in the NJ NYC area I highly reccomend Dr. Pess. I drove 4 1/2 hours for this and would do it again in heartbeat. Thanks again to this forum, Steve
Joe, I live in WV off of I-81. Did you have 2 hands done or have a 2nd NA on the same hand? My next concern is how long will it last for. I do a lot of lifting at work which probably doesn't help. Steve
SteveWV:Joe, I live in WV off of I-81. Did you have 2 hands done or have a 2nd NA on the same hand? My next concern is how long will it last for. I do a lot of lifting at work which probably doesn't help. Steve
Hi Steve, Happy to hear that your NA with Dr. Pess was successful. It is so hard to predict how long it will last because everyone is different. This is such a "weird" disease and the symptoms and results are so different from one person to another, they are even different in the same person from one hand to the other.
Did they tell you to wear a "night brace" for your finger. Some people have reported that wearing a night brace has helped keep the corrected contracture in place longer, especially when the PIP joint of the small finger is involved.
He put me in a dynasplint for the PIP joint on my pinkie. I was instructed to wear the dynasplint for at least 30 days. My other 2 fingers are not splinted. I just ordered the fixxglove that I saw on this forum. I like the idea of having all 3 of my fingers splinted, instead of just my pinkie. My 3rd finger had a very minor contracture that Dr. Pess also did the NA on. I plan on using the fixxglove when it arrives.
He put me in a dynasplint for the PIP joint on my pinkie. I was instructed to wear the dynasplint for at least 30 days. My other 2 fingers are not splinted. I just ordered the fixxglove that I saw on this forum. I like the idea of having all 3 of my fingers splinted, instead of just my pinkie. My 3rd finger had a very minor contracture that Dr. Pess also did the NA on. I plan on using the fixxglove when it arrives.
Steve
Steve, Sounds good...can you describe what the dynasplint is? just curious.
I had NA twice on my pinkie PIP joint of the right hand. Unfortunately my results were short lived both times. But others have reported long term good results after only one NA... hope you are in that category. I know that it has been said that wearing a night splint can help.... wear it for a LONG time !
LubaM The dynasplint is a spring loaded device that pulls against the PIP joint contracture. It has 2 screws that adjust the tension. I will try to attach a picture.
I had NA on both hands. My left hand was almost two years ago and is still holding strong. My right hand was last Nov. and both ring and pinky have contracted at least half way back. I had the Dyna splint for my pinky PIP joint. Loved the splint but my insurance was supossed to cover all the cost but it didn't. Way too much for a spring loaded piece of metal. Shame, cause I really did like it and it worked well. If you ever hear of anyone doing NA closer to our area please let me know and the rest of us on this forum.
You did your homework, found out your options, weighed them and then went for it. That's the position all of us are in with this disease.
The splint looks like it would work well. I would get one if I could find one that would stretch across my palm from thumb to pinky and including both those digits. Has anybody heard of such a splint. Just one for a finger wouldn't get where my Dups was/is most involved.
Good luck, Steve, on a lasting correction. Regardless of what the naysayer doctors say, there are other options and they work. The less invasive options work better than the surgeries, and surgery doesn't always work either.
Thank you Steve for the picture...looks interesting. I wonder if I would have had longer results if I had used something like that. I had a custom made night brace made by my hand therapist, but maybe the "spring action" would have been more effective.
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