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Dr. Diaz
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08/13/2016 10:01
BRIANB 
08/13/2016 10:01
BRIANB 
Dr. Diaz

Dr. Diaz as we all know took over Dr. Eaton's practice in Jupiter Florida. I was surprised to see that Dr. Diaz is not listed as one of the Dr.s that treats Dupuytren with N.A. .. has anyone gone to her for treatment ?

06/14/2017 14:39
Sparty 
06/14/2017 14:39
Sparty 

Re: Dr. Diaz

I am 63, male and have bilateral Dupuytren's, a 1" x 3/4" Ledderhose nodule in my left foot, and peyronies. After an aggressive period of worsening in my hands which began in June 2016 following physical trauma caused by overwork and carelessness, I underwent two needle aponeurotomy procedures in 2017 administered by Dr Veronica Diaz. These procedures, in my opinion, have restored basic functionality to my fingers.

Initially, my research showed that Dr. Diaz, who assumed Dr. Eaton's practice, regularly treats a high volume of Dupuytren's patients. My first visit found me not knowing what to expect. Dr. Diaz put me at ease with her warm and professional manner. Without hesitation or uncertainty, she examined the progression of the DD in my hands and suggested we work on the non-dominant hand first, to see how my body would react to a needle release.

After sterilization and preparation, Dr. Diaz quickly and intuitively inserted the needles and located the cords to be released. The pain was minimal. My right pinky contracture was reduced from 105 to about 15 degrees in my first office visit. She said it appeared that one cord was causing most of the problem.

I was happy with the results. For followup, Dr. Diaz sent me to a hand technician who made a splint and gave me some exercises to do at home.

After the first procedure, I watched and waited for a month to see if there would be any flare up in my hands before deciding on my next move. There were no complications, so I made another appointment for Dr. Diaz to work on a extreme (stage IV) contracture in my left pinky.

I wondered if a full surgery would be more appropriate. But, after some confirmatory research which in one study showed over 100 successful outcomes for stage IV DC using NA, I decided to try the needle procedure once again, based on my trust in Dr. Diaz. She had mentioned it might take two NA sessions to resolve my severe contracture, which to me seemed a much easier and cheaper treatment than full blown surgery.

So, about 2 months ago, I was in Dr Diaz's office again, where she was able, using needle aponeurotomy, to reduce my left pinky contracture from 170 to 35 degrees, which was a truly remarkable result. There was acute pain for a few moments, and a few hours of soreness, but no bleeding, no incisions, no throbbing, and I did not require pain pills. The results exceeded my expectations, in one office visit. (See attached pictures before and after NA.)

It has been about two months since my left hand treatment and I am able to type again with all 10 fingers. It is a slower recovery than my right hand. In the weeks after the procedure I developed a boutonnière (buttonhole) deformity , typically an arthritis-related condition, in my left pinky PIP joint. It appears to be mostly swelling of the joint than a permanent deformity, as I have a past history of RA. I wear a splint part of the day and at night, which is comfortable, protects my finger from trauma, and maintains the post-treatment results while preventing re-contracture. I believe that if I quit wearing the splint, my finger would begin to contract again.

In two months I am scheduled for a followup with Dr. Diaz. I feel fortunate to be her patient and I can understand why Dr. Eaton had trusted her with his medical practice. I am proud to have this opportunity to sing her praises, and would give her my highest recommendation for Dupuytren's treatment.

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06/14/2017 17:49
Stefan_K. 
06/14/2017 17:49
Stefan_K. 

Re: Dr. Diaz

Wow - what impressive results and what a great write-up! Thanks for sharing, Sparty. If only more DD sufferers were aware of the discomfort they could spare themselves by taking advantage of available treatment rather than watch their fingers curl and then go through possibly more unnecessary discomfort, pain and possibly disabililty!

Stef

[55, Dupuytren diagnosis 2006, RH contracture and PNF/NA 2014, radiotherapy RH 2015, LH 2017, night splint glove]

06/15/2017 20:18
Sparty 
06/15/2017 20:18
Sparty 

Re: Dr. Diaz

Stefan_K.:
Wow - what impressive results and what a great write-up! Thanks for sharing, Sparty. If only more DD sufferers were aware of the discomfort they could spare themselves by taking advantage of available treatment rather than watch their fingers curl and then go through possibly more unnecessary discomfort, pain and possibly disabililty!

Stef

[55, Dupuytren diagnosis 2006, RH contracture and PNF/NA 2014, radiotherapy RH 2015, LH 2017, night splint glove]

Stef, I'm sure your comment (in bold) was meant to be supportive, but I'm really not sure what you meant by it.

There are a variety of reasons Dupuytren's victims don't get to a proper hand surgeon before presenting with stage III and IV contractures.

It is not sitting around watching my fingers curl because I (or any other Dupuytren's sufferer) lacked the awareness or common sense to seek prompt treatment.

Edited 07/12/17 22:41

06/15/2017 20:51
Stefan_K. 
06/15/2017 20:51
Stefan_K. 

Re: Dr. Diaz

Hi Sparty, my post was indeed meant to be 100% supportive. My comment about too many sufferers unfortunately not getting appropriate, available treatment in time was about doctors not giving the appropriate advice because they are ill informed themselves. From your response I gather that to that in certain countries the rant must be extended to available treatment such as NA (which de facto costs no more than a hundred or a few hundred dollars) not being available because thousands or tens of thousands of dollars are charged instead. My own NA in Paris cost about a hundred dollars and it was fully covered by universal French state social security, no questions asked. I realize not everyone is as lucky, and that many have to take the hurdles of finding a competent, skilled doctor not too far away, and that at an affordable cost. I myself have a similar issue with Radiotherapy. I became aware of its existence late, and I had to travel and pay for it myself because while French social security and doctors are great for NA, when you talk to them about RT for DD they look at you as if you were a crazy person. You cannot get RT for DD in France, even if you paid for it. I hope I haven't unduly hijacked your discussion with my thoughts, and sorry if my post wasn't as clear as it should have been.

Stef

[55, Dupuytren diagnosis 2006, RH contracture and PNF/NA 2014, radiotherapy RH 2015, LH 2017, night splint glove]

06/17/2017 01:20
Sparty 
06/17/2017 01:20
Sparty 

Re: Dr. Diaz

Well Stef, I didn't know you enjoyed the French health care system, with its fine reputation of skilled Dupuytren's specialists.

In your case, the ranting was unwarranted and can be disregarded. You would not understand. I'm subject to the inefficient and frustrating American health care system. You have a lot to be thankful for in France....

...but so do I. I'm thankful for Dr. Diaz. She's simply amazing! One of the best.

06/17/2017 04:31
Stefan_K. 
06/17/2017 04:31
Stefan_K. 

Re: Dr. Diaz

Sparty:
"you enjoyed the French health care system, with its fine reputation of skilled Dupuytren's specialists."
Let's say "NA specialists". Even living in Paris I didn't find out about NA from my rheumatologist until the last moment, when I actually needed it. And I only learned about splinting and about radiotherapy through this website, when it was almost too late for my right hand. I suspect some NA specialists aren't unhappy that patients return to repeat the procedure. This is why I am very grateful for dupuytren-online and jump in to share my knowledge and opinions, including occasional rants, not just with the author of a post, but also the wider community of readers :-).

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discomfort   functionality   contracture   re-contracture   recommendation   dupuytren-online   unnecessary   available   unfortunately   appropriate   specialists   sterilization   arthritis-related   Dupuytren   radiotherapy   rheumatologist   complications   treatment   aponeurotomy   post-treatment