I live in Toronto and require a needle aponeurotomy on one hand 2-3 weeks before I do radiation therapy for DD on both hands and LD on both feet at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto this fall. The wait time for hand surgeon Paul Binhammer at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto is seven months for the initial consult and three months after that for the procedure, and there are no other good options in the city (or in Ontario, as far as I can see). I was prepared to see Dr. Eaton in Florida but learned through this site that he is no longer practising.

Through my research, I learned about a private hand surgeon in Montreal, Quebec, who does NA and is highly rated on the RateMD website. I can get in quite quickly (in time for my radiation treatment). The cost to me at the private clinic is C$2,100 for one finger plus initial consult of $320 (no taxes). Has anyone had experience with Dr. Jean-Paul Brutus?

Any other thoughts about my plans? For example, is it OK to do RT on both hand and both feet at the same time? Does it seem to make sense to pay C$2,400 (which would otherwise be paid for by the Ontario health plan) to do the NA six months earlier? My pinky finger contracture on my left hand is 35 to 40 degrees, just three years after I had open surgery on both hands.

Thanks! Moe

Edited 07/09/15 17:07

Moe:

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Does it seem to make sense to pay C$2,400 (which would otherwise be paid for by the Ontario health plan) to do the NA six months earlier? My pinky finger contracture on my left hand is 35 to 40 degrees, just three years after I had open surgery on both hands.

Stefan_K.:

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Another option could be to spend $100 on NA by an exerienced doctor at Lariboisière hospital in Paris in one 15 minute session, some of the remaining money for a nice Parisian holiday and to save the rest. You will find the information on the French doctors with this site's search function.

spanishbuddha:

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It wasn't clear from your initial post that you weren't placing convenience of time to have the treatment on all four, versus indications that the disease is in the active stage, on all four, that is most susceptible for RT to be effective. 'Early' is good, but many early cases do not progress, or progress slowly, or are the start of an active-dormant-active cycle. RT can be effective 'later' in such a cycle, but still when active. Hamburg uses a scoring system to determine if the time is right, not just 'early'. I presented with one hand after early symptoms, but was advisedly turned away until there were more symptoms that the disease was in a proliferation active stage. Maybe the time is right for all four extremities, I cannot judge that, but since RT is basically a one chance treatment, choose the time wisely.