Hi everyone,

I went to a hand surgeon today because I have had a bump on the palm of my hand for the past year. He looked at the x-rays and felt around my hand, and he told me it isn't a cyst. He said it is Dupuytren. He felt my other hand and said a much smaller nodule is present too.

I broke a small bone in my left hand near my pinky last year and the bump on my palm under the ring finger started being noticeable a few months later. I also have a small bump on top of my pinky joint that is more swollen in the mornings when I wake up. Sometimes when I am reading I notice that my pinky is a little numb.

Is this a correct diagnosis? Should I go see another ortho that specializes in this?

the bump on the pinky could be osteoarthritis. I have a similar bump that is sometimes painful in the mornings. It depends on the weather. I know mine is osteoarthritis as it was diagnosed when I had an MRI for RT on that hand. I thought at first it was a nodule. As Callie said, the DD could be an accurate diagnosis. Take a picture of your hand with the nodule circled, maybe with ink. Document the day and the approximate size of the nodule and keep an eye on it. Document if you notice any changes with your hand, like pain, nodule growth or the beginnings of a cord.

I broke my pinky last year at the joint nearest to the nail. It was such a bad break that I actually had a metal splint on it for 1 month. I also had a little nerve damage that made the pinky feel numb at times. That joint is still painful if I press on it and it is noticably bent and larger than the other pinky. I worried it would start DD at that site, but the ortho doctor I saw said that the healing of the broken bone would not trigger DD in that area. Since I have DD in that hand I was real concerned. So far he has been right, no new growth. I was more concerned about the DD starting up again than getting my pinky fixed.

Lori

Valerie,

I imagine because those of us who have pain are a small minority. It can cause lot's of pain. Emotional and physical. I had a great deal of pain, including tingling, burning, a crawling feeling in my palm. I had pain that radiated all the way into my shoulder. My hand and fingers ached and throbbed. Hang in there and good luck with the MRI results.

Lori

Jolene:

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Hello,
You are not alone. It has caused me pain
I have experienced tingle, crawling, burning sensation on me. There have been times I have slept holding ice-pack. This has relieved the pain. I had round one of RT. The first week following RT was worse. Then each week after it has lesson. I am 3 weeks out. I have recently been put on gabapentin. The sensation is now coming back.

From reading message forums on the internet, it seems most people with DC experience some amount of pain at some point in the disease. It definitely seems there is more pain and discomfort when the disease is active and nodules are forming. I wish the literature would acknowledge that pain is not uncommon with this disease.

~ dawn