Hi Everyone,

I'm new to this site along with being recntly diagnosed. I posted in the wrong forum by accident. I wrote a little more in the foot section than I'm going to write here,feel free to go and read the sad details. Here I'm going to get right to the point, I'm so frustrated. I'm in phase one and my disease is moving along at a fast pace. From all I have read I feel it is urgent for me to see a doctor right away and start some kind of treatment. I live in Las Vegas and I cant find a doctor who is willing to treat me in any way other than surgery. I have given up hope on finding a doctor here :-( Unless any of you know of one? I assumed that if there isn't a doctor here surly there has to be a qualified doctor in the L.A. area Wth such facilites like UCLA I would think someone would be up on all of the new treatments. Once again I'm not only frustrated ,but I'm becoming downright worried and on the verge of panic. Everything I have read tonight rearding the new therapies are all done outside of the U.S YIKES. There is no way I can travel that far,San Diego,(scripps gren hosp.) L.A. or Long Beach (UCLA Med.) wold be awsome and If I must the farthest I could travel to would be Scottsdale AZ (Mayo Clinic)
HELP ! I need your advice,does anyone out there know of any doctors in any of the cities I mentioned ? At this point I'm open for any other sugestions you might have for me on the west coast. Any information you might be willing to share wth me, I cant tell you how mch I would appreciate it.

Thank You Terry

Mayo Clinics mentioned radiation in it's news letter so that might be a place to start for you if that's what your looking for

I Thank all of you for your valued advice. Just a quick update on my search for treatment, you know the old saying when it rains it pours,well it certainly applies to my search ! If you remember I was on a all out mission to find a treating doctor on the west coast, I literally spent a solid week of calling doctors, I made it my full time job & boy did it pay off ! I located a doctor in L.A. That does na I also found a doctor that is opening a hand clinic right here in Las Vegas ,he also does na. So I made a appointment to see him the first week the clinic is open LOL. As if that weren't enough of a success to my searching, I heard from the Mayo Clinic I Scottsdale,the doctor reviewed my information and feels he can help me. Yippie I think? I'm assuming Mayo clinic does everything x-ray etc. But I'm not sure, does anyone know weather they do or don't? I will be awfully disappointed to travel there only to find out they don't and could of had injections and na done in my home town. I thought it was interesting that when I spoke to one of the doctors opening the new clinic, he said he wouldn't advise getting radiation therapy. He claims to have seen to many patients that were burnt from it. Hmmmm I'm sure he has, but from what I have been reading it is the only thing that has shown to halt or slowdown the disease. Sometimes I think some doctors would feel differently about these therapies if it were there hands at steak. So now that I have found some doctors I have a whole new set of problems and questions I'm dealing with OYE, it never ends. Thank Goodness I have this forum to come to to seek advice, once again thank you all.

Terry

Australia Calling, Hi Terry:
I have undergone radiotherapy on both hands and feet within the past 12 month. I had no redness or burning sensation, only a small area of dry skin about 2 cm. showed up in the centre of the target area some weeks after treatment. I used to massage the area with a creme containing Urea which helped. My surgeon tried to talk me out of RT mentioning all these terrible things like holes burnt through the hand etc.but when I came back after treatment he was converted. They were taught what happend back in the 50s and 60s.( They were not using low doses of RT )
Finally I repeat what prof.Seegenschmiedt wrote taken from(page 41) "Radiotherapy for Non-Malignant Disorders" Quote [ The main factor determining risk is the site of treatment . For all peripheral indications such as Dupuytren's contracture , tennis elbow or heel spur,radiation risks are very small, indeed, and comparable to those from common diagnostic X-ray examinations. ] That was good enough for me . Regards.










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Edited at 07/29/08 08:21