1) Left Index Finger, NA, and NAC

As I wrote in June, my left index finger had suddenly progressed to 60 degrees. I started taking NAC and hoping it wouldn't get worse before my surgeon (who had performed several operations on me in the 1980's) decided to start doing NAs.

Since then I the finger has gotten no worse. As well as taking NA, I have been playing the guitar every day, which provides mild stretching for the finger when doing bar chords (which I can still sort of manage with the top half of my finger). Based on my experience in the 80's, I try to avoid violent stretching.

I contacted the surgeon a couple of days ago and found out that he has started doing NAs privately (I'm in Canada) after visiting the Hand Center in Florida. So I have booked a consultation in 3 weeks.

I would infer from the fact that my surgeon has started performing this procedure that it must be good, as he had said in a June email that he would start doing it only if he considered it "at least as effective" as surgery.

2)My brother

When my brother visited me during the summer, I discovered that he also has dupuytren's now, although his case is much less severe than mine. I'm 61 and mine started when I was 23; he's 3 years younger and his started within the last 10 years (I don't recall is he said exactly when).

His case seems atypical to me:

He has some lumps on his palms, including 1 lump on each hand in the same location at the base of the thumb in the fold between the thumb and index finger. He also has some lumps on his fingers (as well I think as some knuckle pads), but no bands and no contraction. He said that some of his lumps have gotten smaller that they once were.

When he was younger, he had Peyronne's but fortunately that reversed itself and he no longer has it. He has never had ledderhose.