Had the op 11 days ago, pinky finger L/hand. When plaster was removed
wound was infected, maybe being 58 years old and diabetic had something to do with it. Finger still very painful with very little movement. Antibiotics have eased the swelling a little. Had misgivings
before the op, now totally regretting it. Finger was pulled in more than
90 degrees, despite this I had great strength in my hand ,I am a weight
trainer. I am trying to exercise the hand but I can hardly tie my bootlace. Anyone else had any of these problems.

Thanks for your answer Mark, it is always good to hear from some one
who has had the condition. I am getting a little more movement in the
hand now. To be honest I was in a bit of a panic, I am a very active
person I am a joiner , my hobbies are weight training and gardening.
I am office bound now using the computer a lot so you can see the old
hands are important. I did not realize there was a website for the condition, it would have been a great help. My surgeon did not explain
very much about the surgery, I live in Nr Ireland by the way. As I say my
surgeon gave me the impression that it was a simple operation that would heal within a short period. To be fair he did get the finger fairly
straight, unfortunately I have the condition in my right hand, ring and
pinky fingers although not too far advanced. If I ever require surgery
for this hand I will make sure the surgeon gives me a full explanation
of every aspect of the procedure. It would appear from the website
that this condition is hereditary but no one in my family ever had it.Does
any of your family have it.Once again Mark many thanks for your reply.

Frank.

Hi Frank

I had surgery on my lefthand small finger in january. After 11 days there wasn't much I could do with it - stitches still in, and it smelt a bit! I was running by then, though, and looking forward to improvements. I had been very worried, prior to the operation, although I already knew the surgeon (he'd put my dislocated shoulder bones back together last year) and had faith in his abilities. Having already had NA on the finger, I decided that surgery was the best option, since it was locked rigid at 90+ degrees...

Anyway, enough of that! 14 days and the stitches were out. Day 15 saw me in the gym (light weights) and after another 3 weeks I was able to climb (indoors - more in control of hand placement) and last week I went outside climbing. I had some ultrasound with the physio, and I massage the finger a lot (I use vit E oil) Oh, and I play many instruments (including many's the Irish tune on the whistle!) and I'm sure that helps...

UK surgeons don't know much about NA (well - they don't let on if they do - after all, it ain't surgery is it?!) so it's not surprising that, as a newbie, you felt a bit shortchanged. Read the forum, and learn, cos sure as eggs the DC will come back, and you'll need to know what to do

Here's hoping you are soon on the road to recovery!

Richard

Quote:

---

Thanks for your answer Mark, it is always good to hear from some one
who has had the condition. I am getting a little more movement in the
hand now. To be honest I was in a bit of a panic, I am a very active
person I am a joiner , my hobbies are weight training and gardening.
I am office bound now using the computer a lot so you can see the old
hands are important. I did not realize there was a website for the condition, it would have been a great help. My surgeon did not explain
very much about the surgery, I live in Nr Ireland by the way. As I say my
surgeon gave me the impression that it was a simple operation that would heal within a short period. To be fair he did get the finger fairly
straight, unfortunately I have the condition in my right hand, ring and
pinky fingers although not too far advanced. If I ever require surgery
for this hand I will make sure the surgeon gives me a full explanation
of every aspect of the procedure. It would appear from the website
that this condition is hereditary but no one in my family ever had it.Does
any of your family have it.Once again Mark many thanks for your reply.

Frank.

---

Frank:

Yes Dupuytren's runs in my family.

My Dad had it; my brother has it; & I think one of my two sisters may have it.

Great to be Irish!

Mark

Hi Frank,

Can I start by saying what others have told me on this site: Hang in there! At 18 days post op. it's pretty normal to be looking on the dark side. I had surgery on the little finger, dominant hand, 7 weeks ago. The wound has healed great, but my fingers and hand are still quite swollen, which means I still can't make a fist without help from the other hand. From reading this site it seems that many people recover use of their hand quite quickly, (lucky sods!) for others, I think myself included, the process is a slow and frustrating one. I have physio every week, and every week I'm told not to worry, it takes as long as it takes.

Dupuytrens runs in my family also, with my Dad, brother,sister and a couple of aunts all affected.

For the record, I live in the UK and had the surgery done at Broomfield in Essex.

Not sure if this has been any help Frank, but stick with it. (Lets face it, we can't do much else now, can we??)

Good luck,
Dave.