Im 25 and I just found out I have depuytrens and my ortho doctor said that there is nothing that I can do until my fingers are curled. He told me this over the phone and wouldn't even give me an actual appointment for a month. I live in portland Oregon and there are no radiation options here but from everything I have read I feel like radiation is the best option. I have a nodule in my palm and can see chords. It appeared 5 days ago before that my hand was completely normal. Yesterday I started noticing bumps in my other hand that you can only see and feel when my hand is relaxed. I feel tightness in my hands they feel shaky and weak but I think that could be from anxiety. I am very scared and would appreciate any advice anyone could give me about radiation in the US and if I am making myself worry too much. I have been stressing so bad that I can barely eat or sleep and all I do is cry. I feel really alone right now and no one in my family knows anything about this. They think I am not being rational. I had surgery on a tendon in my left pinky and I think that is what triggered this. My gramma just started showing smaller signs of deputrens but she is 65. 40 years older than me. Thanks for reading

Hi jamisera

Good advice from Steve

I would thoroughly read the forum.....it s a great source of info from people around the world that have to manage this.

It might also be worth getting a second opinion from a practitioner....it might not be DD.

My personal feeling is that the worst outcomes from this condition seem to generally be from people who have had older school invasive treatments....there seems to be evidence of micro injuries accelerating the condition...so ....baby your hands and feet...

If you are seeking RT from an expert ......Prof. Seegenschmeidt is the man to see.....there are many reports on the forum...good luck...

Hi ,
I am 34, I have met different specialists who came to different conclusions about my situation. I was panicking this summer and I completly understand the emotions you are going through, I was feeling the same... With me, It started with Dupuytren diagnosis, then trigger finger and and now it seems to conclude that it would be arthritis as seen in a nuclear test proposed by a hand surgeon I have done (bone scintigraphy). (all other markers for inflammation were negative) After this result, with my rheumatologist, I have started a new medication that should take several weeks before working, so we'll see and hopefully I dont have duputren on top of the arthritis. Do you have some pain or stiffness in your hand joints? I have pain in several finger joints and my extentions are greatly reduced, bones and cords are visible in my palms but it would be caused by muscle atrophy and those would be normal structures of the hand. I really encourage you to seek the opinion of a rheumatologist or at least another qualified doctor before you engage in a treatment because it might not be dupuytren. Hang in there :-)
jasmine

Edited 09/25/13 17:47

Hi Jamiesara. You have received excellent advice so far. Try to keep in mind, that although your symptoms appeared quite rapidly, you may go many years without further progression. My DD seemed to start at about age 50 with a painful knuckle pad on my right hand index finger PIP joint. It took 2 years to get a diagnosis, which I finally got because the condition did worsen. But in retrospect, it probably started when I was about 30. I developed two very painful knuckle pads on my left hand pinkie and ring finger PIP joints (trauma from playing recreational volleyball). However, they went away on their own about 2-3 years later. I didn't develop another one for over 20 years and it took an additional 3 years before contracture started. I really understand your anxiety but try to stay positive. It may never get any worse than it is now.

Also, keep in mind that forums, while a great source of information, are usually skewed to the worst cases. There are many, many folks with DD who don't appear here because their condition is so mild they don't need treatment or advice. Hopefully, you will be one of them.