THE NEEDLE ONLY WENT IN THE FINGER...NO PAIN AT ALL ...I COULD HEAR THE SNAP OF THE CORD.
HOW HE DID IT WITHOUT A VISABLE CORD IS BEYOND ME......BUT HE DID IT
AND I HAVE SMALL FINGERS....NO A LOT OF ROOM FOR ERROR

Scion111, thank you for starting this thread.

I only have DC in my right pinky PIP so far. No apparent cord, just a large nodule causing pretty severe contracture. I am in upstate NY and am trying to decide whether to send photos to Dr. Eaton "the man" and fly to Florida ($$$) or to Dr. Pess and drive to NJ, but I am definitely doing NA rather than surgery. Please post the info about your experience with Dr. Pess. I hope everything goes well for you.

Any molecular biologists out there who have been working with micropipettors for many years? My contracture has curved my finger into its position when wrapped around the pipettor - can't help but think it is related to overuse since I have no genetic history of DC.

Also - can anyone comment on insurance coverage for NA? Thanks everyone for all the information.

Surgery day! I had the procedure done at about 3:30pm EST today. Dr. Pess and staff were very cordial, compassionate and professional. The procedure was virtually painless and lasted about 20 minutes.

When Dr. Pess cut through some of the cords and stretched my finger I could feel - and we all could actually HEAR - the cords snap when he extended my ring finger and pinky. I instantly gained more extension in my ring finger and he was able to flatten my pinky at the knuckle.

I also gained a significant amount of 'span' (imagine stretching your fingers as far apart as possible). The distance between the tip of my pinky and the tip of my thumb widened considerably - very important for a pianist.

I'll posted more post-op photos and details on my website (www.soriceconsulting.com)

Here are a few post-op photos while still bandaged. I'll post more when I remove the bandages later tonight. Dr. Pess encouraged me to exercise the fingers as much as possible and play the piano tomorrow.

So far, so good...

Here are a few more photos. I played this morning and it was a NOTICEABLE improvement. I'd say I'm about at 80% of normal. I'm hoping that the xiaflex (or is there something else?) will help to shrink the nodule in my pinky, which is still pretty swollen.

Anyone know if xiaflex has been shown to shrink PIP nodules?

Here's post-op no bandage. There was an entry point near the nodule (see arrow).



Note this difference in how flat the pinky is in these before/after shots:

Pre-Op, side by side:


Post-Op, same day, side by side:



Pre-Op, left hand flat on tabletop:



Post-Op same day, flat on table:



Post-Op NEXT day, flat on table:



Post-Op, Octave, which, while perhaps not readily apparent, is much more comfortable to reach:



I highly recommend Dr. Pess. He did a great job! I think NA is probably the most effective, cost-efficient and safest interim solution and may work well in combination with xiaflex. Hopefully the next solution will be a CURE :-)

YES! I workd on the first 3 pages this morning(!) and am going to go back and brush up on the first 2 movements (first one is a killer at tempo).

Thanks for the compliment on the Steinway - it's my beloved Model B (7 foot grand). I scrimped and saved a long time for it and will do whatever I have to do to keep playing it!

Again, for all reading, I really think NA should be a serious consideration for your Dups. I know there are other solutions (surgery, radiation, etc.) but NA produced very meaningful results for me - very quickly - with virtually zero risk.

And If you live in the Northeast, Dr. Pess is THE MAN...