Sounds like Dupuytren's to me and doesn't sound like too early. But your doctor has to decide.

Vitamin or massaging won't help much but if you feel it does good you can do it, it doesn't do damage either. What you should not do is pulling ot overstreching. That might provoke faster development of contracture.

Wolfgang

Brigit:

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wach:

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Sounds like Dupuytren's to me and doesn't sound like too early. But your doctor has to decide.

Vitamin or massaging won't help much but if you feel it does good you can do it, it doesn't do damage either. What you should not do is pulling ot overstreching. That might provoke faster development of contracture.

Wolfgang

Thanks for your quick response and your advice, I will have this RT done as soon as possible and consider even to have it done in Germany where I was born. HAPPY EASTER to you and everyone.....

Brigit

Edited 04/07/12 10:12

Hi Brigit,

I had RT with Dr. David Christie at John Flynn Hospital in Tugun, QLD. in
the first half of February this year. The same protocol as you mentioned.
No great changes yet, although it feels there is better motility in my hands
and less pain. The slight contraction of my pinky fingers (I only have one largish nodule
and a small cord in my left hand pinky and two larger nodules on and below my right
hand pinky with a more pronounced cord with some contraction.
The contraction now various quite a bit, good days not so good days.

A month after the treatment, there was some flaking of the skin and the callouses
which had formed over the nodules came off, lovely new baby skin :-)

Over the 6 years I have had Dup, I have used many alternative therapies,
which may or may not have slowed down the progress.
But when late last year some contraction set in, I decided to go for RT,
based upon the experiences mentioned here on the site and its forum.

Cheers,

Dirk

Hi Dirk,

very good to hear from someone who had RT done in Qld. and with the same doctor as well. I did find out about Dr. Christie from another Radiation Oncologist in Adelaide, and so I went for my first appointment on Tues this week. He told me about the RT he did just recently on a patient who had slightly contracture, maybe that was you.
What really surprised me was when after looking at my hand he said 'if it would be him, he would wait with the treatment because it's early stage and no contracture yet, but if I want to have it done he will do it'. Also I would be his first patient having RT done that early..
Anyway, I made my appointment with him for beginning of May, in the meantime I will have my well deserved holiday on a cruise ship......
I did read a lot on this website about Dupuytren and about Stages and Therapies, which says that RT on stage N (which I am) is very efficient and usually applied in this stage, so I want to do it very very soon.
Did you had 7 days RT and each day 3 GYs? Do you have to go back for a second session? Can you tell me how much you paid and if priv. health fund or medicare does cover some expenses?

Look forward to hear back, cheers Brigit

Hi Brigit,

I must have been the patient Dr. Christie was referring to.
After studying the material I provided him from this site,
he suggested the 7 day protocol (interrupted by a weekend),
which doesn't require a follow up session after half a year or so.

The total cost was about $ 2,100 of which medicare gave a $1,200 rebate.

Wolfgang's comments are so right. If I had known about RT 5 years ago I would
have gone for it, probably preventing a (slight) contraction and certainly saving
a lot of money spent on other therapies.

Enjoy your cruise and it would be good to hear how the RT went for you.

Cheers, dirk