Cast off today - yay!! Quite pleased with what it looks like, apart from the stitches and zig-zag cuts. Fingers straight. Little finger was at 90 degrees, so that's a good result, so far. Had a hand therapy appointment with a great physio. who has seen a lot of DC patients and she was quite encouraging.

So, I have exercises to do, another therapy appt. next Tues., stitches out on Monday at my GP's practice nurse.
Physio. didn't think I needed a night splint at this stage anyway - will see how it is going next appt.

Since I am the only person left on the planet without a smartphone (by choice!), I cannot share with you the photos I took on my "dumbphone", but it's nothing you haven't seen before, one way or another

Being liberated from the cast is GREAT! I can type with both hands! Among other things of course!

I am as happy as i can reasonably expect to be! Bit of tenderness and little finger is numb, but that MAY pass, and if it doesn't, I'm not too bothered.

I am diligently doing the exercises I've been given (little and often), spreading my fingers sideways and making a fist, plus the straightening. My little finger which had the major surgical "attention" is still a bit swollen so I can't get that into a fist quite yet (and I have a gauze type of finger stall on it at the moment also which stops it bending fully). Plus a tubular bandage.

But for a week and a day, I'm quite satisfied.

Unfortunately there is no easy fix or even permanent fix with this disease in a lot of cases, so I guess I'm going to need the splints and will always have to work on trying to keep my fingers straight.

I inherited Dupuytren's from my father, who was 56 when I was born and I'm 69. In his day (or in his case anyway) the only thing they could do for his bent middle finger was amputate it! It was only when I developed the condition around the age of 50 that I found out why he'd had a missing finger. My siblings have all missed out and I have both hands affected. I'll discuss the options for my right hand middle finger when I see the surgeon on a follow up appointment in about 3 weeks.

Edited 11/08/18 12:12

3 1/2 weeks post-op. and things are healing up nicely. I have my follow-up appointment with the surgeon tomorrow - haven't seen her since right after the surgery. I do have a few questions and will ask about my right hand which, though not actively progressing, needs surgery on my middle finger, I guess, if I can't get Xiaflex for it. (Not readily available in New Zealand without costing an arm and a leg!)

My little finger on my left hand was at 90 degrees, my ring finger at 45 degrees and I had an area of nodules removed from my palm, though I got away without a skin graft. So - my palm and little finger still feel sore and raw and I gather this will last a while. The knuckle on my little finger is a bit arthritic-looking, so I may never have a perfectly straight finger - I'm probably lucky that it looks as good as it does.

I have had 3 hand therapy sessions and another tomorrow. Last time I was there the therapist made me a thermoplastic splint - I was quite intrigued by this process because it looked a bit of a DIY job! She dunked a piece of thermoplastic in boiling water and (when cooled a bit) moulded it round my little and ring finger, cut it to fit into my palm and finger tips and made velcro straps to hold it on (though it fits so closely it couldn't fall off). I have to wear it in bed, and although it's not comfortable to actually put on because it is stiff, it feels fine once it's on and doesn't keep me awake at night. In the morning my fingers are perfectly straight, even if takes a bit of exercise to get them bending.

If I have to wear this splint for the rest of my life (at night) to keep my fingers straight enough on the whole, I would.

What generally happens about splinting? Does wearing one for, say, a few weeks suffice to keep fingers from curling in again, or does DD almost always recur regardless of all the therapy, exercises and splinting?

(I guess the answer is - everyone is different!)

wach:

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You might find answers to your questions on our splinting web page https://www.dupuytren-online.info/dupuyt...-splinting.html . Personally I used splinting after needle fasciotomy (NA) and after xiaflex but not after surgery. I had surgery 18 years ago and that finger is still straight. NA and Xiaflex do not remove the diseased tissue and have earlier recurrence. In my case I was able to maintain the results of NA and of Xiaflex as long as I splinted the finger. When I stopped splinting the finger started slowly contracting again.

Wolfgang

Hi Mike. Have you considered using the splint (or a new splint) on that other hand?

Stef

[56, Dupuytren diagnosis 2006, RH contracture and PNF/NA 2014, radiotherapy RH 2015, LH 2017 & 2018, night splint glove RH since 2015]