I’m 77 years old, diagnosed with Dupuytren’s disease when 66 years old. I’ve had one half dose of what was at that time prescribed as the recommended radiation treatment. Now, eleven years later I have the strands and bumps running through both hands but have no major contracture. This situation has remained stable.

The problem is that my Hb A1c laboratory blood test score, which is the primary indicator for diabetes, shows a result which puts me just inside the range of pre-diabetes.

So, I bought a blood glucose monitoring kit to check the insulin response to foods in my diet.

And here’s the problem: For me to use this test kit to find a diet which minimizes my exposure to diabetes, I must prick my finger with a needle next to the fingernail so that I can get a drop of blood. On days that I choose to use this test kit, I would need to do three or four finger pinpricks. I can choose to do this procedure once a day or, for that matter, once a month. For the result to be accurate, this procedure needs to be done on the two middle digits of either hand.

In 2010, I went to Los Angeles to be diagnosed and counseled by an orthopedic hand surgeon, Dr. Prosper Benhaim. He told me Dupuytren’s disease can be turned on and off. If it’s turned off by radiation therapy, that would be great. But, he said, it can be turned back on by intentionally introducing trauma to the hand. I understood his message as this: Don’t sweat the small stuff, but don’t inflict damage. It is possible to turn the disease back on again.

So, I have lived a normal active life and up to this point have taken his advice not to consciously inflict damage.

My question is this: Is pricking my finger four times a day, maybe 50 times in all, over a period of a year the kind of trauma which will “turn on” the progression of Dupuytren’s disease?

Does anybody have an opinion on this admittedly esoteric subject?

Neil

Thanks, Wolfgang, your comments are right on target.

My opinion also has been that these pinpricks would probably represent only a small risk of advancing Dupuytren’s contracture. So, I appreciate your confirming that idea.

Your suggestion of looking further into these skin patches is a good one. I had ruled them out because they are quite expensive and they are less accurate. However, upon your suggestion, I went back to take a closer look. The Freestyle Libre blood glucose test patches come with a two week free trial, and all I need is two weeks worth of information. In addition, this test kit gives trends of insulin spikes after meals as well as approximate blood glucose readings, which is just fine for my needs.

“Just an idea” turns out to be an excellent answer to a difficult question.

Thank you.

Neil