Larry:

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I start to understand !

In Germany hospitals aund insuarance companies start to change the system similar to what you described ! And its driving good doctors out of hospitals to go into private practice to stay independent. That's - at least to my knowledge - the reason why Prof. Seegenschmiedt is now practicing in HAMBURG, while he initially worked in ESSEN at a hospital !
Working in a private practice means, however, to cover all the costs of machine etc. by yourself which can be quite expensive!

Overall I think the German system requires only 25% paying compared to the US standard prizes ! The differnce should be spend for vacation, as Germany is a pretty country ...

Hi Paddyman,

though you likely have DD you still should avoid self-diagnosing and consult a doctor before embarking on any kind of therapy. Nodules in the palm can have many reasons, see "First exclude other causes" on http://www.dupuytren-online.info/dupuytr..._therapies.html. Doctors familiar with DD are listed on http://www.dupuytren-online.info/NA_list_North_America.html, in your area e.g. Keith Denkler.

Wolfgang

Paddyman:

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I just discovered what I'm pretty sure is DD on my right hand. It looks and feels like a knot in the place where they're supposed to appear first, below the ring and pinky fingers, on the palm below the 'lines' that run across the hand for palm reading. It's quite small still, but hard and about the size of a peanut. There's no sign of any cording yet and no contraction of any fingers. I'm 51 years old and Irish, and my father had severe DD from his mid-fifties on wards By his mid-60's he couldn't lift a glass without using both hands as he had lost the use of two fingers on each hand. He had surgery on both hands and regretted it afterwards as it was so painful, took a long time to recover use of his hands and didn't improve matters much. My older brother is also showing signs of being in Stage N, so I'm pretty certain about my self-diagnosis and eager to nip this thing in the bud.

I live in the SF Bay Area, so would like to find treatment here, but from what I've read on these forums I'd like to get someone who follows Prof. Seegenschmiedt's procedure, not something they are experimenting with themselves because of insurance rules or their own beliefs, but based on the positive results he has achieved...because it seems like Prof. Seegenschmiedt gets the desired results after a couple of decades of practice.

Has anyone had any recent treatment from Dr. Chiang in Palo Alto or Dr. Gottshalk in UCSF?
What procedure did they follow?
What were the results you had?
Do you recommend them?

cheers,
Paddyman

Early treatment using RT is only appropriate or effective if the condition is active. Treatment is not done just because it is at an early stage or stage n.

Keep a diary for a couple of months recording nodule changes, with photos, aches, pain, tingling, stiffness. After that you will have objective evidence whether the conditions active, or not.

I posted in another thread how the doctors in Germany determine whether to treat or not. I had one hand treated, and the other not despite my disappointment at the time. It was the right decision as the untreated hand has not progressed. See http://www.dupuytren-online.info/Forum_E...t-0_1445.html#4

Paddyman:

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Does anyone know of the level of experience of the Irish doctor listed below:
Prof. Frank Sullivan
Consultant Radiation Oncologist
Suite 8, Galway Clinic