I've been dealing with this for about 15 years, have had 2 surgeries, and here's my brief bit of advice.

First, your hand looks and feels real bad 3 weeks after surgery. A lot of the stiffness is due to swelling which actually takes months to subside. Yes, it is important to get started with physical therapy but don't be too panicked by the 3-week delay, just start in and do everything they tell you - and do it 110%.

Second, your long term picture might be pretty good because better treatments are on the way, and you have time to wait. Start reading about Xiaflex (a new injectable enzyme treatment about to hit the market) - it's going to be the 'big hammer' against Dupuytren's. And of course be learning about needle aponevrotomy too. Get this surgery behind you, keep working that hand and try to avoid future surgeries, the benefits of which are sometimes oversold. If possible, keep buying time for the newer treatments to develop further.

Dupuytren's can be a nuisance but no more than that, in the grand scheme of things - it's just one more thing to deal with. It's progress is unpredictable and it often stands still for years.

There will be setbacks, it's not a straight road. The thing to remember is that the healing - the closing of the incision - proceeds from the bottom up. In the old days they'd stitch the incisions closed and people wouldn't have alarming experiences like what just happened to you - but they'd end up with more scarring. They found that leaving the wound open causes it to heal better in the long run.

All you can do is wait until it stops leaking, then start in again with the exercises. In my experience there seems to be a sort of tension between the MDs and the PTs. The MD is more conservative and will say 'stop whatever you're doing' because that makes the problem go away - for him anyway. The PT, I think, is often more outcome-oriented and knows that you have to push the envelope a bit to regain motion. The surgeon does his thing and if you just heal cleanly and don't get an infection, he's in the clear. The PT wants to see range of motion restored. I trust experienced PTs because they follow the cases all the way through and know what really works.

My surgeon, and the physical therapy group associated with his practice, had me begin PT within a couple of weeks, long before the wound was healed. The exercises and PT sessions went on for months. My recover was excellent. Some drainage is expected and I was directed to change the dressing daily.

Jess,
I know how confusing and over-whelming DC can be at a youg age.. I started showing signs as yearly as I can remember 8 or so. I had pits on the inside of my fingers and one on my big toe. No doctor ever said or noticed them nor did I give a 2nd thought , my teenage years I began to see a soft lump on the inside of my index finger. All was fine until I was 25 and the a new lump formed on my pip and that one caused pain and small contraction around the middle joint. Went to many doctors with all different results for 2 years until I asked to be seen by a hand surgeon. My hand surgeon knew as soon as he saw it what it was. He gave me a lot of literature to take home and told me to research on the internet and return to see him. Looking back he did what was best, was so overwhelming all the information on a disease I had never heard of before. Having at such a young age non of the info was pointing in a good resolution for me!! I was an extremley healthy and athletic individule trying to grasp how that could have happened to me with no family history. I had 2 surgeries in my 20's to repair the same pip joint. both failed and returned to the same contractor as before the surgery with-in months. No one person will have the same results as another with this and some doctors do not want to answer those questions of yours because there is no right answer and they do not want to be wrong.. I am now 40 and only have the contracture in the pip joint and my index and toe have yet to contract. Having DC in the fingers is the hardest to treat because NA is not an option and surgery can be tricky but there is hope!! Having DC has caused me to look at life differently and what I put into my body.. I eat healthy ( lots of dark greens, no dairy, and little meat, stay away from processed foods) I exercise every day and stretch every day and have gained strength in my effected hand with strenght training and this works for me. I am in better shape than I have ever been!! This disease does not define me or limit what I do and you can have a healthy life . I wish you luck with your recovery and you seem like a intelligent 17 year old with a bright future ahead of them.. J Ann

Cords and contractures don't appear overnight, even for those of us with aggressive DC. I'd go with the advice of your PT - they bring the valuable perspective that comes from having seen many cases.

My experience, which apparently has been shared by many, is that Dupuytren's is unpredictable and tends to make a "run" for a while, then go dormant for long periods of time. So my advice is to focus on recovering from your recent surgery as well as you can, with respect to range of motion, and not think about more surgery yet. It may never be necessary.

Remember that better treatments are coming. The "Xiaflex" enzyme being tested by Auxilium is our best bet, especially for well-defined cords, and it should make many if not most surgeries unnecessary. I've have a nasty contracture climbing up my left thumb for a cuple of years now, which is causing me some annoyance, but I'm not thinking about surgery, I'm waiting for Xiaflex.

Hang in there. Things always look bad in the first months after a surgery.