Hi Jeanne:

How gracious of you to defend the hand surgeons that are still operating on DC the same way it has been done for fifty years. Traumatic zigzag incisions on eavh finger plus another slice in the palm. Then splints and physical therapy accompanied by much pain.

I had two consults with a hand surgeon and he flatly refised to talk about anything other than the old procedure. He informed me that when it got bad enough I would return so he could do his procedure.

On November 11, 2003, I had Dr Eaton do my hand in a matter of minutes. The reults have been posted here since
Nov. 13, 2003. Too bad you didn't read that post.

Do you really believe that American Hand Surgeons are ignorant of this procedure ?

Geanne,

Yes sireee, It's quite a sight when they pull of the original bandage and your get a look at what what's left of your hand. My doc decided it was time to learn the "open palm" or "McCash" approach, so I got a nice view of open wounds that seemed to go the bone. I agree with your self upgrade from T+C to Vicodin for the pain. Frankly I had so many Viks I don't ever want to see one again.

Congrats on your rapid recovery. Don't let up now. It's your hand for the rest of your life. Only you can do the work.

I agree with you re: hand surgeons. There are more isolated than arrogant. Thank God for Eaton. He is bringing legitimacy to NA in North America (They don't need this in South America). It's not about the money. Eaton is getting paid more per hour than the best defense attorneys in the land. Who bills $700 per hour and has a month waiting list? And don't forget his overhead. He works out of his office and burns a few very special syringes imported only from France. No, what were fighting is tradition and training and the "not invented here" syndrome.

But George is right, and as you said, NA is the first line of defense. Nobody touches these fingers of mine with a knife again until NA has failed to do the trick. And from what we are reading about NA, I'll probably be to old to remember how much I hated going throuh 70 Vicodin should I ever again need the Full Montie on these other pinkies.

50 degree left pinkie. Surgery April 27, 2003. Still hoping for near full recovery and ability to type normally.

A hand surgeon is, well, a surgeon. Surgery is what he knows and does. If you go to a surgeon with a problem, he can offer you a surgical solution.

If you go to a stock broker he is going to try to sell you stocks. If you tell him that you've had bad luck with stocks and think real estate would be a better choice, all he can do is politely suggest you go to a real estate broker.

As Jeanne pointed out, hand surgeons have a different perspective on pain and inconvenience than most people. Much of their work is on hands that have been catastrophically damaged. This happened to an acquaintance of mine and thanks to the dilligent and creative effort of a hand surgeon, he has a very functional hand today.

I had NA from Dr. Eaton on 2-11-05. The nodules were still quite prominant 6 months after so at Eaton's advice, I had my local CHS inject them again in mid August. He, by the way, was impressed with the results but not enough to mention NA to the 80 year old Scotsman (complete with a brrrr) in the next room. As he was taping his comments at the end of my visit he mentioned my pinky being slightly bent. I responded that it was fractured many years ago and still looks a bit out of line. It was just within the last week that I realized that I was in denial. The PIP joint of the pinky is bent about 30 degrees.

The first post below from Jeannie on 1-16-04 says, "also read on Dr. Eaton’s site that surgery is best for PIP DC, which was reassuring". However, I just checked his website and Eaton says, "Contractures which only affect the PIP joint are the most likely to recur after treatment, especially in the pinky finger. They may be treated with either needle aponeurotomy or surgery". I also wonder if these contractures are more or less likely to recur after NA as opposed to surgery. I plan to ask him.

Has anyone else had PIP joint problems after NA?