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Post operation hopes
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09/20/2000 23:04
Lilly Rivlin

not registered

09/20/2000 23:04
Lilly Rivlin

not registered

Post operation hopes

I do not fit the profile of Dupytren, however, 5 weeks ago I went through the operation on my right hand. I am a writer/filmmaker and desperately need my right hand. Now I am very angry. My hand hurts, I have terrible pain in my palm, and I regret having the operation. This may be par for the course. I am doing physical therapy. Are there any fully recovered Dupuytren sufferers out there? And what did you do to recover? And how long did it take?
Lilly

    09/21/2000 23:38
    Ken Durell

    not registered

    09/21/2000 23:38
    Ken Durell

    not registered

    Post Operation Hopes

    I went thru the same pain and anger as you. My Doctor had told me 4 months max! It took a solid couple of months just to get the pain to subside. He tried me on three different pain pills before he found one that worked. But there were side effects of severe headaches. To be specific, my surgery was on 21 Oct 1999 and I still don't have the hand back to normal. I do, however, use it to work around my place and most times I do not notice the stiffness. I use yard tools, even chain saws sometimes, etc. However, much of the day I cannot close the hand normally. When I use the flexion (stretch) glove, it brings the fingers in so I can touch the hand, but when the exercises are over, it begins stiffening up again.

    Sorry to bring you bad news, but after discovering a South Florida Hand Clinic on-line, I found their stated official recovery time is 12 months! So, with that, I tried to re-direct my energies by doing daily exercises, logging the time spent on the exercises in a notebook to keep myself honest, and gripe silently!!

    The bottom line: some of us heal differently than others. One person (on-line) stated he did not have to do any exercises as he healed very soon.

    Hang in there!

      09/24/2000 23:29
      Ken Durell

      not registered

      09/24/2000 23:29
      Ken Durell

      not registered

      Post Operation Hopes

      In reviewing the various comments from those who have had surgery, I note some had pain, some had none, some have shorter recovery times than others, etc, etc. It makes one think "why me", or "what could have possibly gone wrong with my surgery." Three common denominators I can think of are: Different hand structures, skill level of our surgeons, as well as the individual skills of our physical therapists.

      The latter concerns me most as it is the only one that now can be changed, corrected, or improved. Is there anyone reading these posts who feel they are pretty much back to normal, who would be kind enough to explain in as much detail as possible, the types of exercises you did and the approximate time spent daily on your recovery? Maybe some of us could learn something beneficial to our own exercise program. How about it, Jim!!

        09/25/2000 23:55
        Al Zwarycz

        not registered

        09/25/2000 23:55
        Al Zwarycz

        not registered

        Terrible pain

        I was back to normal as soon as the stitches came out, all 28 of them. I actually went back to work 3 days after my operation. I'm an architect that uses the PC a ton. No pain whatsoever at any time. In fact, my physical therapists were amazed at both my strength recovery and hyperextension so soon after surgery. I'm not claiming to be superman or anything, but I firmly believe that my doctor was the key to the surgery and recovery. I firmly believe that there are good and bad operations and I must be one of the lucky ones that had a good one.

        I did follow my therapists direction to the letter though, in fact, went even further. Initially, they had me stretching every which way several times a day, then later added the hand strenghtener. Also, and I don't know how much this came into play, but they formed a rubber cast for that portion of my hand that I slept with every night. I needed to wrap a bandage around it to keep it in place. They said it was to keep the scaring down.

        Hope this helps. Any other questions feel free to email me.

        al

          09/27/2000 23:59
          jim 
          09/27/2000 23:59
          jim 
          Terrible pain

          My experience was similar to Al's although the techniques varied somewhat. My incision was not stitched - my surgeon believes better, smoother healing results. I now have a smooth palm and you have to look close to see the line of the incision. However, I had to do a lot of soaking and wound-dressing while it healed. The therapy did indeed include having me stretch "every which way", and a set of exercises involving a sort of stiff putty. I did them all, and also wore a made-to-order splint at night.

          The affected fingers are still a bit stiff, and unfortunately during the surgery the nerve to one side of my ring finger was cut. About half the feeling has returned, which is enough that it doesn't bother me.

            10/02/2000 23:46
            Lilly

            not registered

            10/02/2000 23:46
            Lilly

            not registered

            Terrible pain

            I read all your posts. I conclude we all heal differently. I do physical therapy twice a week, I wear the splint and that pink "think" sculpted to fit my scar, and I soak my hand about 4 times a week. I am in terrible pain and getting more and more depressed. My right hand is stiff most of the time, and now, when I work on the computer, which I must do, I have pain in the upper right shoulder. I'm not a pill taker but when the pain gets to be too much, like in the middle of the night, I take the pain killer. Have any of you tried acupuncture? Is this normal. This is 7 weeks after the operation. Am I too impatient? I am so angry at my doctor who I will see on Thursday. What should I ask him?

              10/03/2000 23:17
              jim 
              10/03/2000 23:17
              jim 
              Post operation healing

              I would tell your doctor exactly how much it hurts. I've had a couple of minor surgical procedures, and the usual amount of dental work for a 50-ish person, and I think you're right to conclude that the results are extremely variable with regard to pain. A surgeon just can't promise that a nerve won't be damaged or stressed somehow. After one minor procedure (which shall remain nameless) I had nasty pains for 18 months, although long-term results were fine. Don't panic after just 7 weeks. Nerves heal very slowly.
              After my Dupuytren's surgery, sure I had some pain - sorry if I gave you the impression I didn't - but it wasn't what I'd call serious. Nothing that affected sleep.

                10/04/2000 23:45
                Ed

                not registered

                10/04/2000 23:45
                Ed

                not registered

                Post operation healing

                LILLY; 7 weeks is a very short time for recovery from this type of operation.The physical therapy is critical. Be relentless. For months after my operation I was still doing several hours of physical therapy a day. Being a pianist, I had to get my hand working again. Since flexibility and reach is so important for me, I had to try to reduce the scar tissue as much as possible. I found that massage with "Lanolin Hydrous" cream for an hour or two a day was a help. Also, using a mini-vibrator with the disc head attachment did wonders with the scar tissue. I would sit and watch TV while using it, again for an hour or more every day.
                It's been 14 months now and the first thing I do every morning is to flex and bend my fingers. But it works. I gave my first recital since the operation a few months age and had no 'Dupuytren' problems. Don't give up yet!

                  04/23/2001 23:33
                  Jim

                  not registered

                  04/23/2001 23:33
                  Jim

                  not registered

                  nerve damage



                  Thanks Jim for giving me some reassurance about the nerves recovering.
                  I had surgery at the beginning of March. I have great confidence in my surgeon he is a geat chap, but I would like a bit more of the nerves to recover although he did say he had damaged some of the nerves.

                    05/31/2001 23:44
                    Annette Neff

                    not registered

                    05/31/2001 23:44
                    Annette Neff

                    not registered

                    recovery from Dupuytren's surgery

                    Piece of cake, compared to other surgeries I've had.

                    Key is to never let go of therapy presribed by your therapist -- and I'm on my 3rd month of recovery.

                    If you got a splint that hurts your hand, contact your hand surgeon to get another splint by a therapist. What I mean by hurt is that the pain gets you out of bed in the middle of the night, with plots to kill your affected fingers.

                    If your hand surgeon recommends ultra sound treatment, take it!

                    If you lose range of motion, even though you are doing the exercises faithfully, contact your hand surgeon immediately. You need to see a physical therapist.

                    My hand surgeon is "amazed" as he says on my rapid recovery.I know it will take a full year to get the stiffness out of my hand when I do make a fist. Age is on my side in recovery, for I'm 39.

                    Good luck!
                    Annette

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                      strenghtener   hyperextension   operation   mini-vibrator   terrible   therapy   made-to-order   differently   flexion   unfortunately   physical   surgery   wound-dressing   denominators   surgeon   therapists   Dupuytren   fingers   recovery   exercises