I have responded to the email fron the BSSH and suggested that, as we are being left behind by the rest of the world, it is perhaps time some-one was sent for training. I attached before and after NA pics of my hand.
Will keep you all posted.
Marjorie

Yes, I got the treatment at the Countess of Chester hospital as an NHS patient, on 9 Feb. I was astonished, no prompting by me, the consultant, Mr Harvey, examined my hand and then pronounced that it looked suitable for treatment via needle and added that he could do it at once if I wished.

He treated the palm area only. The joint of my little finger is at stage 1 but he advised that he did not see how it could be treated by this method and so it will wait. I found that the local anaesthesia was very good, no sensation at all, and the sound of the parting of fibres was like something soft and soggy, not at all as I had imagined. He laughed when I asked if I might mention his name on this forum and protested: "No! No!" but then gave way.

In discussion, he mentioned his attendance at a conference on the subject in Dublin. A woman there gave her experience that any problem arising from the efforts of our French heroes is referred to a hand surgeon local to the patient and thus the French results are, in statistical terms, biased.

Today, 16 Feb, I attended a follow-up clinic and was advised that I must make an effort to straighten my hand. In completing my treatment on the 9th, Mr Harvey had straightened my hand to break any remaining fibre and the skin of my palm had split where it was stretched thin over the nodule. The nurse applied a dressing and I saw nothing more of this but it bled slightly afterwards. (I take daily aspirin as a heart patient and this would contribute to the bleeding.) I had read a posting elsewhere in the Forum in which one of our chums was so excited to spread the news of his treatment that he was typing late into the night and felt he had undone some of the benefit. Consequently I have acted like a wimp for this past week and kept my hand slighly curled so as not to stretch the split in my palm. When I saw it today without the dressing I saw that the split was merely 1/4 inch in length. I am now resolved to mend my ways.

See BMJ Clinical review of Dupuytrens, 18 February 2006 (Vol 332, No 7538)
Passing reference to NA but no meniton of patient preferences.
You can get views posted on the site. www.bmj.com

I stumbled upon a website that looks promising - www.handclinic.co.uk. It has a bio on a fellow by the name of Grey Giddins who appears to be the sort of person who would be interested in learning NA *and* he is a Councel member for the British Society for Surgery of the Hand. Perhaps some of those letters you've been writing could get a cc to the councel members?

France

Hi Frances,

I had my finger operated on by Mr Giddins just over 2 years ago. He did a grand job, and it has held up well since. He did not make me aware of any alternative treatment, although I cannot remember if I specifically asked about any.

It would appear to me that he, and other practitioners, are possibly more interested in the three hundred pounds of pre and post op consultations and the fifteen hundred pounds of surgery (of which the surgeon receives over six hundred) than they are about modern alternatives. I would be delighted if he were to take up the challenge, learn NA, and prove me wrong.

I am shortly off to France to see about a NA procedure and will post you on the results.

Best wishes