Cindy:

Congratulations on finding something that works for you! Personally, I saw no benefit other than six months of a *very* sticky computer mouse :(

Quite a number of posters, including myself, have reported a positive experience with NA. Read the thread called:
"Treatment by Dr. Eaton". Other than Eaton, there are now four other American surgeons who are doing this procedure. All are Certified Hand Surgeons except Denkler in CA, who is a plastic surgeon.

Having had one Open Surgery for Dups, I opted for NA on my other hand. I believe that it is wise, as with most other medical interventions, to exhaust the capabilities of the less invasive, more benign treatments before opting for the more radical. OS has never been considered "radical" in the US, as until recently it was the *only* intervention available. This attitude may change over the next few years.

Having had *both* OS and NA, in my experience there is really *no* comparison between the two in terms of the danger side effects and recovery time. For me, the expected higher rate of recurrence with NA is of little consequence. In the management of my disease, I will return to OS only as a *last* resort. I do much worse under the knife than most.

At this point, choosing NA is still a move outside the mainstream of current medical practice in the US. May you do well with the informed choices you make.