Congratulations on a great outcome! I only wish that all of us who have had Open Surgery had your experience. Sadly that is not the case. The mere fact we have this site to exchange ideas comes from directly out of the *fact* that surgical side effects and recovery can be problematic. There is intense interest among surgeons to find a far less invasive alternative. In the minds of may surgeons, our host's (BioSpecifics) Collagenase holds the best promise to that end. The prospect of a safe none invasive alternative is the *only* reason this site exists. If your surgical experience was that of the vast majority, this site would not exist and we would not be here having this discussion.

You are quite correct, however. Badmouthing Fasciectomy is like a guy with a heart problem badmouthing Open Heart Surgery. That's nutz. **But**, if every single heart surgeon he sees insists that angioplasty + stenting was "snake oil", "a waste of time", "dangerous" etc., that guy would have a problem with that wouldn't he? Of course that doesn't happen. Angioplasty is a well proven and accepted first line of defense, used all the time before taking the next step and invading the chest cavity. Now may of us, including my self, have had *both* Fasciectomy and Needle Aponeurotomy (NA). So, by personal experience, I can tell you that NA is currently the "angioplasty" or our shared disease. It doesn't replace Fasciectomy any more than angioplasty *replaces* Open Heart. But, it's just as valuable a tool.

Megan, the frustration you are hearing from many is the fact that as safe, effective, and powerful a tool NA is, it is still being rejected out of hand (so to speak) by the surgical establishment. This is done so because of ignorance, though it does feel to many who haven been *dismissed* by their surgeons regarding NA that a tad arrogance may be involved as well. In any case, NA will eventually become well accepted in may quarters once the 100 years of "Fasciectical Inertia" wears off a bit more.

Again, congrats on your success. May you avoid another forever!!!

RBH

To Megan

most of on this site are trying to pilot a way to new avenues of treatment that are less invasive and have less likelyhood of residual trauma.
You are young at 32 yrs to be having surgery. At your age I had 2 operations and I recovered very quickly indeed. Now 30 years on recovery is a lot slower and each time outcomes are problematic.
It concerns me that you have advice, on recurrence, that it is "dependent on how well the surgery was performed" etc.
That's exactly what I was told - phrases like "I got all the disease out" - "you wont have a recurrence" - all of of this turned to mush. I now have had 9 operations.
If your nodules grew there in the first place then they can grow back of their own accord either in the same spot or somewhere else. Most DUPS sufferers have a congenital predisposition to the disease and that still is the case preop. and postop. The surgeon has not removed or genetically altered your DNA. In the main the younger it starts the more aggressive the disease is likely to be.
I think your physicians should be far more cicumspect in
their advice to you.
However I do sincerely hope their right and you have no further recurrences.

of God, what is it with you people? Relax. I am not obsessed about this forum like some on this site. If you all were so open to discussion, you wouldn't use every oppotunity you have to try to crush the opinions of others.

Here's the last thing I'll say: I had a great experience with the faciectomy. That is all I was ever trying to say.

Here IS some advice to others though: Get your information from top hand surgeons, not this biased site. Good night.

*scratches head*

Megan:

While I *am* flattered that I've made enough impression on you that you'd research everything I've posted from the beginning of time, my suggestion that one try the less invasive procedure before going straight to the hard stuff does still seem prudent. Yes, my rhetoric in those days was a bit more radical, but the message hasn't changed. Today I'm more likely to say it this way:

"In light of the overwhelming evidence that a non invasive procedure has now been proven both safe and effective, it makes all the sense in the world to explore it's potential before succumbing to the far more radical surgical procedure current in vogue <<read: avoid open surgery if you possibly can>>".

Megan, though I don't see them as such, if my words "avoid surgery at all costs" from 2003 fits your description of "bashing", well then, so be it. Listen, I realize it's difficult to wrap your brain around the idea that a huge bunch of us here have stumbled upon information to which your expert doc is not currently privy. How could that *possibly* be? Well, I look down at my let hand treated with OS two year ago, and my right treated 7 days ago with NA and, sorry my friend, for me to sit here and say *nothing* about this to those similarly afflicted just isn't going to happen any time soon. I'm only against *unnecessary* surgery. When NA doesn't work in a particular situation, we all have no choice. It's OS.

Now, concerning your slanderous accusation that I am a liar, pretending to be someone I'm not, and being paid to speak on Eaton's behalf (Let's not mince words here. That *is* what you are implying) .......well, I've got to cut your some slack. You *are* new here, are a little too trusting of the medical authorities you have talked to, and will hopefully mellow as I have over the 22 months of great and informative debate I've had the pleasure to participated in around here.

You are welcome to challenge me at any time of your choosing. (Something tells me you will.) We'll all learn something.

Be Well.