Had xiaflex injection on Tuesday. Was not that painful. Doc gave me pain reliever with codiene. Had manipulation on Wednesday. Doc numbed the hand. Two clicks and it was over. No pain only immediate swelling. Kept hand elevated and in splint. Tried to ice the hand also. Did take the pain reliever to sleep at night. No pain on Thursday only bad bruising. Friday went grocery shopping with hand in splint. Saturday used hand to shower, wash dishes, etc. No problem. Hand still badly bruised. Swelling seems to be going down. Would advise buying a Elasto-gel hand wrap for cold therapy to use off and on till swelling goes down. If I have my other hand treated, I will be prepared and have a cold hand wrap waiting for me when I get home or possibly tell the doc to have one for me next time. He did not address the swelling part which I felt he should have done. See him in 3 weeks. Till then I am to wear the splint to help straighten out my little finger. The splint is the worse part of it all. Over all, I am very happy with the outcome.

DavidW,

There can be drawbacks to any procedure. I had surgery (90 degrees little finger) and had excellent results. Not everyone does. I would have surgery again. I had very little pain from the whole experience. But, it is a personal decision.

Thank you Callie and Wach for yr answers and suggestions. I will investigate further, especially NA in the UK.
After reading this forum and various others, it does seem to come down to getting a good hand surgeon who has experience in Dupuytrens. The referral i got from my local GP to a surgeon proved unsatisfactory, as I really didn't want the surgeon to operate on my hands or anything else.. thanks very much! Also, it does seem incredible that GPs are so ignorant on Dupuytrens for such a common complaint..
Xiaflex and NA do seem like the next realistic method. However both seem that a reoccurance may well develop in 18 months or so. the xiaflex seemed expensive for that. With NA, the risk is not getting it quite right or damaging other parts of the hand.
So, what if I do nothing? What happens to the fingers?! Presume they will continue tightening and contracting? My left hand finger is at 90 degrees. Seems to have got there and stopped. Doesn't hurt and frankly is very livable. My right hand little finger has developed quite fast over the last few years and has quite large nodules and cords. And can hurt after physical work..
In fact, this is how i see my dupuytrens developed. i built my own stone house and cut every cotswold stone and tile over five years. the nodules started in my left hand and gradually contracted. ie I think due to stress on the hands. The two fingers, one in each hand, are now both at 90 degrees. And as i said , livable. But wot will happen in ten years time? The same or much worse? I am 55 yrs old.
I hear on this forum, wrong surgeon/Doctor, and one can get multiple problems and in fact have a friend with Dupuytrens who had apparently top hand surgeon operate , several times, and his hands are in a sorry state, with multiple nodules now appearing, in feet and also in other personal areas..which is a worry! So, to operate or not, that is the question? Or do nothing? Any advice please.

davidw

Just be aware that fingers left for a long time in a contracture, may develop irreversible joint, ligament, tendon and nerve changes, so that an operation to remove Dupuytren's tissue and straighten them, may not lead to a functioning finger. This is not specific to Dupuytren's and applies to other areas and joints, but fingers are perhaps more of a surgical challenge.

Hi All,
Am I correct in believing that xiapex is good only for cords - not nodules??
Cheers,
potter