Welcome to the Forum. You have come to the right place.

What kind of Dr. do you have your appointment with? After your appt. when you have the correct diagnosis, come back to the Forum and ask lots of questions. Many on this Forum will answer. Also read all you can about Dupuytrens and possible treatments here.

You have many choices..Radiation Therapy (for beginning stages is very successful at stopping the progression of the disease), Needle Aponeurotomy (an easy procedure where they cut the cord and straighten the bent finger), Xiaflex (an enzyme that dissolves cords) and in the end there is always surgery.

In my opinion.... I would do everything I can and try other options before having surgery. So the sooner you get treatment, the better...and if Radiation (RT) is an option I would start with that.

Edited 03/11/11 23:06

Welcome to our community.

As LubaM says, what sort of Dr. are you seeing? An accurate diagnosis is important, usually a hand specialist who has seen lots of different conditions, but more importantly knows about the treatment options.

On this site and forum you will discover a range of treatment options if it is Dupuytren's with a lot of useful information, successful treatment and hope for the future.

Thank you!

On Monday I am seeing my regular internist. She will refer me to someone, she is great about working with me, not dictating (we know each other personally) Is there a specific type of dr. I should be seeing? I assumed I'd go to an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in hands, is that correct?

One of the many things that confuses me is the connection between Dupuytren's and Trigger Finger. I have had a couple of flare ups of Trigger Finger in this same finger (Left Ring Finger) I have had cortisone injections 2 or 3 times in the last few years. My finger has gotten dramatically worse in the last month. The palm and finger are pretty painful. the pain is when something touches the palm or I try to straighten the finger. There is no obvious cord in the palm just a small hard nodule.

In the FWIW category I don't fit the typical profile as I read on the Mayo Clinic site. I'm a 50 year old female, of Polish/Irish descent, not a smoker or drinker but I am a T2 diabetic.

Thanks for all your help.

Edited 03/13/11 07:21

Thanks so much. I'm not sure how to tell how much it's progressed. The finger isn't always bent, just most of the time. And it's never perfectly straight.

I thought surgery was an automatic until I found this site. Though I have to admit the treatment where they stab the cord repeatedly sounds a little scary. However, so does the surgery when I see that it isn't just a little one or two stitch incision. Then I read about people losing their fingers - YIKES.

We'll see what happens Monday but this is really a problem. It's even hard to type.

I think in your case the diagnosis is even more important than usual. The palm symptoms and hard lump could be as a result of the ongoing problems with trigger finger. Duputytren's is a disease of the underlying fascia attached to the skin. An expert will help with this differentiation.

Will be thinking of you on Monday. But even if it's an early Dupuytren's diagnosis, worrying about Needle Aponeurotomy or Surgery can be put aside for now as in many cases the disease does not progress, and there are good reports of using Radiotherapy to hold it back.