I am new to this forum and wanted to ask a question.

I have been recently diagnosed with Dupuytern's Disease and Contracture and it is severely impacting my right pinky finger: PIP 90 degrees and MCP 15 degrees. Recommendation from Dr is surgery: Partial Fasciectomy. I have been doing a good deal of research and the surgery is "no walk in the park" with the possibility of making things worse off than what I am experiencing now. Actually my present condition is very good, I am not really limited in any way. Yes, the finger is a nuisance but I am still able to continue doing what I have done in the past.

Question: what have others experienced and dealt with in making a decision to have surgery or other less invasive surgery, such as NA, etc... or am I too far along. I am really struggling with a decision about the partial fasciectomy because I have major caregiving responsibilities and just can't be incapacitated for any length of time. Any insights or sharing would be wonderful from others who have gone through this ordeal.

Thank you, Rick.

Thank you for your response. I have been doing a good deal of research and NA looked like an option but when I met with the Dr he went straight to surgery and did not really consider other options which bothered me a great deal. I am looking into a second opinion before going ahead with anything. Thanks again for your prompt reply and sharing what you experienced.

Thank you!! These comments are so very helpful and supportive. I have to admit, I am struggling a good deal with all this. Have considered not doing anything and riding things out. I am 75 years old and wondering if it is worth going through this at this point of my life. It appears that the DD/DC is not overly aggressive and is not causing any pain. Will my quality of life be better getting the surgery or just letting things develop? As I said in my earlier email, it is not impacting me a great deal at this point. I first noticed all this 15 years ago and I figure I don't have 15 more left in me. Anyway, I have been researching and attempting to educate myself about DD and DC and reaching out to others. So far this forum is wonderful and I am glad you are here. Thanks again for your sharing!!

If a surgeon advises NA is clinically possible then I would say that the recovery is usually quite quick with almost no downtime, maybe a few days. The procedure can be a bit painful but welll tolerated. If they advise collegenase the procedure can be more painful before and maybe after, and often there are side effects with a longer downtime. Contracture recurrence may happen with both in a few years, or maybe not at all. Surgery is often a bigger deal in terms of downtime and recovery, sometimes months with a risk of more adverse side effects, and the PIP is still difficult to treat. So use this knowledge with your own judgement on the current impact on daily activities, and also consider that the longer you leave it the harder it will be to achieve a good outcome eventually anyway. But it doesn't sound like there's a hurry for you, and you can use some time just to research a bit more or find an experienced surgeon you feel you can trust to do one of the a minimally invasive options, or live it out ;) Best wishes SB

This is very helpful and I hope that I can have a similar experience. Still processing everything and absorbing a great deal of information. Glad to have this forum to bounce things off and get great insights from others. Thanks again!!