I know I have Dupuytren Contracture. I have had one surgery on my pinky. I am 52 yrs old (female) and live in Hawaii. I have Scandinavian and Irish blood. No one in my family has this. I have new contractures on both hands. Middle finger on right hand. Palm on left hand. I have seen the surgeon 3 times this year to track the bending. It’s at 25% both hands. She says she has only done 15 DC Surgery which scare me. All of her patients have been men over 65. Do you recommend any other options than surgery or the enzyme treatment? I am terrified of another surgery, especially here on the island.
Mahalo,
Norma
Greetings Norma,
If your surgeon has experience in doing only 15 surgeries for Dupuytren’s contracture, she still might be a brilliant and gifted surgeon. However, 15 surgeries is not many. I think it would be a mistake to have your hand surgery dictated by the limitation of living on an island if you are able to go to the Mainland where more experienced help is available to you. You should be treated by the most experienced and gifted surgeon possible.
You should be terrified of the possibility of needing more hand surgery. Please read about the tendency of Dupuytren’s contracture to return after having surgery. From my experience in working with DC I find that most people have their first hand surgery thinking it will be their last, or if DC does recur that it will take many years for it to return. This is often not the case. I have communicated with hundreds and hundreds of people who have had 3-4 hand surgeries on the same hand in the span of less than 10 years; many people seem to need a second hand surgery for DC after just a year or two. Some posts you might helpful are Dupuytren surgery recurrence is always an important factor when deciding treatment options and What should father do about rapid Dupuytren recurrence and weakness after hand surgery?
You need to read a bit more of the treatment information available on this website. Your question implies that you have not taken the time to learn about Alternative Medicine treatment of Dupuytren’s contracture. Please read start natural Dupuytren’s treatment.
