Dupuytrens contracture surgery did not go well
I have already had surgery for dupuytrens contracture in my left palm. The surgery was not well-performed and my little finger is again bending at 45 degrees. I suspect some of the dupuytrens cords were left in my finger and palm as it looks to me as if the cord is reforming in my palm. I am 57.
Would any of the supplements on the site be of any use at this stage? If so, which would be the best to buy and what would the dosage be?
thanks
Lisa
Greetings Lisa,
Sorry to learn of your problem.
It would have helped a bit if you would have mentioned how long ago your Dupuytren surgery took place, however I think I can still offer a meaningful reply to you.
To answer you well, a few things come to mind:
1. All Dupuytren contracture will eventually recur after surgery. Sooner or later the hand nodules and cords will develop again. lThe fact that your little finger is again flexing in toward your palm does not necessarily mean that your surgeon did a bad job; your surgeon could have in fact done a spectacular job, and your Dupuytren problem would return anyway, given enough time. It is said that for about half of the patients who have Dupuytren contracture surgery the palm lumps and nodules and finger contractures will return in approximately five years or so — for some people it might be a year or two, and for others it might be ten years, but five years is an average time for recurrence after any Dupuytren surgery.
2. You wrote: “The surgery was not well-performed and my little finger is again bending…” Do you mean that there were other issues and problems that told you right after surgery that your surgery was not performed well, or are you assuming that because your contracture is recurring that the surgery was not performed well?
3. The recurrence of the Dupuytrens is not due to “…some of the dupuytrens cords [being] left in my finger and palm…” Dupuytrens is not like a cancer that must be completely removed, or it will spread. If all of the cord material was removed, or if some was left behind, you would have had this recurrence after a few years.
4. From my experience, most surgeons tend to underplay or intentionally “forget” to mention certain things about a proposed surgery that might discourage a patient to have that surgery. What would have happened if your surgeon had said something like this to you before your surgery?: “You know, Lisa, we are going to cut here and cut there on your hand and finger, it will hurt pretty bad for a week after the surgery, and you will have to do rehabilitation for a month or two that will also be rather painful. As a result of this hand surgery there is a good chance you will lose a little bit of feeling in your fingertip and you will also find that you will not get back full use of your finger because it will be permanently just a little stiff, and you will be able to predict bad weather in the future. And, oh, one last thing: I will do the best job for you that I can, but no matter how good I do, your Dupuytren contracture will come back in about five years — give or take a few years. Actually, once I start doing Dupuytren surgery on you, I will have to keep on doing them because the condition never really goes away.” You might not have had that surgery. And that would mean your surgeon would have been a little less busy that week.
5. There is not any way I or anyone can tell you ahead of time which of the DCI therapies may, or may not, be successful for you. These are not drugs we are dealing with. We are attempting to use naturally occurring nutritional substances to stimulate and support your ability to heal and repair the Dupuytren contracture and related soft tissue reaction in your hand. Further, there is no best one to use. They are all important and effective in their own way and all contribute to your effort to recover from the Dupuytren contracture. What makes the DCI approach different and more effective than other Alternative Medicine approaches is that we recommend that you combine several therapies at the same time to “gang up” on your hand problem and support your healing potential to the maximum of your ability. To understand this better I suggest that you read Dupuytren Contracture Treatment Philosophy and Dupuytren Contracture Treatment and Alternative Medicine.
6. Dosage is always an important question. Dosage is started at the lower end of what is suggested on the label of each therapy product. From there it is increased in a way and at a rate that is thoroughly explained in the literature that is sent to you with each order you receive. You will be given complete instructions and suggestions to increase your dosage and manage your treatment in a way that will lead you to the highest level of recovery that is within your potential to heal and repair.