Dupuytren’s

It’s been a little over five weeks since my surgery for Dupuytren’s Contracture on my right hand. The incision has closed and healed, and I’m able to use the pinky again for most day-to-day stuff. I can even give (gentle) high fives!

The tissue underneath is still healing, and that’s going to continue for a while. It’s stiff, swollen, and a little tender. But I’ve been working with the occupational therapist, doing my stretches and exercises and massages at home, and I think overall we’re making progress. The biggest problem is that it’s a bit sensitive and achy, especially at night, which has been making it harder to sleep.

I’ve also been able to get back to exercising again, after a month or so off the weight machine. There are a couple of exercises my hand just won’t do yet, but I can get through most of them. I’m averaging about 10-20 pounds less than I was pre-surgery, which is frustrating, but I’ll get back up eventually.

The lightning bolt scar is coming in nicely. We’re trying to keep that from tightening up and restricting movement, but I do like the whole “I high-fived Thor and all I got was this lousy scar” vibe!

I met with the doctor again today, and we talked about next steps. The ring fingers on both hands have Dupuytren’s nodules that will need to be treated eventually. They’re nowhere near as advanced as I had on my pinky, thankfully. It sounds like both will be treated with injections to weaken the cords, then simply flexing the fingers backward to break them, freeing up the tendons and restoring motion.

I’m not looking forward to that.

But hey, I can once again put my hand in my pocket, don and remove gloves, type with all ten fingers, and much more. Yay, progress!

On Facebook last week, I mentioned that I seem to be collecting D-themed diseases. First diabetes, then depression. Now I have a third one to add to the mix.

During Penguicon, my wife noticed what looked like an elongated callus on my right hand, below the ring finger. (Spoiler: It’s not a tumor.) When it was still there two weeks later, I hopped online to do a little research, then went in to talk to the doctor. His diagnosis confirmed my guess, and the winner is…

Dupuytren’s Contracture

That link goes to the Wikipedia page, which includes a post-surgical picture with incision and stitches, so don’t click if that kind of stuff gets to you.

Basically, some connective tissue in my hand is misbehaving, which starts to restrict the extension of the tendon. Right now, it’s just a little vertical speed bump on my palm. Eventually, it will restrict the movement of my ring finger, and I won’t be able to extend it beyond a curved, clawlike position.

I think of this soon-to-be claw as the first step in my very, very slow transformation into a werewolf.

The good news is that it’s not painful, and it’s fairly straightforward to correct. Basically, the doctor said to let him know when it starts to become a problem, at which point he’ll hook me up with a hand surgeon to go in and clean out the affected tissue. Six weeks of recovery and physical therapy, and I’m good to go.

Note: I’m not looking for medical advice.

Dupuytren is less common in people my age. I guess I’m just precocious. There seems to be a correlation to diabetes as well. And it sounds like there’s a decent chance of recurrence in the long run.

Compared to some of the medical complications I’ve seen friends and family deal with, this is little more than an annoyance right now. I am a little anxious about the eventual surgery, though. I’m a writer, which is a much easier job for me to do with functional hands.

Fortunately, I should have a little while–maybe a few years?–before that becomes necessary.

The silver lining: It looks like the surgery leaves a zig-zag scar on your palm, which means after I heal, I’ll be able to tell people I stopped a Killing Curse WITH MY BARE HAND!