Mina
Diamond Member
Background: As some of you know, the trauma that unleashed my PTSD was being bitten by my husband's Akita (100-lb dog) on my right hand. One of the places that was damaged was between my thumb and forefinger, where a tooth went in and almost came out my palm. It made a hole, with the tissue being shoved down towards my palm, forming a mass. The mass has been gone for some time, thanks to a lot of painful, deep massage to break it up.
Well, a few weeks ago, we were out hiking and I noticed a lump in my right hand. It was about 3/4" up my palm from where I had the tissue mass, and about the size of a pea. It almost seemed like a callus of sorts, as it was fairly firm and not painful...but it still concerned me enough to make an appointment with the hand specialist doctor.
Yesterday I went to the doctor. He diagnosed me with Dupuytren's Disease, which is a thickening of the tissue which holds the skin to the bones and tendons in your palm. Nodules and cords form, generally near where the pinky and ring fingers connect to the palm, and are often symmetrical. It is found mostly in people over 50, of Scandinavian ancestry. I am 30, and half Swedish.
However, Dupuytren's can also be brought on by trauma. Like a severe dogbite. Given that I am young, my left hand is normal, and the nodule formed very near one of the trauma sites in an area not typically affected, the doctor believes the onset is related to the bite (although I may have gotten it later in life anyway). The only known treatment is surgery, although that carries a number of complicating factors with it, including increasing the risk of recurrence. He doesn't want to do surgery now, since it's not impeding function nor causing pain.
Fabulous. One more physical reminder of what happened. Like I don't already see the scars and feel my stiff tendons every day.
I am just not really sure what to make of this. I mean, at least it's not something malignant and painful...it's not going to kill me, and I'm not going to miss another ski season because of the stupid dogbite. I'm just sorta numb about it. Part of me wants to be really happy because it could be so much worse, and part of me wants to break every dish in the house. And all of me wants to know why this had to happen, when DH and I have already fought through and dealt with so so much because of this damned dogbite.
Well, a few weeks ago, we were out hiking and I noticed a lump in my right hand. It was about 3/4" up my palm from where I had the tissue mass, and about the size of a pea. It almost seemed like a callus of sorts, as it was fairly firm and not painful...but it still concerned me enough to make an appointment with the hand specialist doctor.
Yesterday I went to the doctor. He diagnosed me with Dupuytren's Disease, which is a thickening of the tissue which holds the skin to the bones and tendons in your palm. Nodules and cords form, generally near where the pinky and ring fingers connect to the palm, and are often symmetrical. It is found mostly in people over 50, of Scandinavian ancestry. I am 30, and half Swedish.
However, Dupuytren's can also be brought on by trauma. Like a severe dogbite. Given that I am young, my left hand is normal, and the nodule formed very near one of the trauma sites in an area not typically affected, the doctor believes the onset is related to the bite (although I may have gotten it later in life anyway). The only known treatment is surgery, although that carries a number of complicating factors with it, including increasing the risk of recurrence. He doesn't want to do surgery now, since it's not impeding function nor causing pain.
Fabulous. One more physical reminder of what happened. Like I don't already see the scars and feel my stiff tendons every day.
I am just not really sure what to make of this. I mean, at least it's not something malignant and painful...it's not going to kill me, and I'm not going to miss another ski season because of the stupid dogbite. I'm just sorta numb about it. Part of me wants to be really happy because it could be so much worse, and part of me wants to break every dish in the house. And all of me wants to know why this had to happen, when DH and I have already fought through and dealt with so so much because of this damned dogbite.
