Hands

Hey Nice Lady,

Sorry to write so late. I was watching "Captain Phillips" (really intense, but good), then I went on my walk. It was an average day at Pearl's. I don't know if I ever mentioned it to you, but I am dealing with a condition in my hands called Dupuytren's Contracture. Thank goodness for the Internet or I wouldn't know what it was, or what it was called. It's nothing catastrophic, but it is a little worrisome because it is advancing. Both my parents had it, so I guess it must be hereditary, but looking back, when I think about their hands, I always thought that what they had was arthritis.

About a year and a half ago, I noticed I was getting some thickened tissue in the upper palm of my left hand, just below my index finger. It felt like little lumps were forming there, and the tissue was puffy. I attributed it to using my dumbells. I thought it was callousses (sp?). As time passed, the thickening of the tissue progressed to the index finger itself, so that the lower part of the finger looked swollen. I found I couldn't stretch my hand out as far as I'd always been able to, but I still didn't think too much of it. But about a year ago, I noticed the index finger was getting stiff where it meets the palm. So, I Googled the symptoms, and I found out I have a Dupuytren's Contracture, named after the doctor who diagnosed it a few hundred years ago. Then I thought, "oh boy, I got it from my folks". It's supposed to be hereditary in people of Northern European descent. My heritage is almost 100% English, so close enough.

Anyhow, both Mom and Dad had, by late middle age, index fingers that were entirely bent down to the palm, as if you were closing that one finger. I don't remember which hand they were on. My parents never mentioned the fingers, until I brought it up once, and as I said, they just thought it was arthritis. But what they both had was an advanced case of Dupuytren's.

Now I've got it, in my left index finger, which is bent at about a 20 degree angle. It's far from closed up, and I can still play my guitar pretty much as per usual. But in the last six months I have developed a similar swelling in my right pinkie, and it has started to curl, in what is called a "swan neck" deformity. I found out my sister has the same swan neck pinkie. It's funny about hands, you don't really notice other people's too much, cause they are at their sides, or not obvious, in any case. But when I mentioned what was happening to my hands to my sister, she showed me her pinkie, which is majorly swan-necked. She's just got it in the one hand, and my research tells me that women generally get less severe cases of Dupuytren's.

I have it in both hands, and it has become noticeable since last Summer. Other people would not notice it yet, but I am able to feel it's effects in simple take-for-granted things like washing my hands and putting my hands in my pants pockets to retrieve keys.

Now, like I say it's not catastrophic, but because I saw what happened to my parent's fingers, I did a lot of Googling and I see that there really is no cure, just hand surgeries that may or may not alleviate it. It almost always comes back, according to the research I have done. Not sure I would wanna get my hands cut open for something that is temporary relief.

The good news is that not everybody gets a severe case. Many folks just get a partial closing of the finger(s), and I have been reading about homeopathic treatments to slow it down or stop it, and I read that Witch Hazel is a good possibility for softening up the tissue, so I've been rubbing it into the affected fingers recently. Only time will tell if it has any effect, but I think it just might.

There are far worse things than Dupuytren's Contracture, that's for sure. But I just mention it cause I play guitar, and my hands, in the last year or so, aren't as supple as they used to be. I have a finger on each hand going bad, but then I also have three good fingers and a thumb on each hand that work just fine.

So, it's just dumb stuff, but it's good for me to mention it, and I may just have one of those cases where it's a mild contracture.

Anyhow, that's all I know for tonight. Django Reinhardt played guitar with two fingers (that's all he had), so if he can do it, so can I.

I will see you in the morn, my Angel. I Love You.   xoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)