Egyptian mummy

So I am still looking into evidence of people having Dupuytren's contracture in the past. The picture of a hand in the Chauvet cave is a possible, the mummy that was found in Egypt with bend fingers looks more unlikel. I founf 2 pictures of the hand in a publication, the MCP joints are straight or even hyperextended, the PIP and DIP joints are flexed. So the finger itself is bend but not the joint that connects it to the hand. In Dupuytren's that joint would flex as well, this mummy more likely had ulnar paralysis, a nerve dysfunction possible caused by trauma to the hand or arm. Shame, but we have to be honest about it.

Asklepios and his contemporaries do look interesting, I found 3 cases where a useless hand was made beter by someone standing on it, just like Sigmundr did in the Iceland saga. And I can't think of any other condition that would be cured by someone forcing the hand straight, traumatic cord rupture would be the only explanation. Must have hurt though!

Our training days are not happening, we still have not been able to set a date as Gary is too busy, and the company that was doing it does want more than one person there as it's no good one person only being able to maintain the website, if I'm on holiday, ill or have computer trouble someone else has to be able to take over. My mother offered to be the 2nd person, but seeing she is 74 tomorrow and already has been 'persuaded' to look after the charities finances, I think that wold be a bit too much. Besides we usually go on holiday together, so it would still mean no updates in that time. So we really need some ore people helping with te charity, one of whom who would be willing to spend a day in London to learn more about website maintenance.

 

That's all for now!    Anna

It would seem our summer is coming to an end. A shame, because most Dupuytren's patients have less pain (yes I know it is a painfree disease!) in the warmer weather.

We are still trying to arrange a training day for web maintenance, it's not easy getting 3 people tpgether who all have different work schedules. We'll see what we can do. Meanwhile I have collected some more pictures for the editorial we were working on 6 months ago, thanks to the patients who were willing to share their hands!

Judith is busy babysitting and working, so she has less time to do charity work at the moment. Gary and Wolfgang have put together a survey to get some statistics on Dupuytren's and Ledderhose for the next conference. If you haven't participated yet: this is the address http://esurv.org/online-survey.php?surveyID=LKJLGJ_4263bf5d&u=DupLed  

We have also set up a closed group connected to our Faceboook pages, for people who want a bit more privacy when discussing their medical problems. If you want to join just send a request and we will let you in as soon as we notice.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1462124944043779/?notif_t=group_added_to_group

I a still looking into Asklepios' healings, have bought a few books via Amazon and Abe Books and I'm having a good time reading about heads being cut off and put back on again, women asking Asklepios to help them get pregnant (which he seemed to have no problem doing!) and all kinds of wonderful cures that you could not use today anymore. As soon as I have something to report I will do so.

For now I think our plan of writing a 'science page' to explain about MMP's, growth factors and transforming factors, catenins and all that kind of stuff that influences the cells in the fascia seems to have been put on hold, I still have trouble getting my head around all that stuff so can't explain it in simple terms on paper either. Besides Asklepios teaching are far more entertaining ('please may I get pregnant?' Ok fine, do you want anything else? 'No only to get pregnant' - 3 years later- 'Please may the baby be born as well?' I thought you did not want anything except pregnancy! ) Good reading.

I hope you are all keeping well.

 

Anna

July 2014

Thanks to Gary for his post, I have been a bit lazy with the blog recently. So now I will let everyone know what I've been up to.

 

Mainly I have been trying to prepare for the upcoming NICE technology appraisal, the next step in NICE deciding whether to allow Xiapex on the NHS in England or not. I have read through 289 pages of statistical language and formulated a comment. I do not like statistics, too much like high school mathematics!

I also found out I will have to be a patient expert at the meeting, instead of observer, as for different reasons the patients who were nominated pulled out, and the others who had been willing could not arrange to come at short notice. Good thing I had taken the week of work already planning to observe the proceedings! Not having had collagenase injections myself I hope I can give a patients perspective, and explain to the comittee why some patients prefer an injection to surgery. I think I can, having had surgery twice myself anything has to be better that offers a faster recovery and return to normal life, even if it might have to be repeated sooner than surgery.

 

I have also been searching for old texts about Asklepios, or Aesculapius (the ancient Greek healer after whom the doctors Aesculapian Staff is named), as he is supposed to have healed someone with Dupuytren's by touching or massaging their hand. That has not been easy, I send out lots of emails and finally have been pointed toward a book that may help me. Available to read in the Wellcome library in London, but also for not too much money from Amazon, and that way I can take my time over it. So I am waiting for that to arrive, coming from the USA it can be a few weeks.

 

Dupuytren's has been named as a disease that can be caused by working with Vibrating tools, so anyone who has done so for 10 years or more and then develops Dupuytren's has a chance of getting disability payment. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dupuytrens-contracture-due-to-hand-transmitted-vibration-iiac-report 

 

That is a short summary of news in the world of DD patients. More news can be found on our facebook page, where I tend to post any links to interesting articles that I find. https://www.facebook.com/britdupsoc?ref_type=bookmark 

 

Keep well and look after your hands! (and other body parts)

Anna