When Carolyn from Bristol offered to write about her recent experience of having radiotherapy to treat Ledderhose Disease, we were very grateful for her contribution. We hope other sufferers will find her story useful:
I’m Carolyn, I’m 51, and I live and work in Bristol.
I have suffered from Dupuytren’s Disease on my left hand for a number of years, but after completing a half marathon power walk for charity some years ago, I noticed I had developed several small lumps on the soft tissue in the middle of the soles of both feet.
In January 2015, I had my first five sessions of radiotherapy at the Cancer Partners UK centre in Southampton. The night before the first treatment I was a little worried at what it would be like but when I got to the centre any fears or negative thoughts slipped away as all the staff were so welcoming and supportive.
The radiotherapists set me up using the shields that had been made for me and the actual treatment only took 30 seconds per foot! I felt nothing while the treatment was being administered and was comfortably lying on the treatment couch. Before I knew it, the first treatment was over. By the evening, I was a little sore and swollen from the radiation but nothing too uncomfortable, and that seemed to disappear overnight. I had another four days of treatment, and each evening, I was sore on both feet.
Once home I had a little swelling and surface dryness – I had been informed that this was normal and had been issued an enormous pot of E45 to use to counteract the dryness. Over the next few days, the swelling disappeared, and any dryness too.
I had a break of eight weeks and did not notice much change in the size of my lumps. I returned to Southampton for a further five days of treatment in March 2015. During these five days, I did have increased sensitivity after treatment each day and was a little swollen after each treatment. The last day of treatment was quite emotional for me as I had to say thank you and goodbye to all the wonderful people at the radiotherapy centre in Southampton who had been so supportive to me.
It’s now one month after the second round of treatment sessions, and my “marbles” are definitely smaller – my left foot is the better of the two.
I am still wearing memory foam insoles in my shoes and trainers as most shoes are still a little uncomfortable (I have almost resigned myself to the fact that “heels” will never be an option for me again), but I have been able to get back to power walking which is just fantastic. At the beginning of the year, I could hardly stand for a half-hour without pain, and now I’m power walking five miles three times a week!
I am now awaiting my six-month consultation with Dr Shaffer.
Our centres
Appointments with Dr Shaffer take place in London, Guildford and Nottingham. Treatment can be delivered in any of 15 centres around the UK (Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Cromwell, Elstree, Guildford, London Cromwell, Wimbledon Cancer Centre London, Maidstone, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Oxford, Portsmouth, Southampton, Windsor). See below for details:
