I visited Strahlenzentrum Hamburg in January, April and September 2016 for treatment for Dupuytren on both hands.On the first visit we
decided to treat only the right hand because the illness did not
I visited Strahlenzentrum Hamburg in January, April and September 2016 for treatment for Dupuytren on both hands.On the first visit we
decided to treat only the right hand because the illness did not seem to be very active on the left hand. However, by the time the
second visit for the right hand became due, the left hand had flared up quite dramatically.
I had the soft/hard patches forming on my
upper palms and strings starting to develop, but most importantly I had a strong burning sensation on both hands. I am a vegan,
non-smoker and non-drinker and mountain walker and I feel imbalances in my body very clearly.
I live in Bratislava and took my first
advice in Vienna, which is only an hour away. I always search the internet to learn about the illnesses I have and that is how I learnt
about Professor Seegenschmiedt in Hamburg. I read more and decided to go to Hamburg. I sent a few photographs and a summary of my
symptoms and got a reply within a couple of days inviiting me for treatment. Organising the visit with reception was informal and
efficient. Within 10 working days I was having my first treatment, which lasts a week for each series.
On the first day (a Monday)
Professor Seegenschmiedt or his colleague inspect your hands and feet to make sure that everything that needs to be treated will be
treated. An hour later you have the first radiation treatment which is completely painless. It was winter so I wore gloves to protect my
hands when I left the building. On the Thursday, you have another interview with the Professor or his colleague. You also pay on the
Thursday. On the Friday you have the last treatment of the week, making 5 sessions per series of treatment. On the Monday and the
Thursday you get fixed appointments but on the other days you can go when you like within their operating hours. Staff are all friendly
and helpful and also speak good English.
You can stay at hotels located on the same road as the clinic (18 minutes walk or 8 minutes
by bus from the clinic) or choose to stay in the city centre (about 45-55 minutes from the clinic depending on where you stay). I stayed
on the same road on the first visit and in the centre on the second. On the third visit I also stayed in the centre. It's more
expensive, but Hamburg has quite a lot to offer by way of things to do. On the second visit I took my partner and we went to an opera,
to a concert, visited musems and art galleries and took boat rides round the harbour and the Alster and canals. Hamburg people are very
friendly and helpful and we enjoyed the trips immensely even discounting the benefit of the treatment.
On the first 2 visits I flew
in on the Sunday night to be sure of making my appointment. On the third visit I flew in on the Monday morning after having checked the
weather forecast before booking my flight. On all 3 visits I flew out on the Friday afternoon. The clinic is 12 minutes by bus no. 292
from the airport (direction Ochsenzoll). Stop name for the clinic is Foorthkamp and you walk a further 100 metres or get off at
Oehrleckerring and walk 100 metres back. The buses show the name of each next stop electonically. On the same bus route between the
airport and the clinic are the hotels that are on the same street as the clinic. Bus stop Flughafenstrasse (the first stop after leaving
the airport) is outside the Courtyard Hotel. Bus stop Wischöfen is 200m before the Mercure Hotel Hamburg Airport. Most reports are that
the Mecure is better value but you might get an offer at the Courtyard in winter - I did.
You need 2 series of treatment per
hand/foot but they will do all hands/feet as necessary on the same appointment. On the first visit I had 1 series of 5 treatments for
the right hand, then on the second visit I had the second series for my right hand and the first series for the left hand. On the third
visit I had only the second series for the left hand.
Fees are very reasonable by UK standards. A first series costs EUR 792.37 for
one hand or EUR 1,208.29 for both hands. The second series is about EUR 180.00 cheaper in each case due to not needing the initial
inspection. Of course you have to add flights and hotels to that but it is still very reasonable when you consider that you are getting
world-leading advice and treatment. Additionally, they use electron radiation, which is gentler on the hands.
It's too early to say
whether my Dupuytren has stopped completely but what I can say is that at a minimum it has slowed down dramatically. The good thing
about the radiation treatment is that you can still have the modern surgery with the injection later if you need to.
I was not sure
whether I could spare a week in Hamburg for my third visit, so I tried to get treatment in Vienna. After researching carefuuly what took
place in Hamburg on the earlier visits I saw several radiologists and I learnt that in Vienna they simply don't have the knowledge or
the equipment to offer the same treatment. I had a good consultant but he couldn't get a radiologist to perform the treatment. Having
had the experience of my visits to Hamburg. I got the feeling that Vienna is a wasteland when it comes to treating Dupuytren with
radiation.
I feel myself very lucky to have found Strahlenzentrum Hamburg and would definitely recommend it to anybody.
NB. I was
helped greatly in making my decision and preparing for my visit by Alistair Cook's report of his visit on
http://www.pushandpullman.com/dupuytrensradiotherapy.html,
which goes into enormous detail about the treatment and decision-making
process and also offers more detail about the accomodation near the clinic. If the details I show above have convinced you that
treatment is doable for you or worth considering, I recommend that you visit the link above.
Reviewer: |
Username: | guernseypeter |
Age: | 55 yrs and above |
Location: | Bratislava, Slovakia |
Gender: | male |
Operation or treatment: | Electron radiotherapy |
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