Nails are coming off

laurissa
laurissa Member Posts: 773
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Are the nails the last to go? The white tips are getting lower and lower as they are lifting off the nailbed. It's not painful, just looks nasty. I have to keep filing them down. My chemo was done in January and this just started a few weeks ago. Lashes and brows are still holding on, half of them anyway. Anyone else having nail problems? When do they start growing back healthy?
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Comments

  • natly15
    natly15 Member Posts: 1,941
    #2
    Mine are breaking but havent
    Mine are breaking but havent lifted off the nailbed. I sure hope they dont start lifting.
  • Skeezie
    Skeezie Member Posts: 586 Member
    #3
    natly15 said:

    Mine are breaking but havent
    Mine are breaking but havent lifted off the nailbed. I sure hope they dont start lifting.

    Mine are full of horizontal ridges all
    across the nail. So far they have grown to 2/3 of the nail. Some nails have flaking on some of the ridges and where the nail has grown out it's a funny white color. And half of the nail closest to the nail bed is a lighter pink, almost white. I am keeping Nail Envy by Opi (3 and 4 coats) on the nails and that helps fill in the ridges and flakes. It almost seems as tho some of the new growth by the nail bed is smooth without any ridges. I can almost count 4 ridges, one for each chemo treatment. They don't hurt and don't seem to be lifting. Toenails are normal. I finished chemo 12-11.

    Judy :-)
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #4
    Skeezie said:

    Mine are full of horizontal ridges all
    across the nail. So far they have grown to 2/3 of the nail. Some nails have flaking on some of the ridges and where the nail has grown out it's a funny white color. And half of the nail closest to the nail bed is a lighter pink, almost white. I am keeping Nail Envy by Opi (3 and 4 coats) on the nails and that helps fill in the ridges and flakes. It almost seems as tho some of the new growth by the nail bed is smooth without any ridges. I can almost count 4 ridges, one for each chemo treatment. They don't hurt and don't seem to be lifting. Toenails are normal. I finished chemo 12-11.

    Judy :-)

    nails keep breaking not
    nails keep breaking not lifting so far. very fragile. cant open a soda can or anything, I use the nail polish as well. I wonder how long this goes on for. Maybe when the waether is better, this is just a little worse than the winter breakage from the dryness in the house. also nail beds are darker and thumb has some red streaks.
  • angel46
    angel46 Member Posts: 13
    #5
    nails
    Just went to my Podi. cuz three of my toe nails on R side have fallen off, just like yours. I finished chemo Dec. 1st. started turning white at the bottom lifted and fell off. He said just keep them filed like you are doing, it happens with chemo and they will grow back. I hate that cuz I'm going on a much needed cruise next month,and and I got ugly feet:( oh well, guess we can't be pretty every where...the ugly got to come out somewhere...HA HA. Angel
  • prv
    prv Member Posts: 107
    #6
    angel46 said:

    nails
    Just went to my Podi. cuz three of my toe nails on R side have fallen off, just like yours. I finished chemo Dec. 1st. started turning white at the bottom lifted and fell off. He said just keep them filed like you are doing, it happens with chemo and they will grow back. I hate that cuz I'm going on a much needed cruise next month,and and I got ugly feet:( oh well, guess we can't be pretty every where...the ugly got to come out somewhere...HA HA. Angel

    same here!
    I finished taxol 12/8/09 and have had alot of trouble with my nails since. I had several nails with sub nail bleeding and lost a great toenail just last week. All other nails have lifted off nailbed and look awful and are hard to keep clean. My onc doc says that they will grow back though.
    Hang in there!
    prv
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #7
    prv said:

    same here!
    I finished taxol 12/8/09 and have had alot of trouble with my nails since. I had several nails with sub nail bleeding and lost a great toenail just last week. All other nails have lifted off nailbed and look awful and are hard to keep clean. My onc doc says that they will grow back though.
    Hang in there!
    prv

    Yep .. Taxol and any form of Taxol will damage both
    nails and toe nails, from what my ono and staff states. My finger nails look UGLY, and ready to fall off at a moments notice. I try to file weekly - a few have lifted. Bleed with I'm in too much water .. Did I mention my hands look UGLY ..

    I've tried keeping vit E on them, and switch over to tree tea several times a week. Oh well, just another nasty side effort of chemo.


    VickiSam
  • pinkkari09
    pinkkari09 Member Posts: 877
    #8
    Ah you guys are scaring me!!
    Ah you guys are scaring me!! I finished chemo 1-14-10, had surgery 2-11-10 (Both ovaries, bilateral with latissimus dorsi recon.), start rads 3-15-10 and your saying I could still lose my nails, YIKES! What do I look for and what do I do??
    ~Kari
  • sausageroll
    sausageroll Member Posts: 415
    #9
    pinkkari09 said:

    Ah you guys are scaring me!!
    Ah you guys are scaring me!! I finished chemo 1-14-10, had surgery 2-11-10 (Both ovaries, bilateral with latissimus dorsi recon.), start rads 3-15-10 and your saying I could still lose my nails, YIKES! What do I look for and what do I do??
    ~Kari

    Nails
    Unfortunately, there is not much you can do. I lost all my nails during chemo. I finished last March and still have some nail problems. During chemo, I would loose all the skin on my hands and that has not completely gone away, although it is not as bad.
    I guess the main thing when nails come off is to keep the areas really clean and protect your toes with soft shoes.

    Good luck!
  • Sharon_D
    Sharon_D Member Posts: 55
    #10
    sausageroll said:

    Nails
    Unfortunately, there is not much you can do. I lost all my nails during chemo. I finished last March and still have some nail problems. During chemo, I would loose all the skin on my hands and that has not completely gone away, although it is not as bad.
    I guess the main thing when nails come off is to keep the areas really clean and protect your toes with soft shoes.

    Good luck!

    from tip to cuticle
    Maybe we could bring back the "Michael Jackson Silver Glove Look"!!

    My nails are full of ridges from tip to cuticle but they start breaking from side to side just far enough back that you can't trim them without cutting half your finger off. However, one thumb nail split right down the middle. Now how do you trim that one?

    Man, isn't chemo an adventure??

    Anyone's ears fell off yet?? LOL
  • Weezie2010
    Weezie2010 Member Posts: 11
    #11
    Sharon_D said:

    from tip to cuticle
    Maybe we could bring back the "Michael Jackson Silver Glove Look"!!

    My nails are full of ridges from tip to cuticle but they start breaking from side to side just far enough back that you can't trim them without cutting half your finger off. However, one thumb nail split right down the middle. Now how do you trim that one?

    Man, isn't chemo an adventure??

    Anyone's ears fell off yet?? LOL

    LOL
    Sharon, wow I would not have thought it possible to laugh so hard on a bc discussion board. thank you!
  • Sharon_D
    Sharon_D Member Posts: 55
    #12
    Weezie2010 said:

    LOL
    Sharon, wow I would not have thought it possible to laugh so hard on a bc discussion board. thank you!

    Wellllll
    Weezie, now you're getting to know me. ;-)
  • dash4
    dash4 Member Posts: 303 Member
    #13
    Sharon_D said:

    Wellllll
    Weezie, now you're getting to know me. ;-)

    laughing...
    Sharon,
    Thanks for the laughter...my endorphins are healing me already!
    mk
  • MAJW
    MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
    #14
    Nails........
    I was warned at the very beginning of chemo to take extra good care of my nails and toenails...I used Sally Hansen Triple strength faithfully and on my toesnails too.....My nails grew rock hard,very tick. I actually had to cut them in addition to filing them weekly.....Now, I did and still do have the ridges, I finished chemo the end of August 09..so that's 7 months.....my two big toenails look AWFUL....they are yellowed and have dark spots under them......I just keep polish on the ugly looking things! I never lost any fingernails or toesnails...I keep the nails polished also. I was told it would take about a year from everything to return to normal as the nails have to grow completely out..I can see a big difference in the nails at the nail bed and half way out......It's just another of what I call "chemo, the gift that keeps on giving!"
    Best to you all
  • dash4
    dash4 Member Posts: 303 Member
    #15
    MAJW said:

    Nails........
    I was warned at the very beginning of chemo to take extra good care of my nails and toenails...I used Sally Hansen Triple strength faithfully and on my toesnails too.....My nails grew rock hard,very tick. I actually had to cut them in addition to filing them weekly.....Now, I did and still do have the ridges, I finished chemo the end of August 09..so that's 7 months.....my two big toenails look AWFUL....they are yellowed and have dark spots under them......I just keep polish on the ugly looking things! I never lost any fingernails or toesnails...I keep the nails polished also. I was told it would take about a year from everything to return to normal as the nails have to grow completely out..I can see a big difference in the nails at the nail bed and half way out......It's just another of what I call "chemo, the gift that keeps on giving!"
    Best to you all

    which ones?
    Which chemos cause the nail problems?
    mk
  • laurissa
    laurissa Member Posts: 773
    #16
    Thanks all
    I was on cytoxin and taxotere. I'm now having a painful middle finger. Getting hang nails and catching on things. I'll be wearing bandaids pretty soon.
  • laynie
    laynie Member Posts: 4
    #17
    laurissa said:

    Thanks all
    I was on cytoxin and taxotere. I'm now having a painful middle finger. Getting hang nails and catching on things. I'll be wearing bandaids pretty soon.

    nails falling off
    I was on taxotere and finished Feb. 10th. One of my finger nails turned yellow and the finger tip swelled WAY up. They gave me antibiotics, which didn't do anything. Now I'm on anti-fungal meds, which seem to have reduced the swelling. That nail just fell off, but now 7 of the others have turned yellow and red and loosened from the nail bed. They all smell terrible, too! Now the toenails are slightly yellow. Did this happen- the smell, discharge from under the nail etc.?
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #18
    Sharon_D said:

    from tip to cuticle
    Maybe we could bring back the "Michael Jackson Silver Glove Look"!!

    My nails are full of ridges from tip to cuticle but they start breaking from side to side just far enough back that you can't trim them without cutting half your finger off. However, one thumb nail split right down the middle. Now how do you trim that one?

    Man, isn't chemo an adventure??

    Anyone's ears fell off yet?? LOL

    Sharon, you have a great
    Sharon, you have a great sense of humor! Thanks!
  • Kathy09
    Kathy09 Member Posts: 99
    #19
    laynie said:

    nails falling off
    I was on taxotere and finished Feb. 10th. One of my finger nails turned yellow and the finger tip swelled WAY up. They gave me antibiotics, which didn't do anything. Now I'm on anti-fungal meds, which seem to have reduced the swelling. That nail just fell off, but now 7 of the others have turned yellow and red and loosened from the nail bed. They all smell terrible, too! Now the toenails are slightly yellow. Did this happen- the smell, discharge from under the nail etc.?

    Oh yes
    Just as you described they still are about 1/2 done seems like they are drying up. My lst chem was oct. 09. 8 of 10 nails still look bad. Toes nails not so bad, they say to keep your hands out of water....right.... I figure thats why my toes arn't in as bad of shape.
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
    #20
    Kathy09 said:

    Oh yes
    Just as you described they still are about 1/2 done seems like they are drying up. My lst chem was oct. 09. 8 of 10 nails still look bad. Toes nails not so bad, they say to keep your hands out of water....right.... I figure thats why my toes arn't in as bad of shape.

    my nail went south about 2
    my nail went south about 2 months after chemo ended. I had AC and the Taxol. The turned black and blue and hurt really bad. Then they turned white and have white lines that split now and tear. I also used product all the time to keep the strong but it did not work. I have used tea tree oil which helps with the dryness a bit. Lost 2 toe nail. Still waiting for all to come back to normal.
  • Sher43009
    Sher43009 Member Posts: 602 Member
    #21
    Kat11 said:

    my nail went south about 2
    my nail went south about 2 months after chemo ended. I had AC and the Taxol. The turned black and blue and hurt really bad. Then they turned white and have white lines that split now and tear. I also used product all the time to keep the strong but it did not work. I have used tea tree oil which helps with the dryness a bit. Lost 2 toe nail. Still waiting for all to come back to normal.

    I finished chemo (4 A/C, 1
    I finished chemo (4 A/C, 1 Taxol) last Oct. and my toe nails are still red, with horizontal ridges and lifting. I hope they grow out soon. Both hands and feet are very dry and peel. And now I'm on my second set of eyelashes. I've had 7 of 17 herceptins every 3 weeks so I don't know if it's from that or not. I'm also on Tamoxefin so life is fun with all these new side effects! I've been told it takes one year from the end of treatment to stop getting side effects from that treatment.

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