Do you have 'moons"?

Rague
Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
in Breast Cancer #1
"Moons" as in the lighter area at the base of your nails - do you have them? I never have had any.

Today I was at the fabric store looking at some material when a woman told me that I should see a Dr as I have cancer. My first thought was why are you saying this - my hair is back and my pros. looks great under clothes so what the "?"! According to her, you will loose your 'moons' while you have cancer growing in you. Well being IBC - it's possible that mets are trying to form BUT in all the 65 years I can remember I've never had 'moons' - Daddy didn't either.

So do you have "moons"? Or heard that having or not having them has anything to do with cancer?

Susan

Comments

  • Gabe N Abby Mom
    Gabe N Abby Mom Member Posts: 2,413
    #2
    Hmmm...fascinating. I have
    Hmmm...fascinating. I have never heard anything about moons and their relationship to cancer. I just had to look at my fingers...I usually have moons and don't have any in my fingers right now. I do still have the moons in my thumbs. And as you may know, I'm dealing with recurrence right now.

    I would think though, that if you've never had moons that their absence is not a good indicator of cancer.

    I'm curious to see what others have to say on this.

    Hugs,

    Linda
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #3
    Gabe N Abby Mom said:

    Hmmm...fascinating. I have
    Hmmm...fascinating. I have never heard anything about moons and their relationship to cancer. I just had to look at my fingers...I usually have moons and don't have any in my fingers right now. I do still have the moons in my thumbs. And as you may know, I'm dealing with recurrence right now.

    I would think though, that if you've never had moons that their absence is not a good indicator of cancer.

    I'm curious to see what others have to say on this.

    Hugs,

    Linda

    Well - I can't swear that I
    Well - I can't swear that I never had any but I definately can remember that I haven't had any for at least 45+ yrs. I never thought about 'moons' til I started Beauty College. Before you go on the floor you work on each other - the first gal that did a manicure on me screamed for the Instructor - there was something WRONG with my nails - I had no 'moons'. Yeah it was a bit traumatic/upsetting but then I guess you had to be there LOL. Over the years, I've gotten manicures every now and then and it's always commented on that I have no 'moons'. IBC only showed up a bit over 2 yrs ago.

    Susan
  • mollyz
    mollyz Member Posts: 756 Member
    #4
    Rague said:

    Well - I can't swear that I
    Well - I can't swear that I never had any but I definately can remember that I haven't had any for at least 45+ yrs. I never thought about 'moons' til I started Beauty College. Before you go on the floor you work on each other - the first gal that did a manicure on me screamed for the Instructor - there was something WRONG with my nails - I had no 'moons'. Yeah it was a bit traumatic/upsetting but then I guess you had to be there LOL. Over the years, I've gotten manicures every now and then and it's always commented on that I have no 'moons'. IBC only showed up a bit over 2 yrs ago.

    Susan

    never heard of it!!!!!
    Sorry i have never heard of it,but now that i think about i had acrylic nails on the whole time i did chemo and i didn't have any(moons) and i definitly will check next week when i get my nails done,they look better now, my thumb nails turned a little dark and thats all during chemo. MOLLYZ
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #5
    mollyz said:

    never heard of it!!!!!
    Sorry i have never heard of it,but now that i think about i had acrylic nails on the whole time i did chemo and i didn't have any(moons) and i definitly will check next week when i get my nails done,they look better now, my thumb nails turned a little dark and thats all during chemo. MOLLYZ

    I just have moons on my
    I just have moons on my thumbs from what i can tell, the lighting isnt good here. Maybe you have come upon something, but then again I hope not!
  • cinnamonsmile
    cinnamonsmile Member Posts: 1,187 Member
    #6
    I have had moons on my
    I have had moons on my fingernails since I was a child.
  • sweetvickid
    sweetvickid Member Posts: 459 Member
    #7
    She is full of it. I have
    She is full of it. I have always had moons. Before during and after.
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #8
    The moons are actually
    The half moons at the base of your nails are actually called lunula and an absence or discoloration can be an indication of health problems. See:

    Examining the Fingernails

    http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/571916_3

    P.S. I have always had "moons" and have never noticed a problem with my nails.
  • Tkitty
    Tkitty Member Posts: 56
    #9
    CypressCynthia said:

    The moons are actually
    The half moons at the base of your nails are actually called lunula and an absence or discoloration can be an indication of health problems. See:

    Examining the Fingernails

    http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/571916_3

    P.S. I have always had "moons" and have never noticed a problem with my nails.

    I have the half moons on my
    I have the half moons on my thumbs only. However, they did disappear while I was on chemo. Chemo did do some interesting things to my finger and toe nails. They are about halfway grown back now and I can tell the new growth from the time I was having chemo.
  • camul
    camul Member Posts: 2,537
    #10
    I have always had moons,
    I have always had moons, before, during, and after cancer the first time, and all through this time. Today was my 25th treatment this year, and I have moons. Hopefully this means that I am healthy, with the exception of cancer.
  • skipper54
    skipper54 Member Posts: 936 Member
    #11
    camul said:

    I have always had moons,
    I have always had moons, before, during, and after cancer the first time, and all through this time. Today was my 25th treatment this year, and I have moons. Hopefully this means that I am healthy, with the exception of cancer.

    only have moons when I'm really into manicures and pushing
    back the cuticals. That means hardly ever 'cause I'm too busy and/or tired to care about it. I did have lines on my fingernails during and right after chemo - looked kind of like growth rings in a tree. You could look at them and say, chemo treatment, off, chemo treatment, off . . .

    Changes in hair and nails can indicate health issues but I didn't experience that with the bc. My hair changed in 93 when I developed fibroids though. Everyone is different! Don't let her "psych you out"!
  • mckevnic
    mckevnic Member Posts: 71
    #12
    skipper54 said:

    only have moons when I'm really into manicures and pushing
    back the cuticals. That means hardly ever 'cause I'm too busy and/or tired to care about it. I did have lines on my fingernails during and right after chemo - looked kind of like growth rings in a tree. You could look at them and say, chemo treatment, off, chemo treatment, off . . .

    Changes in hair and nails can indicate health issues but I didn't experience that with the bc. My hair changed in 93 when I developed fibroids though. Everyone is different! Don't let her "psych you out"!

    Never had them!
    I lived a pretty healthy life until my bc diagnosis and I can honestly say that I NEVER had moons before and still don't. I have trouble believing that theory.

    Chris
  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
    #13
    Susan
    I've never heard about the relationship between having moons and cancer. I have always had small moons on my fingernails.
    {{hugs}} Char
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #14
    mckevnic said:

    Never had them!
    I lived a pretty healthy life until my bc diagnosis and I can honestly say that I NEVER had moons before and still don't. I have trouble believing that theory.

    Chris

    Chris, you can't always
    Chris, you can't always determine whether you have moons on your own as they can be hidden. Many people just have them visible on the thumbs. If you truly don't have them, you can be at risk (not for breast cancer but more for nutritional deficiencies and anemia). See my above post for more info.

    But please talk with your physician (if you can't find them hiding below your thumb cuticles).
  • mwallace1325
    mwallace1325 Member Posts: 806
    #15
    Wow, interesting
    I've never heard that one. I have moons but just on my thumbs. I don't think there's a correlation because those are the only two moons I've ever had, as long as I can remember.

    Even if there were a correlation in some people what a strange thing for a stranger to say to someone. I'd continue to put more stock in your drs and p/a rather than the stranger if I were you.

    marge
  • dbhadra
    dbhadra Member Posts: 344 Member
    #16
    mwallace1325 said:

    Wow, interesting
    I've never heard that one. I have moons but just on my thumbs. I don't think there's a correlation because those are the only two moons I've ever had, as long as I can remember.

    Even if there were a correlation in some people what a strange thing for a stranger to say to someone. I'd continue to put more stock in your drs and p/a rather than the stranger if I were you.

    marge

    interesting!
    I also had to look at my fingers...I only have moons on my thumbs. My cuticles tend to creep up so hides the moons on my other fingers. I don;t think I've ever had moons anywhere but my thumbs.

    It is a bit of a strange remark to make to an unknown person, though.

    In a way wouldn't it be nice if there were such an easy way to detect cancer (hopefully at very early stages)???

    Laura
  • jendrey
    jendrey Member Posts: 377
    #17
    dbhadra said:

    interesting!
    I also had to look at my fingers...I only have moons on my thumbs. My cuticles tend to creep up so hides the moons on my other fingers. I don;t think I've ever had moons anywhere but my thumbs.

    It is a bit of a strange remark to make to an unknown person, though.

    In a way wouldn't it be nice if there were such an easy way to detect cancer (hopefully at very early stages)???

    Laura

    ...
    Well, leave it to me to be the oddest one about...! =D

    K, here goes:
    ... Left hand - moons are on middle and index finger as well my thumb
    ... Right hand - moons are on my pinky and ring finger as well as my thumb

    Wonder what the mindless shopper would say to that?!! lol ;p

    Now I'm off to explore Cynthia's link. =)
  • laughs_a_lot
    laughs_a_lot Member Posts: 1,368 Member
    #18
    moons
    Moons on thumbs are still there but a bit smaller than I remember them being. Smaller moons than I've seen for years on all my fingers. I'd like to think the smaller moons mean that I have been fighting the beast tooth and nail and that I am winning.

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