Mees line on nails or toenails?

It may have been related to the autoimmune condition (psoriasis) that fully developed in my teens. They are related to cutaneous (skin) conditions. I did not have cancer until 45 years later.

... I would have been interested in reading Fluffydog63's reply...

Even though it may likely not have anything to do with lymphoma.

PBL

ShadyGuy said:

For What Its Worth

i developed these lines before being diagnosed with FNHL. Two Drs. with no real tests assumed I had psoriatic arthritis. With treatment for lymphoma it all went away. Lost a good friend today to liver cancer. She had just turned 60 on Wednesday and had retired July 31 (rule of 90). Would have received her first retirement check on Sept 1. I mention her because we once discussed this very topic. Bottom line is that meese lines could mean a lot or mean nothing. They are not a reliable indicator of anything in particular.

 

Shady,

Sorry about your friend..... My brother's mother-in-law was similiar. She had been treated for pancreatitis for about a year.  Finally, they did further testing, and predictably, it was pancreatic cancer.  She died four days later.  

You may have heard my line to people who are being treated long-term for "lumps" by ENTs:  Dont let an ENT antibiotic you to death.   I recall numerous such accounts here over the years.

As Jeremy Renner said in a different context in the bankrobber movie The Town:  It's more common than ya think.

I love when a doctor tells someone that something is 'nothng.'  But if it were 'nothing,' it would not present itself.  Ergo, it is 'someting,' albeit perhaps nothing important.  What they really mean is that it is 'nothing they can explain.'  Given my medical history of severe trauma (run over by a car in 1986) and two cancers, I am told all the time that stuff is 'nothing.'  Or more commonly for me, it is nuanced as 'nothing treatable.'  

I'm ok with that; I smile and thank them and go pay the bill at checkout.  I was told that this week by my GP:  I have a new pain in my ulna (forearm bone).  About midway from my wrist to elbow, if a precise spot is touched, a horrible pain flashes immediately.  It never is spontaneous, only when hit in the right, exact spot. No lumps are detectable, no discoloration. The bone feels smooth.  It does not radiate to the hand, so she said it is not a nerve.  Diagnosis: 'nothing.'  I was a little concerned, since relapsed Lymphoma and Prostate cancers both sometimes first reappear as disitant bone tumors. But I digress....

My general point is that usually, something is actually something, and warrants follow-up.  As Billy Preston sang in his 70s hit:  "Nothin from nuthin leaves nuthin; you gotta have somethin."

max

.

Eczema and psoriasis are skin-related autoimmune diseases, and both can produce these manifestations in the nails. Frankly, I had not heard of them being associated with cancer. If I were you, I would be leaning toward an autoimmune condition, as they are more common than most folks expect. Arthritis? Autoimmune. Eczema? Same thing. Crohn's? Lupus? Same thing. Nearly all skin and joint problems relate in some way to autoimmune conditions. Same with intestinal probelms, various organ malfunctions, even eye trouble. Our immune systems are unbelievably complex and powerful. For example, if we turn my immune system loose, there is a good chance that it will kill me, since it is a transplanted immune system. They are an incredibly powerful and even fearful defense against many pathogens.  

Muerhrcke's lines are another possibility.  But as Po indicates, these things are not diagnostic.  As he says, evalutation by a good rheumatologist/immunologist might be a good idea.

I too had Beau's lines like Rocquie. One white band for each chemo cycle... Actually, they're such an insignificant side effect that they're not often mentioned. My first dose literally blew my left big toenail off its bed! The hematologist advised me to tape it in place - which I did for nearly a year, till it had grown sufficiently to be cut off. It's now nearly back to normal - slightly deformed. Small price to pay for chemo to potentially add years to your life - but that's another topic altogether.

The fact is that nail anomalies are a good indicator of health problems to whoever has the proper training to identify them - but these can range from minor and insignificant, to major issues.

A dermatologist should normally have been able to name whatever anomalies were displayed in your case. Which brings me back to my original question, Fluffydog63: how did you get that specific diagnosis?

My point here is something I have been reflecting upon for quite a while now, if you'll all allow me to state it.

A disclaimer first: this is a delicate subject, and what I want to express is not aimed at anyone in particular and, in fact, arises from my deep sympathy for everyone who feels the need to seek reassurance about their health. I hope I am not too clumsy in phrasing it. Here goes:

It seems to me that not a week goes by without someone new to this forum posting about a whole array of symptoms they've been experiencing. They have googled those, and freaked themselves out. Sometimes, they have been going around to multiple doctors and feel they have not received adequate attention from those professionals. I can totally relate to that.

More often than not, however, that person will simply disappear from the forum after exchanging a couple of posts. Maybe they have just posted in a moment of panic, and got a grip. Possibly, they feel embarrassed for having had a public moment's weakness. Or, they have finally obtained a solid diagnosis from a doctor, and it's not relevant to this lymphoma forum, so they've just moved on.

Whatever the reason for their vanishing from the forum, I think it is a pity. Assuming that, in most cases, it was something minor, I believe it could be a great help to the next undiagnosed person who comes here to be able to read such messages as "Phew! I was scared, but it turns out it was ... and I am now moving on". And whatever the final diagnosis, it can be of interest to everyone who reads those messages of conclusion - a means of contributing in their turn.

I hope my message contributes (more adequately than rating stars...) to improving this indispensable forum.

Now that I've expressed these general considerations, let me end by wishing Fluffydog63 the mildest possible diagnosis.

Kind regards to all.

PBL

PBL said:

Beau's lines, nail anomalies, peer support...

I too had Beau's lines like Rocquie. One white band for each chemo cycle... Actually, they're such an insignificant side effect that they're not often mentioned. My first dose literally blew my left big toenail off its bed! The hematologist advised me to tape it in place - which I did for nearly a year, till it had grown sufficiently to be cut off. It's now nearly back to normal - slightly deformed. Small price to pay for chemo to potentially add years to your life - but that's another topic altogether.

The fact is that nail anomalies are a good indicator of health problems to whoever has the proper training to identify them - but these can range from minor and insignificant, to major issues.

A dermatologist should normally have been able to name whatever anomalies were displayed in your case. Which brings me back to my original question, Fluffydog63: how did you get that specific diagnosis?

My point here is something I have been reflecting upon for quite a while now, if you'll all allow me to state it.

A disclaimer first: this is a delicate subject, and what I want to express is not aimed at anyone in particular and, in fact, arises from my deep sympathy for everyone who feels the need to seek reassurance about their health. I hope I am not too clumsy in phrasing it. Here goes:

It seems to me that not a week goes by without someone new to this forum posting about a whole array of symptoms they've been experiencing. They have googled those, and freaked themselves out. Sometimes, they have been going around to multiple doctors and feel they have not received adequate attention from those professionals. I can totally relate to that.

More often than not, however, that person will simply disappear from the forum after exchanging a couple of posts. Maybe they have just posted in a moment of panic, and got a grip. Possibly, they feel embarrassed for having had a public moment's weakness. Or, they have finally obtained a solid diagnosis from a doctor, and it's not relevant to this lymphoma forum, so they've just moved on.

Whatever the reason for their vanishing from the forum, I think it is a pity. Assuming that, in most cases, it was something minor, I believe it could be a great help to the next undiagnosed person who comes here to be able to read such messages as "Phew! I was scared, but it turns out it was ... and I am now moving on". And whatever the final diagnosis, it can be of interest to everyone who reads those messages of conclusion - a means of contributing in their turn.

I hope my message contributes (more adequately than rating stars...) to improving this indispensable forum.

Now that I've expressed these general considerations, let me end by wishing Fluffydog63 the mildest possible diagnosis.

Kind regards to all.

PBL

PBL,

You beautifully and tactifully described precisely how I have felt forever.  Besides people who seemed movitated by a bit of neurosis (there have been many dozens of these over the years), there is another common phenomenon among people who say that they have actually received confirmation of Lymphoma via biopsy:  The person who joins, writes, describes what strain they have been diagnosed with, and then never return....  I don't get it, but that is just my way of interacting with people.

Like you, PBL, I am referring to no specific individuals, but will state explicitly that I absolutely am NOT referring to anyone in this current thread.

Granted, this is a public and free site.  I hope every visitor gets exactly what they need from it, noting more or less. Why any other individual is ever here or not is of course their private affair.

max

Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 said:

Wow....

PBL,

You beautifully and tactifully described precisely how I have felt forever.  Besides people who seemed movitated by a bit of neurosis (there have been many dozens of these over the years), there is another common phenomenon among people who say that they have actually received confirmation of Lymphoma via biopsy:  The person who joins, writes, describes what strain they have been diagnosed with, and then never return....  I don't get it, but that is just my way of interacting with people.

Like you, PBL, I am referring to no specific individuals, but will state explicitly that I absolutely am NOT referring to anyone in this current thread.

Granted, this is a public and free site.  I hope every visitor gets exactly what they need from it, noting more or less. Why any other individual is ever here or not is of course their private affair.

max

Thank you, PBL, for so eloquently stating some of my own thoughts and feelings. I have often thought of starting a discussion on the topic but I didn't know if anyone else felt the same. And I was unsure I could be a tactful as you.

If someone would start a thread (hint hint) I would certainly join in the discussion.

Rocquie

Evarista said:

Funny about the "smell"

I noticed that mosquitoes would not land on me & the dog kept her distance too in the weeks after chemo.  I could even smell the chemo on myself, the bedding, etc.

I never noticed an odor myself, but smokers don't often realize how they smell due to acclimation. My wife, who has a hypersensitive nose, never said anything, perhaps out of thoughtfulness.

I do recall in the later months of treatment having an odd, recurrent thought: I felt like my blood had been replaced by lighter fluid, some flammable chemical. Perhaps my nose was telling me that I did in fact smell like the Dow Chemical facility we sometimes drive past !

max

Evarista said:

Funny about the "smell"

I noticed that mosquitoes would not land on me & the dog kept her distance too in the weeks after chemo.  I could even smell the chemo on myself, the bedding, etc.

Evarista, I noticed the same thing, mosquitoes would start to come near me and than turn away.  I had a house rabbit at the time of my first chemo and it was the only time he liked to lick my hands and arms.  I figured it was the chemo smell.

I lost my nails both times I have received chemo.  First on CMF for breast cancer and than RCHOP.  They became very brittle and toe nails finally fell off.  Seven years later and I still have problems with the large toe nails.