Help!Toe Nail question

dyaneb123
dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Ok so I know chemo can affect your nails, but can it make you lose them? My two big toe nails have been sore and the left one has actually been getting loose and icky. I soak it in hydrogen pyroxide and there isn't any infection but I may lose the nail. Has anybody else had
this kind of problem with your nails? What can you do? I only wear flip flops so there's no pressure on the toes...I go to my 3rd chemo tomorrow.
Dee

Comments

  • CR1954
    CR1954 Member Posts: 1,390 Member
    #2
    Dee.......
    I lost some toe nails during chemo. Also a finger nail. The ones I didn't lose got "funky" looking.
    I just basically waited until they grew in again, after chemo ended.

    CR
  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #3
    Thanks CR
    so far it's only
    Thanks CR
    so far it's only the big toe nails and they feel like I have on too tight shoes all the time.
    Yucky is right!
  • tgf
    tgf Member Posts: 950 Member
    #4
    dyaneb123 said:

    Thanks CR
    so far it's only
    Thanks CR
    so far it's only the big toe nails and they feel like I have on too tight shoes all the time.
    Yucky is right!

    after chemo
    My nails didn't start looking funky until about 3 weeks after I finished chemo (taxol/herceptin) ... and then a few of my fingernails started looking like I'd smashed them in a door or something ... kind of "bruised." A couple more are starting to look the same way ... and I finished my chemo the end of May. The same thing is happening to my toenails ... but I keep them covered in nail polish so I really have no idea how "bad" they might look. Don't know if I'll lose any of those either ... but I really am getting a bit tired of all the side effects coming AFTER chemo ended a month and a half ago. It's like ... what is next??? Always a surprise I guess.

    hugs.
    teena
  • Marcia527
    Marcia527 Member Posts: 2,729
    #5
    Either the nurse or onc told
    Either the nurse or onc told me to keep some kind of stuff on my nails so when the chemo made them porous, they wouldn't get infected. I think it was some kind of sealant. Ask your onc what you should use. I didn't lose any but they turned a funny color. They did warn me I could lose nails though. Sorry you are having problems.
  • chenheart
    chenheart Member Posts: 5,159 Member
    #6
    Hair and Nails...yup! Both
    Hair and Nails...yup! Both have been known to be affected by chemo...pretty potent stuff coursing through our veins to kill the beast! I lost my "ring-finger" toe-nails and those on the big toes were tender...Except for having only stragglers under the affected arm, all of the hair/nails grew back! Yours will too!

    Hugs,
    Claudia
  • Moopy23
    Moopy23 Member Posts: 1,751 Member
    #7
    tgf said:

    after chemo
    My nails didn't start looking funky until about 3 weeks after I finished chemo (taxol/herceptin) ... and then a few of my fingernails started looking like I'd smashed them in a door or something ... kind of "bruised." A couple more are starting to look the same way ... and I finished my chemo the end of May. The same thing is happening to my toenails ... but I keep them covered in nail polish so I really have no idea how "bad" they might look. Don't know if I'll lose any of those either ... but I really am getting a bit tired of all the side effects coming AFTER chemo ended a month and a half ago. It's like ... what is next??? Always a surprise I guess.

    hugs.
    teena

    And the Chemo Side Effects Continue
    Me, too, Teena. Two months and a half after chemo ended, I have skin problems. Just got a prescription. Apparently, the oil glands suppressed by chemo can become overactive after chemo. Nothing big, just one more thing to take care of. On my face, no less.

    As for nails, I do have a bit of trivia: for each round of chemo, your nails will have a line. My onc. showed me, and sure enough, six lines appear on my fingernails. They appear slightly darker than the normal nail color.
  • tasha_111
    tasha_111 Member Posts: 2,072
    #8
    chenheart said:

    Hair and Nails...yup! Both
    Hair and Nails...yup! Both have been known to be affected by chemo...pretty potent stuff coursing through our veins to kill the beast! I lost my "ring-finger" toe-nails and those on the big toes were tender...Except for having only stragglers under the affected arm, all of the hair/nails grew back! Yours will too!

    Hugs,
    Claudia

    Yes.... here too
    My fingernails all fell off. They started off with 3 horizontal lines from the Taxotare, then they peeled back, layer by layer and fell off, toenails did the same, It really felt weird!
    Hugs Jxxxxxxxxxx
  • cats_toy
    cats_toy Member Posts: 1,462 Member
    #9
    so strange..
    I never lost any of my nails, that have always been long ( I usually end up cutting them because they grow too long), and they started getting lines in them after I was finished with both chemo and rads. But the lines were not horizontal, they were vertical. Not really a problem anyways, while I play with my glass, I usually end of grinding all of my nails off.

    =^..^=
  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #10
    cats_toy said:

    so strange..
    I never lost any of my nails, that have always been long ( I usually end up cutting them because they grow too long), and they started getting lines in them after I was finished with both chemo and rads. But the lines were not horizontal, they were vertical. Not really a problem anyways, while I play with my glass, I usually end of grinding all of my nails off.

    =^..^=

    Yeah, the chemo nurse was
    Yeah, the chemo nurse was surprised that it is already happening after only 2 chemos.She said it usually happens after the chemo is over....great...
  • Kristin N
    Kristin N Member Posts: 1,968 Member
    #11
    dyaneb123 said:

    Yeah, the chemo nurse was
    Yeah, the chemo nurse was surprised that it is already happening after only 2 chemos.She said it usually happens after the chemo is over....great...

    I didn't have chemo, so I
    I didn't have chemo, so I don't know. Just wanted to wish you good luck!
  • tommaseena
    tommaseena Member Posts: 1,769
    #12
    Kristin N said:

    I didn't have chemo, so I
    I didn't have chemo, so I don't know. Just wanted to wish you good luck!

    toe nail
    Dee,
    I just finished my chemo on Thursday and now my left big toe nail is lifting so I think it is just a matter o time before it falls off.

    I may just go to the podiatrist and have him trim it as far as he can so it doesn't get caught on anything and rip off.

    Margo
  • lynn1950
    lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
    #13
    Funky nails, you betcha
    They didn't fall off, but they became discolored. I wish I had counted the stripes...kind of like tree rings, eh? My fingernails are back to normal after a year, but my toenails are still sort of yellow. During chemo and rads, I polished them dark red. :) Lynn
  • kitt5671
    kitt5671 Member Posts: 2
    #14
    nails
    I had the same problem,nobody told me that i would lose my toenails and fingernails,i was worried about what was going on,but yes,you are going to lose them,dont worry they all grow back,lol

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