Nail pain

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bgant
bgant Member Posts: 10
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Before i started chemo i had very long healthy nails. I would spend alot of time at the nail salon. 1/2 way through my treatment i had to cut my nails down do to the pain of bumping them. Now they are dark and spmetimes painful. I'm now done with chemo, how long will it take for the pain to go away? any suggestions on nail care? thank you

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  • mickeymom
    mickeymom Member Posts: 117
    #2
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    It will get better
    I didn't have any trouble with my nails until I finished chemo (4 rounds A/C and 4 Taxol) but I did suffer from neuropathy in my fingers and toes with the Taxol. They would get numb and be painful, but the nails were fine. Until about two weeks after chemo ended and then they started getting dark and lifting slightly from the nail bed - mostly at the top. I started keeping them short because they were painful if they bumped on anything! That was in Sept/Oct and now they only hurt maybe once every couple weeks and only a few of my fingers and one thumb. As the nails have grown out the dark and damaged looking areas are growing with them and what is coming in behind looks healthy and normal. I think the damage just has to grow out.

    My nails also seem really dry too so I keep clear polish on my toes (in shoes all the time where I live right now so they get some protection) and clear nail strengthener on my fingernails. It seems to keep them from getting damaged.

    Congratulations on getting through chemo - that was the hard part. It seems to me so far that all the side effects will go away with time.
  • cindycflynn
    cindycflynn Member Posts: 1,132 Member
    #3
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    I've had some pain also
    But it hasn't been too bad, at least not yet. I'm going for my 3rd chemo treatment tomorrow, and my nails actually hurt less today than they did last week. So far no color change.

    I don't have a lot of information to offer, but I have heard that you shouldn't get acrylic nails during chemo (and I would guess while your having these effects) because they can weaken your nails further. I think your idea of just keeping them short, and maybe putting some polish on to cover the discoloration would be about all you can do until the nails grow back out normally - which from all accounts I've read on these boards WILL HAPPEN!

    Since the pain in my nails seemed to get better pretty quickly between treatments, I'm hoping that your pain will not last much longer.

    Take care,
    Cindy
  • Bella Luna
    Bella Luna Member Posts: 1,578 Member
    #4
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    My nails started hurting
    My nails started hurting with chemo too. Mine nails weren't all that long, but I had to trim them just the same because of the pain. I have since finished with chemo and the tenderness, I find, is going away.

    The other change I noticed was that my nails had these subtle rings going across the surface and they were slightly darker in color. I know this is a chemo side effect and that it will eventually go away. Good luck with your treatment plan.
    BL
  • LadyParvati
    LadyParvati Member Posts: 328
    #5
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    Bella Luna said:

    My nails started hurting
    My nails started hurting with chemo too. Mine nails weren't all that long, but I had to trim them just the same because of the pain. I have since finished with chemo and the tenderness, I find, is going away.

    The other change I noticed was that my nails had these subtle rings going across the surface and they were slightly darker in color. I know this is a chemo side effect and that it will eventually go away. Good luck with your treatment plan.
    BL

    Nail wax
    I attend a BC support group run by a survivor and her husband who is a dermatologist and pharmacist. He recommended nail wax to help the nails during chemo. I don't know whether it would continue to help afterward, though.

    Sandy
  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #6
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    My toenails hurt so bad
    My toenails hurt so bad during chemo that the bedsheet laying on them hurt!But I finished at the end of Sept. and they are all better now. The nails are growing back normally and no more pain.So it will get better.
  • bgant
    bgant Member Posts: 10
    #7
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    mickeymom said:

    It will get better
    I didn't have any trouble with my nails until I finished chemo (4 rounds A/C and 4 Taxol) but I did suffer from neuropathy in my fingers and toes with the Taxol. They would get numb and be painful, but the nails were fine. Until about two weeks after chemo ended and then they started getting dark and lifting slightly from the nail bed - mostly at the top. I started keeping them short because they were painful if they bumped on anything! That was in Sept/Oct and now they only hurt maybe once every couple weeks and only a few of my fingers and one thumb. As the nails have grown out the dark and damaged looking areas are growing with them and what is coming in behind looks healthy and normal. I think the damage just has to grow out.

    My nails also seem really dry too so I keep clear polish on my toes (in shoes all the time where I live right now so they get some protection) and clear nail strengthener on my fingernails. It seems to keep them from getting damaged.

    Congratulations on getting through chemo - that was the hard part. It seems to me so far that all the side effects will go away with time.

    nails
    Thanx so much for the info. now its just a waiting game i geuss. I love this site.
  • changmi
    changmi Member Posts: 8
    #8
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    Tea Tree Oil
    I have not had any problems yet with my nails. I've only had 1 chemo treatment so far (my 2nd treatment is tomorrow). During my 1st treatment the nurse went over possible side effects and mentioned the issue with nails. She said many patients told her that tea tree oil helps. I know they sell it a Wegmans. Best of luck to you.

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