Late/lingering chemo side effects?

Double Whammy
Double Whammy Member Posts: 2,832 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
My last chemo was September 23. About the end of November, I developed:

Fingernail peeling. I have horizontal ridges in my nails that I think happened sometime during chemo. As they're growing out, my nails want to peel (like an onion) and if they catch on anything the top layers will bend at one of the ridges and break (ouch). So I've cut my nails very short and am keeping that way until this is over. It looks like the newer growth at the base of the nails doesn't have the ridges, so I'm hoping that once all the ridges grow out this will be over. In the meantime, it's making me crazy because my finger tips are still numb and I have a hard time with simple tasks like picking small thing up, opening a pop top and things like that.

Styes. I'm assuming this is happening because I'm still eyelashless. They come and they go. I wish they'd just go and eyelashes would come.

Anyone else experiencing this or other late/lingering side effects? These aren't serious, just annoying.

Suzanne

Comments

  • Heatherbelle
    Heatherbelle Member Posts: 1,226 Member
    #2
    Hi Suzanne,
    I'm around 2
    Hi Suzanne,
    I'm around 2 months post chemo and my fingernails are doing the same thing. So far 4 of them have broken off to WAAAAAYYY down by my cuticle. My eyelashes didn't seem to be coming in much at all, but then almost like all of a sudden, there they are, coming in nice & thick, but not too long yet.
    *hugs*
    Heather
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #3
    Heatherbelle said:

    Hi Suzanne,
    I'm around 2
    Hi Suzanne,
    I'm around 2 months post chemo and my fingernails are doing the same thing. So far 4 of them have broken off to WAAAAAYYY down by my cuticle. My eyelashes didn't seem to be coming in much at all, but then almost like all of a sudden, there they are, coming in nice & thick, but not too long yet.
    *hugs*
    Heather

    okay .. Ladies a little longer out of chemo than the two of
    you and I still have issues with my natural nails breaking far below my nail beds .. especially when I;ve been washing dishes and not using my playtex purples gloves .. or if I do not coat them with sally hansen nail strengthener ....Seriously, I opened a can of diet coke .. and broke my thumb nail ... my nail bed bled for about 30 minutes.. now I am also dealing with the hang nails ..

    My eye lashes grew back, shed and regrew...eyebrows are still thin, never have grown back to full thickness or luster .. finished chemo TCH on 12-20-09 and 1 year of Herceptin 8-22-10.. My hair is about 5 inches long .. and very curly, however, I've always had natural wave .. My hair should be another inch or so longer -- had a trim that turned into an actual cut .. I cried ... oh well, you live and learn.

    Going to better protect my nails and beds with vitiam e oil and every other coating of polish .. Good luck to the both of you.

    Vicki Sam
  • criptupnana
    criptupnana Member Posts: 11
    #4
    peeling nails
    Hi Suzanne. Wow that's gotta hurt. I had nails that turned white and powdery underneathe. This took a long time to grow out, and my ring fingers, and one big toe is still that way. I noticed even on herceptin I was still getting those fine horizontal bloody lines under my nails and had a new one show up about a month ago. I'm 7 months out from last chemo and I still have neuropathy in my fingers and toes, I'm thinking that it will be a year before this goes away. I really really hate this. Have a hard time with small motor tasks too.

    I was lucky with the eyelashes. I only lost 1/2 of one eye, however, my eyebrows are still very thin, nothing like what they were. I had nosebleeds with TCH, and sores in my nose. I noticed that I still get little ones even yet.

    Take care!
    Martha
  • laurissa
    laurissa Member Posts: 773
    #5
    Hi Suzanne
    My last chemo was last January and I still have no eyebrows and eyelashes are very few. I'm not good at drawing on brows! But my hair has come back but still feels very fine. Your nails will grow back without the ridges. I took 800 iu of vitamin E and my nails grew so strong.
  • joyyee1
    joyyee1 Member Posts: 31
    #6
    lingering side effects
    Yes! My finger nails were terrible...I would reach into my purse and they would break. Lots of hangnails too...

    I decided to get fake nails and I found this "newer" process called SNS (signature nails system). It is supposedly "healthier" for your nails than the regular solar nails.
    Not all salons do this process- I had to look around But I love the new look and will take them off in a few months and see if my own nails are better...

    I also get a light rash on my eyelids.. every now and then and never had that before.

    And since my hair is growing back (slowly) I now have flaky scalp... I posted this and got lots of reponses.

    I'm still having Herceptin treatments every 3 weeks- don't know if any of this is a result of that....

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