Another fingernail post....permanent damage
 

I have read and participated in several threads regarding the damage to our nails caused by chemo. I am just curious if if any of you have had permanent damage to your nails. I completed my Taxol cocktails in Feb 07. Prior to the end of my treatment, I experienced the blackening of the nails (Gothic Barbie) on all ten nails, and I had a really bad infection in my middle finger I use to flick folks off (only kidding). This particular nail had to be drained and I was placed on antibiotics. One year later, the nail is still damaged in that half the nail is white in color, and the other half of the nail is the skin color. The skin often splits like a papercut which I have read other have experienced as well. I regularly use the tea tree oil which does help with the skin cracking; however, nothing seems to change the appearance of the actual nail. Has anybody else had permanent damage done to a nail? My nails are still very short due to the constant splitting, but I can live with that. Just wondering if I am alone insofar as what looks like permanent nail damage???

The good new is that I will be sporting toenails this year with my sandals. Life is good!

Louise

Just wondering it this would work, but have you tried any of the Sally Hansen products for nails? Like Hard as Nails or some of the strengthening/healing products they make? I don't know if it would work, but might be worth a shot...

My finger nails are absolutely horrible. They are thin, they split, break, tear, they are soft and brittle at the same time and my thumbs have ridges.

Don't I know who to whine.

Anyway I keep them very short---unfortunately they still manage to tear or snag to the point they sometimes bleed. I hate it when they break north/south verses across. My toenails are better than my fingernails, but they are brittle and break easily too.

Jo

After my last tx of taxotere, my nails looked horrible and some were lifting. Used tea tree oil and within a few months they looked just fine.

OK..dumb questions...where do you guys buy tea tree oil? How much does it cost? How often do you apply it? Does it have any side effects? I'm so careful about ANYTHING I put on/in my body these days; just wondering about this stuff. I've heard about it for years as a treatment for toenail fungus, but never tried it. My toenails are an absolute mess after Taxol; black and disgusting. I need to do something.

As an aside, I kept my acrylic fingernails all through treatment, and never had a problem. No fungus, no black spots. Obviously, they look great, too and any little bit helps, doesn't it?!

I get tea tree oil at Whole Foods, near the tictures and essential oils. Any health food store will carry it... I use a Qtip to rub it on my cuticles.

My chemo nurses told me to keep my nails (fingers and toes) polished and to use Hard As Nails w/ the tea tree oil the whole time I was on taxotere... they told me to do it from before I started treatment to a couple of months after treatment was over, and I never had any discolored nails. My nails are a bit fragile and brittle, but that's the only real problem I've had after 6 different kinds of chemo. But I have always had thin nails anyway, they are just a little worse now.

Don't think this is permanant
 

Hi Weezie -
You have only completed your Herceptin in November - about 4 months or so ago.
This is not enough time for your fingernails to grow completely out as new from the cuticle. Toe nails are smaller (except for the great toe) and these will recover faster.

If you will take a supplement for skin and nails, I would bet that you will see much improvement in another couple or three months. It took about 6 - 7 months for my "chemo" nails to get back to normal. I took Nioxin's Hair, Skin and Nail Recharging Complex for years, and have stopped. Now that I have been on Herceptin for so many years, my fingernails are weaker, but not too bad.

I only polish my toe nails. My fingernails do not do well with polish.

Maybe others will post who have been off Herceptin and chemos for a year and see what they have to say.

Stephn, I used the Nioxin's Hair Products when my hair was coming back in, but I have not heard about the Skin and Nail Recharging Complex. Do you get at a beauty supply store like Trade Secrets or does any drug store sell it with the hair and skin supplies?

Hucklebuck (I couldn't resist after seeing Bill call you that), yes, I have tried the nail strengthners. I buy the OPI nail strengthner at $16.00 a bottle. I am sure it has helped, but my poor nails are still thin and split easily. They are, however, better than a year ago...progress.

I also have been using the tea tree oil more regularly in recent months, and I have seen improvement in preventing the skin on the sides of my nail from splitting and bleeding. My Onc once told me I was a textbook for side affects, but I consider myself lucky that most of them were superficial.

Thanks for the advise. I'll be patient and hopefully the symptons will lessen over time.

Louise

By the time of my last chemo, my fingernails started getting ugly. Dark, junk underneath the ends, slightly lifted,...really ugly. I went to this nail salon to see if I could get something to put on the nails and the worker took one look at my nails and told me I had a fungus and he sold me this expensive small bottle of liquid to put on. I was so alarmed I had a FUNGUS!! I took a digial pic and sent it to my oncologist and he said it was NOT a fungus and not to use antifungal meds. He said it was just a reaction to the taxotere and to use tea tree oil which is available at heath food stores or even drug stores. I used it nightly and by a month or so the looked so much better. After several months they looked nice and healthy once again.
Thank GOODNESS it was not a fungus. Online I read how hard fungus is to clear up. BTW, tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic.
Maryanne

Weezie -
I got the Nioxin Hair, Skin and Nails Recharging complex whereever I got the hair products. Usually at my salon, but I noticed they have the Nioxin line at Penneys. Maybe your mall has that store and you can check.

I never found Nioxin products at the regular drug stores, but it is sold online.

I tried NO CRACK - a little pot of a cream from my local pharmacy. It does help with the dry fingertips and cuticles.

The nails on both big toes have not recovered yet. They are discolored and oddly shaped. My fingernails had remained very soft and split and snagged on everything. I had acrylics for a while, but my nails were probably worse when I stopped the acrylics. I asked the nail tech for something to strengthen my nails. He recommended Nail Tec Foundation II. It has worked really well. No more soft, splitting nails.

My new dermo (very familiar with cancer patients) told me to try Cetaphil Cream (not lotion) for dry cracked fingertips and cracked heel skin... which I have occasionally had from the Xeloda. It has been simply amazing. I bought a huge tub of it for about $12 and I use it on my feet 3 x week with socks at night and it is the best thing I have used on them yet.

toe nail
 

Finished Herceptin Dec 07. Nails are getting stronger. But now all of a sudden my big toe nail is "sloughing" off. Actually it is hanging on by a few threads. For now I have it taped down with band aid.

Catherine