Soft Nails

[Hopeful]

Let me apologize in advance for this petty complaint. I have been on Herceptin for 6 months, and Arimidex for 5, and have been experiencing something I have never had to deal with before - soft fingernails. I am so used to naturally strong, long nails, this is driving me crazy. I keep them trimmed short, but they are continually getting rips in the sides that start below the cuticle line. It becomes very difficult to work around getting the rip caught on things until it grows out enough to cut off. Does anyone have any suggestions for things that have worked for them to keep their nails from ripping? When I was a kid, I remember ads for some yucky tasting substance that was touted as promoting stronger nails. Has anyone used such a product? Should I apply a few coats of clear nail polish? Anything else? I do take Vitamin D and calcium supplements.

Hopeful

[Margerie]

Hopeful,

I am right there with you! I used to have the strongest nails. I have tried strengthening polishes- nothing really works. I just give up! Am on Arimidex and herceptin also. Maybe the combination? I was on taxol and herceptin for 12 weeks and my nails were fine. I hope someone has some suggestions. It is really a pain not using your nails as tools. I took them for granted.

[tricia keegan]

Although I finished herceptin last November but am taking Arimidex now.
I have the same problem having kept really strong manicured nails right through chemo etc.
Sorry I can't help much but before I began chemo someone gave me some Christian Dior base coat for nails which I used right through treatments so I've just bought some more in case it was that which kept them intact despite the drugs!
Not sure if it'll work but I'll let you know if it does.

[Andi]

I have had the same problem. It started when I was doing the Taxol and Herceptin. I finished my herceptin in September but had to start again in January due to a recurrence. My nails never improved during that time (I realize it takes time for nails to grow out). Now that I am back on the herceptin, I figure it is just something I will have to live with. I do use rubber gloves when putting my hands in water for cleaning or doing dishes and that has helped the splitting somewhat.

[tousled1]

I have the same problem since Herceptin. I have found that Sally Hansen Natural Nail Growth Activator helps tremendously.

[Jackie]

Hopeful,

I too had a lot of difficulty with my nails & I had had strong nails, before I started Taxotere & Herceptin. I lost all of my nails towards the end and shortly after finishing the Taxotere. In fact some of my nails came off twice. My chemo nurse told me to use Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails to help as I had nails. I also took Hair, Nail, & Skin vitamins (got those at WalMart). I am 16 months out from chemo and finished Herceptin in Aug. '06. My nails have slowly grown out and strengthend. I have seen more improvement since I have been off Herceptin. I do protect my hands with gloves when washing dishes and cleaning. It has been a very slow process that I get very impatient with. I still have two nails that are reg. length, but are not fully attached as they should be. I have to keep them short to keep from catching them on something. Just keep them moisturized with a good lotion and be patient. I know that is easier said than done.

[Hopeful]

Kate and Jackie,

Thanks for the suggestions for the Sally Hansen products. I will pick some up this week and give them a try. I have always worn gloves to do dishes and other housework, and try to be extra careful, but it doesn't seem to be helping here. I appreciate the recommendations.

Hopeful

[chrisy]

I too had a problem with really crummy nails. They would split and were, as you say, just very weak. I tried everything - Sally Hansen's, hoof cream, you name it. None of these seemed to really make much of a difference for me.

Somebody suggested magnesium supplements, which I started taking and my nails got much better. I have NO CLUE if that's what did it - maybe it was something else entirely, like a change in seasons. But right now my nails are strong, although they do have what I call the "chemo ridges" , I assume from the Herceptin. This is horizontal ridges at regular intervals which I imagine are coniciding with my 3 weekly treatments.

None of this is scientific at all - so Becky, Sheila, and whoever, feel free to rebut any or all of this! LOL.

Anyway, thats my experience!

[ExpectAMiracle]

I am a newbie to the board, but I have a question about nails too. I have been getting my nails "done" about once a month for the last several years. I get the artificial tips with acrylic put on. Is there any problem with doing this while on chemo (which I will start next month). If not, this may be a good solution for folks with nail problems.

Thanks!

[MJo]

My friend and fellow BC survivor loves her acrylic nails, but the oncologist told her not to use acrylic nails during treatment. Talk to your onc.

My nails are still soft -- finished chemo in May, rads in August and Herceptin in December. I hate my soft nails. But at least they are pink now. They turned black when I was on adriamycin/cytoxan, that devil drug. A woman in my Wellness Community Support Group dragged herself in last night because she wanted comfort. She's on her 3rd A/C and feels horrible. My memories of A/C treatment have faded, but it's not bad to be reminded occasionally that I fought my way through some difficult treatment.

[Karen Weixel]

My nails are terrible and I am 8 months out from completion of Herceptin. Maybe I'll try the magnesium.

Karen

[Marcel]

I'm recommending Sally Hansen, too -- a product called "Miracle Cure for severe problem nails". Don't know if you can be a hand model anytime soon, but it delivered a noticeable improvement in a short time.

[ExpectAMiracle]

Oh no! I'm going to lose my hair AND my acrylic nails? Is nothing sacred to chemo :)?

That is really a bummer though. Thanks for forewarning me.

Guess I'll be looking at the Sally Hansen stuff too. My "real" nails are soft without chemo.

[rinaina]

A great product for strengthening nails I found is sold on one of the home shopping networds and the name is something like T.I.P.P.S. It might be one T, not sure but it works if you use it regularly. I too never had a problem with my nails and now I do with both finger and toe nails. No nothing is sacred when it comes to chemo. However, if it saves your life it is all worth it.

[ExpectAMiracle]

Of course, you are right, if chemo saves your life, then nails and hair are a small price to pay. It's just that I am just starting this journey and it seems that every day you find out something else that makes the struggle more painful. But to have NED is the goal so if the nails must go, they must go.

Thanks!

[rinaina]

Hi Expectamiracle, I don't mean to minimize the struggles and frustrations with this breast cancer treatment process. I still find the hair thing very upsetting. I know I should be grateful that I made it through chemo and I am well into my herceptin treatments (6 months worth now), but come on, losing all your hair, then dealing with it growing back not to your liking, still not having a full set of eyebrows or lashes and now the foot and hand thing with the nails and splitting of the skin....it is a lot to deal with. The only thing that keeps me from getting too down is to keep telling myself that if these drugs can do all of that, they must be killing the cancer and stopping it from coming back. But I hear ya, it sure hasn't been a picnic to say the least. Hang in there and if you need a shoulder, mine are pretty broad!

[ExpectAMiracle]

Hi rinaina!

Thanks for the wonderful reply. There are so many elements of this process that I am just starting to learn about and understand. It is great to have so much experience on this board to help me over the rough spots.

How long does it take eyebrows and lashes to come back once you finish chemo? How long for hair to come back? Does taking Herceptin delay the return of hair? I am having a hard time with thinking about the hair loss too. I bought my first wig today in anticipation of being bald. It wasn't easy.

Thanks!

[rinaina]

My eyelashes and eyebrows came in very slowly and not as full as they use to be plus my eyelashes seem very fragile and fall out easily. My eyebrows, what there is of them, are sparse and I have had to master the art of drawing them on using a combination of powder and pencil. Everyone tells me they are very natural looking, but man, is it a pain in the you know what to have to do that. Adds to much time to my morning routine as I am somewhat of a perfectionist so it takes me a while to get it right. As for when did it start to grow back. Let's see, my hair started to grow in like peach fuzz about 2 months after treatment and kept growing at a decent pace but to date it is about 2 inches long. I finished chemo the last Thursday in July, 2006. My eyelashes came in very very slowly as did the brows but as I stated, they didn't come in all that great.

[tousled1]

About 4 months after my last chemo treatment I had enough hair on my head that you could actually see I had hair - that was September of last year. I've had 3 haircuts since then -- actually trims. When my hair began to grow back it was growing in at different rates all over my head. I've been having it trimmed every 8 weeks just to try and keep the hair even and also to try and get it into a style. Also when it first came back it was extremely gray and as it grew the gray disappeared! It's darker than my original hair and very straight. My eyebrows and lashes were slower to grow. I now have eyebrows but the lashes are still rather thin. One good thing, the hair on my legs is growing extremely slow. I've only had to shave my legs once! Also, the hair under my arms has not grown back, so I no longer need to shave under my arms.

[MCS]

yeah. i know ifelt petty when i cmplian to myself about the nails. but we all deserve a little vanity, right?

anyway, i've been off herceptin for 3 months and my nails wont grow. tried all different color bottles from Sally Hansen, you know how they do things, nothing worked. I followed other ladies' advice here

........so i fixed myself psychologically. i am still here because of this medicine regardless of how my nails look like. just pint them a pretty peach or pink color and i've seen some short red nails that are gorgeous

AND look at all the movie star hands advertising watches, they all have choppy nails!!! look at Uma Thurman ads and Kate Moss.... short short nails. so now i'm ok with it

lots of love

XOXO

MCS ( maria)