Soft Nails

MJo · 03-21-2007, 06:29 AM

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 · 03-21-2007, 07:56 AM

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

Karen

Marcel · 03-21-2007, 01:09 PM

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 · 03-21-2007, 02:30 PM

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 · 03-21-2007, 03:52 PM

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 · 03-22-2007, 04:32 AM

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 · 03-22-2007, 09:12 AM

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 · 03-22-2007, 03:59 PM

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 · 03-22-2007, 04:12 PM

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.