Nails issues after chemo

Please feel free to read, share your thoughts, your stories and connect with others!
JudiB
Posts: 71
Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2017 5:30 am

Nails issues after chemo

Postby JudiB » Sun Nov 19, 2017 12:38 pm

Hello everyone! Sorry I'm not around on the forum much since finishing chemo...it reminds me of where I was not long ago whereas I can sort of forget if I don't keep popping in!

I know this will seem very minor to those of you still in the middle of treatment but I wonder whether others have experienced nail issues following chemo? I didn't have nail problems during chemo, even though I lost most of my hair, but whilst my hair is growing back, my nails are horrible now and getting worse. It's nearly 3 months since my chemo ended. The nails initially began to go black at the tips and were very fragile but now they are white..like a very bad French manicure. and it's creeping down the nails. I've cut them very short but fear they are going to fall off. They look aweful and break easily. I am trying to use lots of hand cream.

Has anyone else had this issue and if you did, how long was it until your nails returned to normal?

I was thinking that the side effects were going.... I have less neuropathy, slightly fewer loo visits, hair returning and then a new effect appears! I never had beautiful nails but they are horrible now. This chemo stuff truly does just jeep giving doesn't it?

Sorry again to everyone with far worse things to deal with, I send you all love and hugs and strength. Xxxx
May 2004 Breast cancer lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy, Tamoxifen 5 years, then Femara 2 years.

Jan 2017 resection around colo-rectal junction
T2bN1 M0
March 2017 Chemo Folfox started. Oxaliplatin for 4 treatments, then just 5 FU and Leucovorin for remaining 8 treatments.
June 2017 clear scan
Last chemo August 2017
August 2017 clear scan
February 2018 clear scan

User avatar
susie0915
Posts: 945
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:17 am
Facebook Username: Susan DeGrazia Hostetter
Location: Michigan

Re: Nails issues after chemo

Postby susie0915 » Sun Nov 19, 2017 1:02 pm

I've taken biotin for years. It's suppose to help with skin, hair, and nails. I never had any nail issues. Maybe ask your oncologist if you can take, it may help.
58 yrs old Dx @ 55
5/15 DX T3N0MO
6/15 5 wks chemo/rad
7/15 sigmoidoscopy/only scar tissue left
8/15 PET scan NED
9/15 LAR
0/24 nodes
10/15 blockage. surgery,early ileo rev, c-diff inf :(
12/15 6 rds of xelox
5/16 CT lung scarring/inflammation
9/16 clear colonoscopy
4/17 C 4mm lung nod
10/17 pel/abd CT NED
11/17 CEA<.5
1/18 CT/Lung no change in 4mm nodule
5/18 CEA<.5, CT pel/abd/lung NED
11/18 CEA .6
5/19 CT NED, CEA <.5
10/19 Clear colonscopy
11/19 CEA <.5

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: Nails issues after chemo

Postby Lee » Sun Nov 19, 2017 3:21 pm

I never had any real nail issues until about a few years ago. I used to have strong nails, butt now are weaker. I blame this on menopause. Have been told it can happen.

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

Stewsbetty
Posts: 170
Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2016 7:08 am

Re: Nails issues after chemo

Postby Stewsbetty » Mon Nov 20, 2017 2:32 am

My nails started to get weak at the end of chemo but the worst was afterwards they didn’t have unusual colours but they were so weak they would peel and break with very little abuse. About 2 months after chemo they were all broken down about 1/2 way down the nail bed. It took about 6 months for all the damaged nails to grow out. I am sure you will recover as well but it is a slow process.
Beth
42yo At diagnosis. Female in BC, Canada
Dx: CC ascending
Right Hemi colectomy 06/16 clear margins
Adenocarcinoma 6cm High Grade
pT3 pN2a Stage 3
10 out of 16 lymph involved
MSI-h, Kras mut, Braf wild
Finished chemo Feb. 2017
PET scan showing active area April 2017
July 2017 CT showing LN mass and spread to other LN
Stage 4
Aug 2017 failed Fofiri
Sept 2017 keytruda scans every 3 months showing shrinkage and stability
November 2018 CT shows only 1 small tumour left
September 2019 clear CT finally NED!!!

User avatar
chrisca
Posts: 246
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 10:35 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: Nails issues after chemo

Postby chrisca » Mon Nov 20, 2017 4:11 am

I didn't have blackening, but did have peeling and splitting. The nails are about three months behind, so they will bother you until they grow out. What is at the base is most important. If the bases look bad a month or so after chemo ends, be sure to show them to your doc. Also, consider getting folic acid tested. Mine was low after treatment, and I'm on a supplement now. While my nails have never been very good, the splitting stopped after I started the supplement. Thyroid can also impact skin and nails, so ask your doc about testing that too if it doesn't resolve in a few months.
Male, false negative colonoscopy age 48
DX: 12/2010 rectal cancer age 51
Stage T3N0M0 2 cm from anal verge
neoadjuvant rad/chemo Xeloda
Rectal resection (open surgery) straight anastomosis
Xeloda round 2
ileostomy reversal 11/2011
Successful adhesion X-lap 8/2013
Ongoing LAR syndrome but NED 10 years

AbbyDoo
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 2:25 am
Location: So.Ca.

Re: Nails issues after chemo

Postby AbbyDoo » Mon Nov 20, 2017 11:50 pm

All my nails re-grew. my fingers I think it took about six months and my toe mails were about 9 months.
kind of nice having nice new shiny nails except I smashed a finger last week and got one of those nice blood blisters under the nail now. :oops: kind of like the first scratch on a new car.
53 yrs old
4/30/15 colonoscopy Mass found
5/21/15 staged 3 C rectal cancer
7/3/15 finished xeloda and radiation 28 rounds
9/30/15 LAR
10/29/15 picc line installed
11/2/15 start chemo 5 fu Oxaliplatin
3/7/16 Finish Chemo
4/29/16 Ileostomy Reversal.
7/13/16 colonoscopy clear.
CRC survivors know there Sh%t

e_enyedy
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2017 5:28 pm

Re: Nails issues after chemo

Postby e_enyedy » Sat Nov 25, 2017 5:43 pm

Had 8 sessions on xelox and avastin -finished 9/2016. Since then I am on xeloda plus avastin every 3 weeks as a preventive measure. After (during?) those 8 sessions my nails (both finger and toes) went completely white and became brittle as glass. They break at any strong contact with almost anything. Since is apparently undetectable (according to the last pet-cat scan) I don't really mind this mild side effect.

EE
(sorry, I don't have a signature yet- just created my account)
77 yrs male (73 at Dx)
2/13 Dx Carcinoma, Sigmoid Colon
3/13 Sigmoid Colon Hemicolectomy,( 12"+)
3/13 Pathology Staging: T1N0M0; no follow-up chemo
5/15 Recurrence: in pre-sacral space -no other mets detected (Instantly became Stage IV)
5/15 Started 8 sessions of Folfox + Avastin
11/15 Finished chemo, PET/CT: NED
11/15 Started Xeloda+ Avastin every 3 weeks. Still Doing it.
Still NED -(Hope treatment keeps working)


Return to “Colon Talk - Colon cancer (colorectal cancer) support forum”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 26 guests