Hi everyone I finished chemo (fec and tax) 10 weeks ago and have just finished 15 sessions of radio and I feel great. The only thing thats bothering me at the mo is that my nails have only just started to fall off and my hair isn’t growing back yet. Does anybody know how long the hair takes and why the nails are just coming off now?
I am on tamoxifen and herceptin but don’t think that should make a difference.
To all the ladies just starting this journey there is light at the end of the tunnel. I kept as active as possible through treatment and listened to my body, still cooked and cleaned just rested when I needed to and ate what i wanted. Don’t try to be a hero.
Hi Sharon
Great to hear you are feeling well! I am halfway through my treatment so cant help with your question bout when to expect the hair to come back - i didn’t know the nails would fall off too! I will look forward to that wee treat ahaha! I have to keep shaving my head cos the hair is trying to poke through and it looks really daft!
The joys of chemo eh ;D Lynne
Great to hear that you are feeling so well! I’m 9 weeks post chemo and my nails are still falling off. Chemotherapy is poison and it takes a while for it to clear out of your body. Your nails were damaged by it but it takes longer for them to die off. It’s horribly yucky isn’t ?
I’ve lost 6 so far and I noticed this morning that my toenails are now looking decidedly iffy as well. There’s not much you can do except keep them cut really short so that they don’t catch on things and get torn off. It’s better for regrowth and less painful to let them fall off in their own time. Just one more reminder of treatment unfortunately!
My hair has only just really started growing back but it’s definitely doing so now, so hopefully your should start to put in an appearance soon. It’s slightly different for each of us and some take a little longer than others. There are some really useful tips on some of the threads in this section for things to help regrowth.
What I’d really like right now are some eyebrows and eyelashes - I miss being able to wear mascara!
I finished chemo last October.
My nails really only started to fall off, layer, break off about 3 months after chemo, they were dreadful for a further month or two but now are as strong as ever.
My hair was really slow to regrow, but I think it was because I had gone back to work after chemo I was wearing a wig for over 9 hours per day, this does slow down the hair growth.
Hair started to sprout (that’s the only word for it!!) after Christmas, I went wigless begining of May, it’s now very short and grown back thicker, and much wavier than it ever was but I’m told this is a temporary state.
It all does come back !!
I’m 9 weeks post chemo and my nails are still falling off. Chemotherapy is poison and it takes a while for it to clear out of your body. Your nails were damaged by it but it takes longer for them to die off. It’s horribly yucky isn’t ? 
