Hi Everyone
I know there have been may posts lately about nails and TAX but it would seem that the ladies badly affected have had more than 3 x TAX which is the max I will be having.
If there are any other TAX x 3 ladies out there it would be great to hear from you about how your nails coped! I have done the usual things, painted nails dark & also using Sally Hanson Protector and Cuticle oil.
My heart goes out to everyone who is suffering from this particular side affect and I know I am probably clutching at straws but it would be good to know if the number of treatments does impact on outcome!
DaisyGirl xx
Sorry to be bearer of bad news, I had 3 x Tax and my nails are horrid. Been to the GP today to get antibiotics for a nail infection. They have gone very brittle and the nail beds have gone a lovely shade of brown - yuk. Think I will lose one finger and one toe nail. (Last chemo was 8 weeks ago).
I didn’t, however, paint my nails dark (until they were looking awful) nor did I use a nail protector - perhaps, in hindsight, I should have!
Good luck!
Rachelx
Hi DaisyGirl
You might be lucky if you are protecting your nails as you state. I had 4 X Tax and I only lost half a thumb nail and a toe nail. I used Rimmel Resue and always painted my nails various darkish colours. I only lost a little toe nail, as I whacked it really hard against one of the wheels under the bed, which I think was the reason! (not that I recommend doing this, it was very painful!)
My thumb nail had become loose and it began to peel off about halfway down, the whole nail didn’t come off just a layer!
They didn’t look great and I could almost ‘date’ when I’d had the Tax, as my nails had definate grooves like the rings of a tree. These took a few months to grow up! I had quite weak nails that split easily but remained attached!
Fingers crossed that you will hold onto your nails
Thaks Ladies, this is encouraging news, my imagination has been working overtime thinking about all my nails falling off!
As you say fingers (gently) crossed!
DaisyGirl xx
Good research showing that using nail cooling during tax chemo sessions halves the risk of nail problems. I’m going to try it next week.
Ann x
Yes, I have picked up on this too, I think some hospitals have cold gloves and socks, a bit like the cold cap. I stick my non-canulated hand in a cool bag with frozen peas and also my feet in a large cool bag with ice bricks during the chemo, much to the amusement of the other patients! No idea if it will work but def worth a try!
DaisyGirl xx
Hi Daisygirl, I had 4 Tax and only lost 2 big toenails. My finger nails went a bit ridged but I used Evonail solution on them every day and although they didn’t grow I didn’t lose them either. Evonail not cheap but lots of ladies reported good results so i gave it a go xx
hi everyone,
i had 6 tax, iam currently losing 4 fingernails another 2 are swollen to double the size they normally would be, black and very, very sore,
i was told at the hospital that usually they would drill holes in the ones that have turned black to release any pressure and to relieve the pain, but because i am currently neutropenic they couldnt risk introducing infection, so i am on anti biotics instead,
i didnt use ice on them during chemo, i have since learnt it is a very good idea to do so, if i were you i would use ice on your finger nails and toe nails anything is worth a try if it prevents this misery.
hope this helps love liz xxx
Hi Loupylou
Thanks for this, did you use it whilst on chemo or not until after?
Liz, big hug!
DaisyGirl xx
I have just looked on amazon for frozen gloves and slippers, thinking if I need treatment and the hospital does not supply them I would get my own. Ouch they are not cheap, and they advise two pairs so you can change halfway through the treatment. These are from america-- i wonder if you can get them from france any cheaper
Hi Oldandlumpy,
I think the nail problems are mostly with TAX, do you know if this is what you are having yet? If not, it might be worth waiting before buying.
DaisyGirl xx
Hi, I took 6 bags of 1kg frozen peas when I had Tax. I put each hand between two bags - (with insulation round to keep them cold and hold them together)and both feet between the other two. I haven’t had any neuropathy and nails OK except there is horizontal discolouration and ridges and they split and bend easily. Don’t know if I was just lucky or if it was the peas. I refroze them each time and took them to the hospital in a cool box with 4 pint milk containers nearly full of water which we froze to keep them cold until appointment time.
Nurses seemed to have no idea why we were doing it, but they are happy to let you do your own thing.
Best wishes. Stella xx
i have not been diagnosed at all, just fearing the worse and doing my research so that I have all the info up front, gives me something to do whilst waiting for results and makes me feel more in control.
found a british supplier, no idea of price though. For all i know, if i do get that far,the hospital will supply them
Fully understand your position, I did not discover the forums until I was already having chemo and know what you mean about trying to maintain some control.
Fingers (gently) crossed that your results are the best you can hope for rather than the worst…
DaisyGirl xx
Hi Daisygirl, I used the Evonail before I started the tax doses of my chemo as I’d read all the stuff about nails. Some ladies used dark nail varnish but that often didn’t work either it seemed. Whether it was luck or the evonail I kept all mynfinger nails although they haven’t grown for months now. My first toenail went yuch before the tax and then got a psuedomonas infection so I had to pull it off. The other one died but has seemed to re- generate from the base so although I could lift it half off it was very much attached at the base. I was syringing betadine into it to try and stave off the infection. At one point my WBC catapulted to four times my pre chemo levels due to the toe infection. I’ve seen pics of ladies in America with their feet in ice coolers lol!
Lou x
Hi DaisyGirl
I had 3x Taxotare- last one on 30th April. 5 out of my 10 fingernails have turned brown. My nails are not infected or loose and the brown only goes halfway down - from the tip. I wish now that I had done the “frozen peas trick” whether it would have made a difference or not I don’t know. I trimmed my nails very short before the Tax. started and why only half of my nails are affected I don’t know either. I have marks at the base of my nails -like rings on a tree- indicating the three sessions of weedkiller I was infused with. Go for the frozen peas or gloves -definitely worth trying.
All the best - Diana
hi everyone,
if i knew then what i know now, i would have taken a freezer with me,
lol,
keep smilin everyone, captain birds eye is…
love liz xxxx
Hi
I had 7 cycles of Tax and didn’t lose my nails, I only used black or really dark nail varish and made sure I kept my nails out of the sun too as UV is said to effect them?
On my toes I used Minx which are essentially nail stickers/foils which covered them really well for up to 6 weeks. Nice treat too!
I kept on with the dark nail varnish for months after the treatment finished and had new nails form under my original nails (double nails, very odd) but the top ones didn’t fall off. The result was extra strong nails.
Hope this helps.
Diana
I used a very dark bronze nail varnish.I had 4xfec and 4xtax.I did get ridges on my nails and I lost one big toe nail.All my nails went a bit thick but they stayed on and looked ok with varnish.They grew back normally very quickly after treatment.
Vx
Thanks for the encouraging news, I haven’t given up all hope of keeping them!
DaisyGirl xx