Elasto nails with tax treatment

[booksandwine]

Thanks all. I will ask my oncologist on Friday. Article was interesting and I am planning to wear frozen gloves and socks to try to protect nails. I always paint my toes but will start on fingernails.

[rosie14]

Hi I live in Cyprus so plenty of UV light here! I am keeping my nails coloured both toe and finger nail during chemo and all seems fine at the moment. I have had 3 sessions of TAC.

[Gadgetgirl]

Hi, I looked into the elasto mitts and slippers. They sound like a good idea, but they are difficult to get hold of. They are available on Amazon in the US but not the UK, so shipping would be slow and expensive. If you read the trial they say you need 2 pairs as they gave to be changed half way through to keep cold enough. If you're having a drip in the hand that probably means the glove wouldn't fit onto that hand so then you get lopsided nails! In the end I have decided not to bother. If they were available easily in the UK, especially if they were provided by the chemo unit like the cold cap is, I think I would give it a go, especially the slippers as the thought of losing toenails really makes me squeamish.
Sorry to sound so negative, all the best x

[Petal88]

That's confusing as the article on nails says use clear varnish not coloured, especially dark, and yet I had the opposite advice and so far so good!

[Maryland]

Hi booksandwine......my cousin is a consultant dermatologist so I asked her about the gloves. She sent me a couple of links for you. The first is a control study (by Georges Pompidou Oncology Centre in France where the gloves were first trialled) and the second is an article (sourced through Oncology journals) by Pam Stephan, an 11 year bc survivor, that describes general nail care. I finished FEC-T in July 2012; my nails started to fall off at the end of August (not all of them) and were long and strong again by December. Toenails took a bit longer.

http://www.elasto-gel.es/PDF/estudio-01-zapatillas-elastogel.pdf

http://breastcancer.about.com/od/lifeduringtreatment/tp/fingernail_disorders.htm

Hope some of this helps.....all the best for the rest of your treatment

[Petal88]

Never heard of them. I have had 6 cycles of tax and have kept my nails covered in dark nail varnish (very Goth!). There has been quite a discussion on my usual forum, December Angels, with various opinions but this has worked for me. My nails have funny markings and have crumbled a bit at the tops so I keep them very short but it has worked for me. It is the UV light getting in to the bed of the nail that makes it lift so it is important to leave them covered and watch out for it growing up the nails. I have been so paranoid about it I have even re-done my nails in the evenings so they don't get the UV on them and I have worn socks to keep my toenails covered (not so easy to do in summer). Good luck.

[booksandwine]

I am currently on fec and will shortly do 3 sessions of tax. I have heard a lot of people have nail issues on tax or tec. Seems these elasto gloves are good.

Anyone heard or them used them. Are they used in uk ?