Herceptin 3 wk dose verses weekly, & finger nails.

Chelee

I did weekly herceptin for NINE months. I just recently SWITCHED to the 3 week dose. I've NOW done officially 4 three week doses in a row.

What gets me is when I was doing the WEEKLY herceptin for 9 months...finger nails did NOT grow at all. Now that I'm doing the 3 week dose they are? (Slowly...but so different then before.) Makes no sense. If the 3 week dose is SUPPOSE to be as affective as weekly...it makes me wonder if the 3 wk dose wears off faster then they think if my nails are now growing when they never did on weekly?

Anyone experienced this? (Probably one me.) hahaha

Chelee

carolinakatlady

I am on weekly too. So that is whats wrong with my nails. hmmmm.....

Margerie

I have been on the three week schedule for 9 months now and my nails are crappy!! They just keep peeling- they were actually better on chemo.

Chelee

My nails were horrible on the WEEKLY...but don't take me wrong here...my nails are by NO means great...but they do grow a little now which is SO strange? Why they would on the 3 week dose makes no sense? (I started thinking they are infusioning me with a bag of water.) LOL Just kidding.

They are growing slowly...but before they would NOT grow at all and they were SO THIN it wasn't funny. Now they are thick? This makes no sense. (Twlight Zone.)

Chelee

Denny123

I have had Herceptin alone every 3 weeks, for over 2 years, and my nails are fine and growing normally.

Lucky me!

Chelee

Denise, Alright young lady...so whats your secret!? You must have one if your nails are fine on herceptin. You have been on it longer then all of us so you should have NO nails. lol Come on now...fess up...whats the deal?
(SPILL it...were waiting.) hahaha

Chelee

Denny123

Hummmm, to make matters worse, I actually started Herceptin 3 years ago and had it for a year along with Gemzar. Once my liver went into remission, I went on Herceptin alone.

No secret, but I only polish my nails for very special occasions.

I guess that it has something to do with the fact that God has blessed me in so many ways lately....

Although, I have had another CA27-29 test and waiting for the results. Then I will soon have another CT scan.... Always waiting for the other shoe to drop....
But my nails look great!

Denny123

Me again.
Do you think it could be because I eat mostly veggies and fruit and whole grains?

maryannecb

My nails took a full six months to recover from chemo. I could see a stripe for each chemo I received. After the last stripe grew to the top and while I was still on Herceptin they were pretty much normal.

Chelee, when did you finish chemo?

Fists up!

OtraVez

I've been on taxotere at the same time, so I can't tell if the Herceptin is doing anything to mynails at all. . .

Denny123

Taxotere definitely did a job on my nails, although I didn't lose any of them.
Be sure to use Tea Tree Oil on the cuticles and under the nail tips on hands and feet.
It is a natural aneseptic and can be found at Wal-Mart or health food stores.

Chelee

MaryAnne, Maybe you got something there girl. I have my LAST stripe across my nails right now. They finally made it to the very top. A little bit more and they will be flat on top and normal again.

When those stripes started they were at the bottom of my nails as I am sure you know all to well. My LAST chemo was June 22, 06....so its been 7 months.

In fact...one nail on my right hand "middle finger". LOL It doesn't have any stripe left...it was the first one to totally lose it. It is growing faster then ALL ther other nails. So that MUST be it. (Gee...I should of figured that out.) Ok smarty pants. LOL

Its going to be nice to have my nails back again.

Chelee

AnnaM

No stripes on nails here. Some of my toenails fell off after Taxol (they have grown back now) but my fingernails were just fine during A/C and Taxol, and they soldiered on for the first 45 or so weekly Herceptin treatments. I finished Herceptin last week and now my fingernails are having a total breakdown. Thin, peeling, splitting, and the skin on the tips of my now exposed fingers is rough, cracked and sometimes bleeds. It gets caught on all my clothes. I have taken to dipping my poor little thumbs in tea tree oil and wrapping them so as not to leak all over everything. I sure hope this is temporary....

Anna

Denny123

Anna,
My fingertip-edges always crack in the winter. And since I have bi-lat lymphedema, this is a worry because of the risk of infection.
Last winter I found a pretty good solution. I coat my hands and especially my fingertips with A & D ointment and wear cotton gloves all night. It really helps.
So you could also wear the gloves with the tea tree oil on your fingertips.

jamie33

Just had Taxotere, Carboplatin & herceptin # 2 today. (every 3wks). So far no nail trouble but mine split and cracked alot before txt anyway.
I'm corssing my fingers for no nail loss/issues. Although, I have read that others use ice packs for hands and feet and it worked for them. So, who knows!

janet11

My 6th (and last) TCH was Dec 27. My fingernails have some darker red areas, but nothing bad. And I have some black areas on some toenails, but again, it's not the entire nail and I haven't lost any of them (and don't expect to). I never used cold packs.

The worst part of the Taxotere was the taste bud changes. I'm really looking forward to being able to eat my favorite foods again (*smile*).

Good luck,
Janet

Chelee

Janet, You have lucked out. I only got a little of the black on my big toes especially. I *thought* they would be fine in time. But after about two months...HALF of my nail split off and I lost most of my nail on each BIG toe only. Its still slowly growing out. Doesn't look great. I think the herceptin is making it grow out so slow. But since it was only the big toes...not too bad. Don't be surprised if at the last minute yours does the same thing. I really thought mine was going to be fine...I got fooled.

I sure KNOW what you mean about the taste buds. Mine was RUINED on TCH. I could hardly eat. Any thing I ate tasted terrible. I ate just because I had too...not because it tasted good. Most people I know were gaining weight on chemo...I lost about 40 pounds. I remember one week the nurse practioner asked me why I LOST 10 pounds in one week. She seemed angry. I wanted to tell her to try TCH and come back and talk to me about it. Food was gross to me.

But its been 7 months since my last chemo and NOW I have an appetite that won't quit. It worries me. I'm always hungry. I hate it...I don't want to gain weight back. But EVERY THING tastes so GOOD NOW. Yummy. You will definetly be eating all your favorite foods and then some. Nothing like making up for lost time. hahaha

Chelee

AnnaM

Thank you for the tip, Denise. I will go and try to find some cotton gloves...

Denny123

anna,
If you have an Altmeyers, they have cotton gloves in colors. Or a dancing supply store would have them. They only cost $2.

Fitztwins

My nails were crap for so long, they just recently look okay. I am 7 months out from last herceptin tx.

DragonladyTina

My toenails are still a mess and I didn't have taxol, I had A/C.
I had 6 rings on my big toenails for each round of chemo I had, they are thick and dark in color now, all my other toenails fell off.
They are all back to normal now except the big toenails.
I am so embarrassed to get a pedicure


Tina

Zzap

Wow, I haven't had anything strange happen with my finger or toe nails yet. They seem to be growing normally. I've had 4 rounds dd AC and have had my second round of dd Taxol w/Herceptin (2 left).

My taste buds are definately shot. Everything tastes flat, boring, lame. I think I might be looking forward to my taste returning more than my hair!

anisah60

I have been on 3 weekly Herceptin since last September. Over the past month or so, my fingernails have all but disintergrated.

Has anyone experienced finger stiffness, difficulty with fine motor (like hand sewing ) and general lack of coordination leading to finger stubbing and the like?

Anne in SA

Dejaboo

1 week vs 3 weeks Herceptin?  

Is there benefits & cons for each? (not just about Nails)  But all pros & Cons for the treatment times.