Hair Hair Hair - Another question

dechi

I had Taxol/Herceptin x12.  My nails were fine until about 8 weeks PFC.  Now my nails are lifting on at least 2 of my fingers, maybe 3, lifting on one of my toes and lost the nail on another toe and I hought I was home free.  

herstrong

I'm three months PFC today and boy has the hair come in! I still haven't colored my hair but I'm cracking up that the carpet still doesn't match the drapes!

slak

For those with nail issues that showed up PFC, were there any hints during chemo that they might have been affected?  For example, was there a lot of pain/soreness of the nails, or purplish discoloration, or horizontal ridges?  I would like to think I'm past the nail issues, but given the delay in which it shows up, I'm concerned.  I'm wondering if I still need to be gentle with them given I'm 2.5 weeks PFC and had some serious soreness on one round of chemo and less so the others.  I also have red banding in one nail and a purplish blotch under another. 

kjiberty

herstrong:  Gotta say, your post cracked me up.

My nails are hurting a lot --my third tx was a week ago Thursdays (they did about 10 days after my second tx as well).  I am keeping them short and keeping my fingers crossed.

lago

After my 3rd TX several fingers hurt under nails especially when pressed or pressing. My onc told me that was a sign that they were going to lift. Some of my toenails turned black too. I have pictures once they started to lift & ooze as well as after but they are quite gross (toes are the worst). PM if you really want to see but remember this is worst case scenario. Even my dermatologist said I got it really badly.

kjiberty

Lago:  I have a week stomach, but what are you supposed to do if they start to lift and ooze? 

shore1

Kjiberty, my chemo nurses told me to soak nails in vinegar & water to prevent infection. I kept them filed short, used good cuticle cream, and kept clear polish on. I used a little tea tree oil on occasion, which my MO said was ok. Im 19 weeks pfc and hands are fine. Just 2 toe nails look kinda gross, and it was definitely a delayed SE.

kjiberty

Shore1:  Thanks.  I will start doing that.  I have tea tree oil, but keep forgetting to use it.  

LuvRVing

I had DD AC/T, got a pedi every four weeks right before a chemo treatment,  kept nail polish on at all times, and my nails escaped without any problems.  I never iced them, didn't think I could tolerate it.

kjiberty

LuvRVing:  I get pedicures about every three weeks and have been keeping nail polish on at all times too.  Perhaps there's hope.....

Whatashocker3

Mine did not ooze. I used to have very healthy nails. Nails that you didn't have to cover with nail

polish. Very white tips and pink beds. Now I have to cover them because they are lumpy and dark in color at the tips. I am assuming they will be better soon as it looks like new growth is pushing the yucky stuff out at this point. I was doing great until after chemo 3. Prior to that my nails actually looked even healthier than before.

lago

kjiberty I too heard that soaking vinegar/water will prevent infection. I didn't do that but mine never got infected. I forgot to mention they might smell badly too. I also wore clear nail polish to keep them from chipping. Don't wear a color. I did for a bit but then you can't see what's going on. Also remember that removing polish will put pressure on your nail so don't do this often.

Gemmie

Hi Ladies,

Avatar is a photo of me the day before first visit to BGC, more specifically, of my hair. I will change avatar later as I progress through the stages. I already have wigs--losts. Been a wig gal for a long time, but this photo is the real stuff. Somehow I think I'll be missing that look in a couple of weeks. I do plan to go get the buzz as soon as it starts falling out in lumpfuls. Don't think I can deal with that.

Day 3 out of chair and overall feeling good!

LuvRVing

LOL, Lago!  I wore colored polish so I wouldn't see if there was trouble.  I figured I'd get a glimpse when they removed the polish during my pedicure, and that was enough for me!!!  Ignorance is bliss

 I do think the nail fungus on my big toe went away, though!

jpmomof3

Hi Gemmie,



Glad you are still feeling good! Sorry you have to go through this too. You sound well prepared and have a good attitude about it. You may still have 2-3 weeks with that beautiful hair though, mine didn't start fall out until around then. Once the first strands fell though I got my husband to buzz it.

kjiberty

HI Gemmie:  Glad you're doing well thus far.  Like jpmomof3, I waited until it started falling out a little over two weeks, and then had it buzzed.

I am going to try to make a nail/pedicure appt.  It's just the fingernails that hurt, not the toenails.  I am wearing a very shear pink that I can see through. 

Teakay

I don't post often, but I do lurk often!! This is to encourage anyone that had thinning hair before chemo and is worried about how or if hair is going to come back. 

My hair was thinning before chemo, and almost four months later most of my hair that I had and quite possibly then some has grown back. It is hard to tell because it is only an inch or so long, but it actually seems thicker! 

 The first few months were torturous and with many tears waiting and wondering if it was going to come in. It came in very weirdly, as my top and back came in first, and I kid you not-- in mohawk fashion!!  My sides/temples were the last to fill in and remained bald until the three/three and a half months pfc. Now four months pfc I have coverage all over and it gets better and better daily! 

I just wanted to put this out there because I know that I would appreciated some encouragement while waiting for regrowth. Just because your hair was thinning before chemo doesn't mean that it won't come back, and maybe it will come back even better than before!!!

Carrol2

Me too my hair was really thin and straggley pre chemo and now it's nice and thick and healthy

 I look at  it like a do over . . .

Myleftboob

Teakay and Carol

Thanks for the encouraging words.  I'm just past 8 weeks PFC and I noticed yesterday that my hair is starting to grow now on the top and sides where just a week ago it still felt smooth so its coming!  The back is starting to darken a bit too.  I also noticed that my eyebrow on the right is now starting to fill in!!!  Hopefully i will start to take off now and I get a better head of hair than before!!

kjiberty

A have a questin (which I am sure has already been adressed, but there's 518 pages).  I am in the 2nd week of tx 3.  I have one more T/C treatment left on 6/28, then rads for 7 weeks.  Here's my question:  There's no hair on the sides, but this white clearless (gray?) stuff is growing about an inch long straight up on top and some on the sides.  Will that fall out with this and the next chemo or is that new growth that needs to be addressed?  (i..e. evened out?).  It's weird looking.

Ossa

kjiberty.. sounds like new growth.. chemo hair.. looks like white babyhair?? Next you will get what I would refer to a "brillopad"hair.. Feels very rough.. Moroccan oil (or One and only (argon oil)from Sally' Beauty) works great to soften the hair 

jpmomof3

Yep that sounds like the chemo hair i am getting. I am still on taxol but started getting it a 4-5 weeks after my last AC dose. It is growing slowly now but at least it is hair. It is starting to darken a bit and the baby soft peach fuzz isn't coming out. Eventually I would imagine that I will need to get that baby stuff trimmed off but i am not there yet...

shore1

Jpmomof3, I didn't trim off any of the white fuzzy stuff. Within a month pfc it started to look like real hair.

jpmomof3

Cool! I will leve it alone. I love it now anyway. My kids like to pet my head now. They would not touch it when I was bald...

mags20487

ditto...baby ducky hair everywhere until the REAL stuff started to come in.  I say leave it alone --the only place I got rid of it was on my face...looked like the bearded lady haha

Maggie

Gemmie

So nice to read positive stuff. Hair comes back often thicker? Way cool! I'm a long way out from that as mine hasn't even started to fall out yet, but hey, I like the future perspective!! Thanks, ladies.

kjiberty

My girlfriend says my head feels like the top of her 9-month old baby's hair.  I just didn't know if that new stuff is going to fall out since I have one more tx to go.  I will leave it alone.  It's standing straight up on my head.  

Myleftboob

kjiberty

I had the same thing kj.  Some of the stubble from having my head buzzed never fell out then it started sprouting in white and never fell out.  It has started to darken up too.

kjiberty

Myleftboob:  That's good to know.  I am trhing to keep positive.  Anyone take biotin for hair growth?  Does it help?

Hikergal

I am starting chemo with TC this week and wondering if anyone out there has tried the cold caps to prevent hair loss?  the Taxotere scares me when you hear about women with permanent hair loss from it.