Hands

: You can improve your nails Wikipedia

If your nails keep catching in your clothes, and you find it is painful to get dressed, shake hands, etc. you are not alone.

After Chemo or radiotherapy, or when you start on hormonal drugs, you might suddenly find your hands and feet develop horrid horny nails, and / or splitting skin, and you can almost see your fingernails disintegrating as you use them.

You may even develop Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), a side effect of the Anastrazole drug, Aramidex.

When I developed CTS doctors told me this was caused by RSI (repetitive strain injury) and to stop using my computer. I couldn’t work for three months, but it was still as bad. So I had a procedure which sounds horrible – they inject you in your wrist with a long needle – but was actually genuinely painless for me. This cleared it up, but it wasn’t until a year later I discovered that CTS was a side effect of Aramidex, and got the makers to include this information in the information sheet.

We can feel stupid asking for help; we see nail problems as minor, and believe doctors will think we are vain if we ask for help. Well don’t. Nails are an important part of our body, are there to protect our hands, and wouldn’t be there if they were just for decoration.

Of course you WILL use rubber glovers – won’t you? !!! That is probably the single most important facet of hand care. Having said that, you will find that drugs make your hands incredibly rough – but products that are really helpful are:

Clarins Hand Cream – There is a lovely story about their hand cream. After her last visit to Australia, H. M. The Queen insisted she had to get off the plane at Singapore as one of her Ladies in Waiting had told her to buy this wonderful hand cream made by Clarins. Her Majesty, unlike certain Prime Minister’s wives, believes it is sensible to save money where you can, and bought her own. The shop assistant was very happy to give it to her, but she insisted that it was paid for – by her Lady in Waiting (The Queen never carries money). So even The Queen agrees that Clarins hand cream is one of the best on the market!

Nails You may find your nails have split down to the bed, and you are having to file them three times a day; this is because the hormonal drugs have removed the top layer of your nail. Cancer drugs often cause the top layer of nails to flake off, which can be painful as nails catch in clothes.

The Royal Marsden Hospital used to have a manicurist, Francesca Mannning, who was very helpful and supportive, and made me realise that many others suffer – usually in silence. One thing Francesca recommended was NailTek products, made in the States for cancer patients. They have Crystal Glass Files, soft and gentle and so good I have one by the bed, in my handbag and on my desk – all places where the horrid little hangnails catch. They are also coming into shops, so look out for them at chemists.

NailTek make special base coats; best one for splitting and hang nails is Hydration Therapy II (a nail varnish). If you have horrid thick, horny nails (rather like horses) then their Hydration Therapy III is the right product. They also make a cuticle cream and an oil: products which feed the nails, and really help them grow again. Use the oil or cream every day on the nail bed and around the edge, then every day re-apply another coat of the Hydration Therapy, taking it off once a week.

Provided I remember to use their Hydration Therapy clear nail varnish every day, and their cuticle creams at night, my nails now have a white edge – before they were like a serrated saw.

In France they take nail care seriously, and at a recent conference for Oncologists I heard a brilliant dermatologist discuss how effective Evonail was at treating cancer patients’ nail problems. If you go to article on How the French treat nail problems, this gives more details. You can order in UK from contact@feelbetterduringchemo.com

You may find that due to a low immune system, you develop a fungal infection under your nails. SkinSure Plus is recommended for this; put a large drop into the palm of your hand, rub palms together then scrape nails across the palms so the lotion gets under the nails. 0800 107 1053. However, my fungal infection was so gross that the only thing that finally worked was Loceryl. This costs around £40 a tiny bottle, but thanks to Dr. Nerys Roberts at my local hospital, I managed to get this on the NHS.

And you are not alone. In the USA they take these nail problems seriously, and an article in Supportive Oncology March/April 2009 issue on Dermatotoxicity linked to targeted Biological Agents tells you lots more – and proves you are not making a fuss. See rest of article

http://www.lindiskin.com/v/vspfiles/pdf/SupportiveOncology_Dermatotocicity.pdf