"?" Side Effect of Chemo

Trudy · Regular Joined: 24 May 2008 Posts: 47 Location: Hershey PA

My Mother will be starting her 5th round of Chemo today, Taxol (IV)

She is a trooper....

In the past several weeks I have noticed her fingernails are turning a dark brown color, plus her nails have developed ridges on them.
She says her fingertips are sore....

has anyone ever have this happen to them? She is on Lovenox injections daily b/c of blood clots...

any thoughts are always apprecitated

This forum is incredible and I thank everyone for the love and support that is always shown...
_________________
Trudy
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84 yr old Mother has NSCLC Stage 4 diagnosed April 2008

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 1133

Trudy,

Hmm... If this is what I think it is, usually this happens with Taxotere and not Taxol. Tea tree oil may help. Rub it into the cuticles and drip it under the nailbed as best as possible. You can hope the nails stay attached, but sometimes they lift. My husband had this problem with Taxotere and you could see lacy lines on his nails from each treatment cycle. It was weird. The darkening, purple, was stunning or so I told him. Shocked

It happened to both his finger and toes.

We were told that he should rub an triple anti-biotic into his cuticles, etc. several times a day from the beginning to try and fend off this from happening. Being a guy, he didn't do it.

Eventually they grew out, never lost the nails, and they were fine.

Soreness might be peripheral neuropathy -- it can be anything from a tingly numb sensation to outright painful. B6 was what was recommended before my husband started the Carbo/Taxol regimen. Run that by the doc, as ours said B6 did have some anti-oxidant properties and he wanted my husband to take as little as possible to get by. He could have taken up to 600 mgs. per day but, as he had no trouble, he scaled back.

Have the doc or nurses examine her to see what exactly is the root cause of the pain -- lifting nails or peripheral neuropathy.

Best of luck!
PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Trudy · Regular Joined: 24 May 2008 Posts: 47 Location: Hershey PA

Hi PBJ

Thank you so much for your insight into this nail problem. We were at the Doc today and Chemo and he said this is "normal" and does happen with some people....

He said that taking vitamins would not help becuase of Chemo....
I don't ask questions anymore, because that's what my Mom wants...

she told me on the way home today that she only has two more rounds of Chemo then she will be finished, the cancer will be gone...

...whew! That knocked my socks off, yet I tried not to let my heart show on my sleeve...

she really thinks she will be fine, no cancer, after she is "done" with Chemo...

She will be 85 years old on October 13th and I am having family here...

Right now, I am just drained...and talking....
somedays it is just so difficult because I know that this disease will eventfully take her ( like it did my Dad, he chose to do limited Chemo, as the cancer mets to his liver )
yet she believes the chemo will take it all away.....

thanks for listening...I appreciate it so much...it's all part of the process
_________________
Trudy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
84 yr old Mother has NSCLC Stage 4 diagnosed April 2008

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