Chalky and weak toenails and fingernails

Mine started improving once I got off taxol although I was still on herceptin. Fingers crossed!

My nails were very soft, brittle and sore on paclitaxal. On my last trip to the oncologist she mentioned that it could continue while I was on Herceptin. She mentioned as high as 50% of patients find that. I'm still having the same issues but just keeping them short and painted. They are still very sensitive/sore.

Thanks Kath

@MKitty68 You might consider staying on Vit D as it does really help with reducing osteoporosis and breast cancer return...apparently. 

We've had prior discussions about this.

http://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/15413/vitamin-d-and-link-to-breast-cancer/p1

mine are weak and growing with ridges in them, i keep them trimmed short & take a calcium & Vit D supplement as recommended by my Oncologist. I'm nearly at the end of chemo (yay!) so hoping the strength comes back once i've finished. i think i'll keep up the Vit D supplement for a while after chemo finishes just in case. 
Does radiation affect them at all? 

Hi there I finished chemo nearly 12 months ago and got brittle finger nails from the paclitaxol. I still see my nail lady fortnightly to put the gel polish on them to keep them strong I still have 3 dodgy ones left but heaps better now in the early days I had to put acrylic nails on my own other wise they all would of broken off down really low. Lucky for me my nail lady does them really cheap too xx 

I wasn't getting too excited just in case, but it looks like chemo cured my big toe fungal nail too @zoffiel!
who would have thought there were good side effects.

I've got about 3 mm of crappy brown toenail to go before I've grown all mine out. My fingernails are still flimsy; I painted them black religiously through chemo but once I'd finished I couldn't be arsed. Stopping may have been a mistake.
On the upside, it looks like my long term toenail fungus has given up and decamped. 

Taxol made a mess of my toenails. My fingernail damage was hardly noticeable but my toenails discoloured, split, expanded, went chalky, everything except drop off! It can take some considerable time to improve. I would have expected to see some deterioration while you were still on chemo but, as others have said, side effects may start afterwards, just to annoy. Always wise to talk with your oncologist. It may be a combination of things. Essentially if it's chemo related, it more or less has to grow out, which can be slow. Mine started to improve slowly a few months after Taxol was finished, Herceptin didn't seem to have any impact. Good luck. 

12 months on and I have chalky soft brittle nails that I can't grow beyond my finger length and even then they just break off for no reason. Fingernails take 3 months to fully grow out. Toe nails 6 months. My toe nails finally have returned to normal but alas my fingernails have not. I am 9 months post herceptin, mine was discontinued early. I'm thinking that I am stuck with this now.