| Re: Nails lost from chemotherapy
Chemo does a number on your whole bdy, including your nails and hair since they are both made from the same type of Keratin Proteins - one hard and the other soft. I would leave them alone rather than to have them removed. Toenails take a lot longer to grow - up to a year for complete replacement. Since the chemo affected the matrix, it will take a long time until it begins to develop 'normal' nail plate cells. The damaged portion will eventually be pushed off the free edge and the nails should be 'normal' again.
My husband damaged the matrix on his thumb and is complaining about the same thing. The current nail plate is growing in with deep horizontal ridges and there is a very thin coating of nail plate on the remainder of the 'old' nail bed. I can feel the nail plate at the matrix is thicker, but it will also grow in funny. Once the matrix has completely healed and begins to develop normal undamaged cells. it will grow in just fine. Whenever the Matrix is damaged from trauma, high fever, chemo, etc, it takes a break from properly developing cells - you will jsut have to wait it out.
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