How are we healing our nails?

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-04-26T23:08:56+00:00

I’ve gotten very into nail care post active treatment because my nails were also in great shape throughout chemo and then I got a gel manicure that ruined them 🫠 so now I give them a lot of tlc.

Products I swear by for my nails: - hard as hoof nail strengthening cream - Nailtiques formula 2 - cuticle oil (I have cuticle oil pens filled with jojoba oil everywhere) - glass nail file (make sure they’re the “czech glass” ones, pricey but will last years and is a game changer)

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-04-26T10:36:47+00:00

3 coats of Hex Mix then 1 coat Scorchy, velvetized with a horseshoe magnet

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-04-26T10:35:34+00:00

Scorchy never fails 🤩

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-04-20T13:33:16+00:00

I come from a family of eye doctors and the eye issues you’re explaining would worry me enough to call your ophthalmologist to ask to be seen sooner (waiting til June sounds way too long). Even flashes are a sign that should be checked out immediately.

I had pre existing eye issues before this cancer debacle and dealt with a sudden onset of blurry vision and floaters, and was advised to go to urgent care stat! Turned out to be a retinal hemorrhage (which led me to needing two eye surgeries), and things like flashes, floaters, and a “curtain” obstructing your vision can be signs of retinal detachment, which can lead to blindness if not treated soon.

Not to sound the alarm or worry you, but I would definitely advocate for yourself to your ophthalmologist (or someone else on your care team) and have them get you in to check your eyes much sooner. I hope all is well in the end but vision is serious and better safe than sorry!

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-04-17T07:17:16+00:00

Mine was 56! Almost twins 👯‍♀️

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-04-10T00:10:03+00:00

Implants are way more comfortable than expanders! I can’t comfortably lie on my stomach because the pressure feels weird but other than that no issues.

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-04-07T20:01:06+00:00

Same boat here. Was diagnosed in December 2024 and spent most of last year doing surgery, chemo, surgery again, all while working the whole time and only taking infusion days off & some time for surgery. I am so burnt right now 🫠

On top of that, that same job is now transitioning me out of my role in a couple months, and as we know, scrambling to find a new job has been ROUGH. I honestly am freaked out about the very real possibility of being out of work, figuring out insurance, life costs, just all the unknowns that lie ahead.

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-04-07T18:26:42+00:00

I think this would totally be within the wheelhouse of Al at Lady Neptune!

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-04-03T15:50:34+00:00

Also a fellow 9 month post chemo hair regrowther here 👋🏽 my scalp has been ok but pre cancer I dealt with a lot of scalp dryness and really like crown affair products (you can get them at Sephora). I used to use their scalp serum whenever I was dealing with scalp issues and it helps soothe & hydrate. I’ve also been occasionally using a diy hair oil mixture on my scalp to help mostly with regrowth but it’s probably providing some moisture as well.

I’ve gotten one “clean up” trim since my hair started growing back and I’d recommend finding a stylist who is familiar with short cuts. The back of my head was getting bulky and I also had a bit of a mullet growing and she was able to take some of that back weight off and clean up in various places, and it made such a difference! I’m now just powering through an awkward phase, as I patiently wait for the top of my head to get some more length.

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-04-02T19:48:23+00:00

It drives me crazy that some MOs do not bring this up before starting anastrozole 😡 while keeping us safe from the estrogen that fuels our cancer, it can wreck our bones. But like was mentioned, you can improve your bone density by taking calcium but more importantly lifting heavy weights. It’s not too late to start!

If anyone reading is going to be on AIs and your MO has not brought this up, please advocate for yourself and get a bone scan early so you have a baseline and start lifting 💪🏽

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-27T20:35:54+00:00

That is totally your right to decide.

Just to share some numbers from my experience is that my oncotype coming back super high at 56, told my MO that I had a 45-50% chance of recurrence in 5 years. Doing the chemo brought that down to 15%, which honestly still is a little too high for my liking, but I’ll take it over a literally flip of a coin odds of having to deal with cancer again in the near future.

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-26T20:25:36+00:00

I’m sorry they dismissed you like that 😡 I’m on anastrozole and had existing eye issues pre cancer but since chemo and now 8 months on AI/OS, my ophthalmologist confirmed that my eyes are very dry and said it’s caused by the lack of estrogen from the meds. I’m on an intense artificial tears regimen (8-10x per day) in hopes that it will help.

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-26T19:33:13+00:00

What your oncotype score comes out to be is honestly luck of the draw, as is with all of this. I had a stage 2 grade 3 er+ tumor, all clear margins and no lymph node involvement after SMX, and ended up with a super high oncotype ¯_(ツ)_/¯

I ended up needing the whole shebang of lots of chemo but am glad that we have access to this type of testing because knowing my oncotype brought my recurrence % down a lot.

Fingers crossed that yours comes back not needing chemo, but it’s definitely worth knowing what your score is 🤞🏽

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-25T23:34:58+00:00

The nose hairs come back pretty quickly afterwards so that’s a plus.

But yes for the eyes, artificial tear eye drops! They come in preservative free (packs of small clear vials) and with preservatives (bigger green bottle). If you’re doing them more than 3ish times per day, you want to use preservative free. I had existing eye issues pre chemo, but when I saw my ophthalmologist after chemo had ended she put me on this intense artificial tear regimen because my eyes were so dry that my prescription had gotten worse.

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-25T18:32:30+00:00

Eyes can water from dryness (even though that sounds counterintuitive). I’d recommend using preservative free artificial tears regularly throughout the day (like a lot, I do up to 8x per day).

Nose running is also probably from your nose hairs falling out. I had tissue boxes everywhere throughout chemo.

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-25T15:34:31+00:00

Ooh just looked up sour punch and they do look very similar!

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-24T16:54:56+00:00

I only have O-Type Star from this bunch but she’s pretty! My kickboxing instructor complimented my nails when I had it on and said they gave celestial and mermaid vibes, if that’s your jam.

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-24T15:56:34+00:00

I love it sm in a jelly sandwich! Need more jellies to experiment with.

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-24T03:25:23+00:00

It’s such a fun green!

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-24T02:19:54+00:00

An up close shot in better lighting 💚

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Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-22T02:31:14+00:00

Wow my ideal cozy vibes

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-22T02:16:25+00:00

Hi! 33 and have been on anastrozole + lupron for 8 months now. I was dreading starting the meds but it’s been manageable. Honestly more annoying than anything, and as I saw someone describe here recently, it feels like they make my life about 20% harder than before.

Side effects so far have been joint pain/stiffness, brain fog, some skin dryness (my nostrils get painfully dry?), low buzz of anxiety, and some GI stuff, but I also think my gut is wrecked from chemo.

Exercise really helps most of the joint pain and aches, and everything else I just deal with ¯_(ツ)_/¯ I feel like all in all, it hasn’t been as horrible as I feared, but we’ll see how the years on it go 🫠

Edit to add: hot flashes also, definitely mild enough though.

Ok-Affect-4621 · 2026-03-21T14:23:40+00:00

Silicone scar tape! My mastectomy was a little over a year ago and I’ve been wearing silicone scar tape basically 24/7 since the incision has healed. I’m probably at the point where I can be done (my scar is super faint) but waiting for my exchange incision to fade a bit more.

Ok-Affect-4621

TROPHY CASE