Fingernail changes??

[Guest]

OK....this will sound bizarre, but there seem to be a lot of strange side effects with OHS. I know that fingernails can sometimes be used to diagnosis medical conditions. After my surgery I noticed that the middle fingernail on my right hand has a very noticeable vertical depression (sort of opposite of a ridge) near the right side. I know I did not have this pre-surgery; only noticed it about two weeks after surgery when I was idly rubbing another finger over it. No pain, no discoloration. Anyone else notice anything like this???

Pat

 

[Bina]

Oh yes indeed. I have googled images of weird fingernail issues too.
What I learned was that a horizontal depressed ridge (across) the nail, mine was a toe nail, may be indicative of a severe systematic trauma.
The open heart surgery with the hours of anesthesia and the hour on bypass would fall into that category.
My thumb nails and pinkie finger nails have vertical ridges (lengthwise) that still persist, may be from other issues.....?

 

[Freddie]

I always thought that these "ridges" were a sign of a low vitamin, which one...I forget. But I have them ridges too, they go up and down - from top to bottom of the finger nail, but no discoloration.

 

[acr]

I remember nothing post-surgery, but pre-surgery I can recall the doctors looking at my fingernails, which I thought was weird. Seems that with a leaking valve you can see the pulse in your fingernail.

 

[Nancy]

There are nail changes when you aren't getting enough oxygen too. That's called clubbing, or rounding of the nail.

 

[Ross]

There are nail changes when you aren't getting enough oxygen too. That's called clubbing, or rounding of the nail.

I can scan my hand and post it if you'd like to see what clubbing looks like.

 

[Jkm7]

Thank you so much for this post.
I always had long, hard nails but since my first OHS six years ago, my nails peel, some have ridges and I can't grow them any length to speak of.
It has puzzled me since as I did connect it with that surgery. It didn't get any worse with my second surgery but they have not improved either.

 

[echoguy]

OK....this will sound bizarre, but there seem to be a lot of strange side effects with OHS. I know that fingernails can sometimes be used to diagnosis medical conditions. After my surgery I noticed that the middle fingernail on my right hand has a very noticeable vertical depression (sort of opposite of a ridge) near the right side. I know I did not have this pre-surgery; only noticed it about two weeks after surgery when I was idly rubbing another finger over it. No pain, no discoloration. Anyone else notice anything like this???

Pat

I agree with Bina. Sounds like Beau's Lines. If that is the case, it is a sign of what has happened in the past, and will grow out normally in a few months.

 

[Dale 1]

My nails were getting brittle and dry before my surgery, and broke easily. I've always had very healthy fingernails, so that was new. I noticed last week that the part of the nails that has grown in since my OHS in November look much healthier. I guess that's the opposite of the point of this thread, but thought I'd contribute anyway.

 

[hensylee]

mine have ridges - they have always been strong and still are. surgery for quad bypass was 10 yrs ago.

I met a lady who had very cold hands. When I looked, under her nails was all purple. She has heart problems.

 

[csutherland]

All of my fingernails except the right forefinger have vertical ridges, some of which are quite pronounced. My mother's nails were the same way. For the first half of her life she had severe psoriasis that strangely disappeared as she aged. The vertical fingernail ridges are related to that I believe. If I get under a lot of pressure I get a few patches of psoriasis on my back & legs. Research I've done makes the connection to the fingernail issue.

To my knowledge I have no heart problems, even though I had rheumatic fever as a small child. Mom lived to age 89 with no heart problems.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all the comments. I looked up Beau's Lines but they are horizontal. My middle finger has a vertical groove (not ridge) about 1/3 from the side. I will show it to my cardio next week. It is probably nothing, but the timing is interesting.

Pat

 

[Maryka]

Before OHS I had crummy fingernails my whole life. After OHS my nails have been stronger than ever before. (No lines) Figure that one out! My hair, however, fell out in handfuls (but I still had a full head of it) in the weeks after the surgery. It all grew back.

 

[sue943]

I hadn't heard the term Beau's Lines before but realise this is probably what I had due to my endocarditis etc, my nails all had a depression across them which eventually grew out. I realised it was to do with my illness, just not what it was called.

I have vertical ridges and grooves but I don't think they are related to my heart, who knows though.

 

[Mentu]

Pat, thanks for starting this discussion. During the months before surgery, my nails became brittle and thin. The last eight weeks before surgery, I felt ill all the time but with surgery I felt better at once. After surgery, I noticed that I had some noticeable dips in my finger nails running from side to side that are just now growing to the front. The new nail behind those dips looks better on every finger than what is now at the leading edge. It now seems so obvious we are seeing our own little monitoring systems at work....how interesting....like our own set of tree rings.

Larry

 

[echoguy]

Thanks for all the comments. I looked up Beau's Lines but they are horizontal. My middle finger has a vertical groove (not ridge) about 1/3 from the side. I will show it to my cardio next week. It is probably nothing, but the timing is interesting.

Pat

You are absolutely correct. Beau's lines are horizontal, not vertical. I guess I was just reading your message wrong, ....or I forgot which way was vertical.

The most common thing I see as an asymptomatic vertical grove in a fingernail is caused by a small growth in the nail fold called a digital mucous cyst. But this usually has a small bump in the nail fold.

In any case, I don't think that an asymptomatic vertical groove in a fingernail is any cause for alarm. Please let us know if your cardiologist has any concerns.

 

[Jeanie]

Did you say it is only one finger? I wonder if they had an oximeter clamped to that finger too tightly, for too long?

 

[terodac]

Mine have been short and they break real easy my toenails are worst. I have been applying oil to them for a few weeks and they look much better. I am post op 3.5 years, I never had great nails before but they are really shot after OHS!

 

[Jkm7]

Terodac...

What typeof oil are you using?
I recently bought a costly Elemis product and it hasn't made any improvement.

 

[Cici]

My nails were getting brittle and dry before my surgery, and broke easily. I've always had very healthy fingernails, so that was new. I noticed last week that the part of the nails that has grown in since my OHS in November look much healthier. I guess that's the opposite of the point of this thread, but thought I'd contribute anyway.

my nails are hard as nails 🤣 post surgery! Prior to surgery they were thin, peeling and easily broken.