Finger nails.......

[princessjdc]

I was just wondering how many of you guys with cf of course, look at your fingernails? The reason I ask is because I find myself looking at my nails every single day, it seems like, I always look to see if they look worse or not, although they always look the same, my nails arent that clubbed, but sometimes in certain lights they do look very clubbed and it makes me wonder if thats what other people think of my nails or if they think they look normal. So that just made me wonder if you guys do the same. Also my breathing, Im always paying attention to the way I breathe too, which Im sure you guys do the same too. Any input would be great!!

 

[Debi]

I was just thinking about this over the weekend! My nails are somewhat clubbed. However, I realized that the only time I ever notice anyone else's nails are if they are exceptionally long or exceptionally chewed up. I have never looked at anyone else's nails and noticed whether or not they are clubbed. So, we probably worry too much about whether other people are looking at our nails.

I go through periods of being obsessed about my breathing, and of course it's worse when the pseudomonas is acting up. I have an oximeter, so I can measure my oxygen saturation. I can't tell you how many times I've thought my breathing was horrible and my O2 sats were great and vice versa.

So, you're not alone and it's all perfectly normal. Breathe deeply!

Debi
54 w/cf

 

[ladybug]

Debi,
That's awesome that you're 54! So glad to hear it!

I also worry A LOT about my breathing... mostly paying attention to respirations.

I look at my finger all the time, and mostly try to HIDE them cause I'm embarassed by the clubbing AND because I bite them to next to nothing, so they are less than glamorous... I know, vanity is a terrible thing, but I can't help but feel severely self-conscious. I don't even like to look at them, as I feel I'm reminded of the CF when I see the clubbing. So, I often keep them curled down so I don't see them, nor does anyone else.

The only time I realize if they're getting worse or not is when they turn a purple color and I always think I must be getting sick, but it usually gets better in hours or a day or two.

You're TOTALLY normal! I worry about these things AND even moreso, my "barrel chest"... I obsess over it! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif" border="0">

 

[JazzysMom]

I use to look at my fingers all the time then I started getting my nails done. The acrylic nails take away from any clubbness I have going on. My nails themselves were rather funky & I think that was more obvious then any clubbing I had. I do look at other peoples fingers all the time. My cousin (no CF or respiratory of any kind just diabetes) has severe clubbed looking fingers. Bother her & I found that very odd. My breathing becomes more apparent when I have some quiet time going on. Laying in bed or sitting here on the computer. Some days I catch myself breathing like I did when my airways were closing down. I also tend to hold my breath & have to actually make myself take a deep breath!

 

[luke]

Guys perspective......I (agreeing with Debi) notice my clubbing when my nails get longer. Easy for me...I just trim them down.


luke

 

[Landy]

I used to try to hide my nails. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've been out in public with nail polish on! I don't try to hide them now but I don't necessarily try to draw attention to them by wearing polish either.
I don't pay attention to how I'm breathing unless I'm wheezing.

 

[coltsfan715]

I have definite clubbing going on with my fingernails. I used to try and hide it because people were always making comments about my nails. I actually had a few women (manicurists) try to remove my nails thinking they were acrylic. I basically had to argue that they were real and no able to be removed lol. I have actually grown to like my nails, I try to keep them painted - a somewhat nuetral color normally. The only nail that looks odd to me with the clubbing is my middle finger, but the only people getting a look at that one are bad drivers lol (kidding ... kind of).
I notice other people's nails if I hear a "CF" kind of cough. I tend to glance at nails just out of habit and knowing that is a physically visible sign of COPD. Other than that I rarely look at other people's nails.

As for my breathing, I notice it on occasion. Normally I notice it more when I am more short of breath or if I have been doing something that makes me struggle to breathe. I notice it and think how it used to not bother me so much. Usually though I go about my day and don't think much of it.

Lindsey

 

[65rosessamurai]

Another guy's perspective...I also look at my nails, though most often the cuticles. Sometimes they turn red, or bleed when they crack. I used to keep the nails short for my martial arts, but with the Iaido, I don't have to keep them as short, but still look at them.
As for breathing, That is something I noticed when I was practicing my Iaido on film. It didn't look so good the way I was doing it, so I tried to change my breathing habit, and breathing is essential for ANY martial art, anyway. The breathing happened to be when I got a little nervous, and so I worked on being aware of it at other times.
Also, did anyone know that yawning is actually a method of resetting the breathing pattern? I heard that while I was practicing karate, and I think it would mostly occur when my breathing was too shallow after a workout, when it should be more deeper.
Since I no longer got my hands tarnished from work, I was contemplating on getting a manicure, but decided against it, despite the fact I do have occasional cracking and whiting of my nails.
BTW, I get a LOT of comments here about how big my fingernails are, and only the doctors are aware of why they are clubbed. However, my wife said the cutest thing one time, she thought my fingers looked like "Space Men", so I would tease her about it, and do things like; as I would wave, I'd say "Spaceman Five!"

 

[65rosessamurai]

Dang, how'd that get in there twice??
*Edited by Composer*

 

[princessjdc]

Thats another thing about my nails, is I always make sure that they look nice, like keeping them even and filed nicely, I allow my nails to get a medium length, because they dont look bad and also I get that from my mother seeing as her nails gets freaking long. They do draw attention to some people not because they are clubbed but because of my nails being somewhat long, and healthy looking I dont mind those comments, but highschool was the only time that a few people would say something to my sister or brother about it, and they would just tell them, why. I dont think anyone came up to me about it thou. I get compliments about my nails looking good. I dont believe I have a barrel chest just a big stomach when Im full, and broad shoulders. My husband has a clubbed pinky, because it got infected or something when he worked at a nursing home, cleaning the rooms, and after the infection was gone it left his pinky looking ugly.

 

[anonymous]

Ok so I have never had issues with clubbing until I just looked at my nails and think they look freaky!!!! I have let them get long which I never do and now they look weird.

But what exactly is clubbing? My nails looks like they bend down is that it? I went to get a manicure the other day and she said that my nails themselves were perfect, guess I was on a high from that.

She also said that my cuticles bleed so much because i have thin skin. Another wonderful benefit of prednosone!

Sue 24w/CF

 

[princessjdc]

Yes clubbing is where the nail bends down. Here is a picture of a persons hand with bad clubbing. <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.lf2.cuni.cz/Projekty/interna/foto/003/pic00022.jpg">Clubbed Nails</a>

and toes <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.lf2.cuni.cz/Projekty/interna/foto/004/pic00175.jpg">Clubbed Toes</a>

 

[thelizardqueen]

I have very minor clubbing on my fingernails. I also like to think that my nails look great, so I hardly look at them.

 

[AmyKins]

I actually had a girl in my class ask me if I had CF because she could tell by my fingernails- I was in shock that she would pick up on something like that, but she knew someone who had CF, so she knew what it meant.

 

[anonymous]

I have slight clubbing in my first finger, but not anything people notice. What they notice is my thumbs! One thumb is smaller and more clubbed than the other, so I when I have my hands together it is very apparent.

Usually those who notice my thumbs have mis-matched thumbs themselves (non cf)!

My toes are more clubbed, and I'm a little self consious about them.

--Wallflower

 

[cfmomma]

my sons fingers are clubbed. The tips are big and the nail curves downward. I have slight clubbing when I am having a flare-up of my Crohn's. People don't comment on his nails--but he obsseses over them. He will spend thirty minutes looking at them and trying to pull them off, and he is only five!! They are a pain in the a** to clean (it's hard to get underneath the nail), despite the five million nail brushes my mom gives him.

The other day he came and gave me a "present" in a box. I opened it and there were his nasty fingernail clippings. I almost puked, he found this very funny. The little punk!

 

[fugikitten2087]

I think I check mine out of habit, from my job. Today I noticed that they are unevenlly clubbed... I dont know what to make of that. I was actually going to post about clubbing today then I saw your post...

 

[princessjdc]

I have two fingers on each hand that shows the clubbing the most the rest you cant realy tell. Its my Index finger and my middle fingers, left a little worse then my right hand cause Im left handed.

 

[Wipeout]

I hate my damn-ass nails, for what it's worth. Thankfully they are not as clubbed as those in our discussion photos, though I suppose that in time they will fall in line. SLOWLY they have gotten worse as I have aged. When I am active regularly (exercise/drumming) I think they straighten a bit. When it is cold outside they seem to hunker down and turn blue. Doctors I have discussed this with have varying opinions on whether there can be slight reversal of what is in fact a pathological feature.

I also keep them well trimmed and filed. People rarely seem to notice or care. Out of the corner if my eye I will occasionally see someone near me observing them for a moment. Sometimes someone will comment, though usually not. When they comment I find it amazing. Why on earth would someone call-out an abnormality on a stranger or new acquaintance? While the majority of peeps that say something are just curious, I occasionally get one of these: "HOLY ^%#$ LOOK AT YOUR THUMB!" kind of comments.

I used to get bent out of shape. Now I just say "yeah lets look at it....................are we done yet?"

I knew a guy who wanted me to be in a film he was making, a kind of odd comedic piece about a championship thumbwrestler - I don't know whether he had scouted me for my thumbs. True story.

 

[lynchmobshredder]

mine are pretty bad too...all my fingers and toes. But i think being a woman and having clubby fingers is worse to deal with than men. Ive never been embareced about mine nor have i ever had anyone even comment. ive never really thaught twice about it. i dont think guys look at eachothers nails and go...wow those are big. LOL