Nails!

One of the things affected by cancer treatment are your nails. They can get brittle and thin, break easily, become susceptible to fungus, or get ridged. Often while you are undergoing treatment you can't put polish or nail strengthener on, especially if you are undergoing surgery. If you have had lymph gland involvement, you shouldn't even have a manicure for fear of infection potential.

My nails didn't have a lot of trouble, but they basically slowed down in growing. It would take months before I needed to cut my nails. And I didn't have any professional manicures done for quite some time, nor use any nail products. That became my new norm. I would need a manicure about every six months, and I refrained from using polish at all, preferring to just glue on some pretty fake nails when I attended some special occasion.

Even though I had my nails done in Connecticut not too long ago (you may remember the post) since moving to Rochester, I suddenly noticed that my nails were long. So I cut them. That was a week ago. Today I noticed that I need to cut them again! That may not seem like such a big deal to anyone else, but to me, it was an extraordinary yahoo moment. Something has returned to normal! What a great sign.

Of course, the truth is that now that I am back to playing piano on a semi regular basis, I have to keep them short. But I don't mind cutting them often. I welcome the return of body function, even such a simple one.

So, here's a big wahoo, and an invitation to celebrate the little moments - go get yourself a super manicure and be thankful for your beautiful gorgeous nails.