Taking 95% of vitamins & supplements - nails suddenly brittle and breaking!

[KarenLR75 515]

I have been on point with taking the following:

• Bariatric Multivitamin 1 x's a day
• Biotin supplement - found the recommended fairly high dose to take in either Dr. Weiner's videos or that other dr who is hysterically funny and several here follow him
• Have Celebrate's hair, skin and nails multivitamin (I alternate with the sublingual biotin as I was worried about what happens if you take TOO much biotin)
• Eating at least 64 grams of Protein a day. Dr has me going as high as 80 - I usually end up between 64 and 80 day. Maybe 3 days in past 6 wks where I got less than 64 gms

My surgeons started me on the bariatric Vitamins when I was pre-op and doing the liquid diet. He knows I added the biotin/skin, hair, nails supplement at same time

I also started using Essie nail strengthener on my nails at the same time. My nails started growing so fast, just like when I was pregnant!!!

Fast forward to the past 3 weeks, I am about 4 months post-op and my nails are more brittle than I've ever seen them, they tear off so much that the nail beds are shorter than my fingers...they look like a kid's fingers who chewed all their nails off. The ONLY thing I have not been consistent about getting in is the calcium citrate 3 x's per day.

Could a Calcium deficiency be the reason for this SUDDEN and drastic change?

[Dances with Carbs 168]

How is your hair? Hair and nails are made from same stuff. Have they done blood work to see if you are needing anything extra?

[KarenLR75 515]

My hair was already thinning as I hit menopause at 41 or 42 and I've been taking coumadin for over a decade. About 6 months before surgery and before pre-op diet, I noticed a great deal of thinning, especially one one side of my head towards the front.

This is one reason I was TERRIFIED of WLS. Especially now that I'm nearing month '5'. I've noticed some additional thinning but it is about the same rate I was observing before surgery. I'm trying to suck up the fact that I think the worst is still to come with my hair.

I'd much rather deal with the fingernail issue than losing chunks of hair and I'm very much afraid that is coming up soon, the nail situation is a red flag in my opinion which I fear is a harbinger of possible clumps of hair starting to come out.

To make it worse, we are going on Xmas cruise with MIL and that is when I'll be 5 months out from surgery...if my hair falls out while on board ship, I am NOT coming out of the room.

I'm overdue on getting my labs as my dr is almost 2 hrs away and my car is having electrical issues. They just called in an order to Quest to get my labs done. I have to find time one morning this week to go. If anything my concern is that my levels on some things will be too high...but I know I need to get this done.

[Dances with Carbs 168]

You're right it could also be too much of one Vitamin or another. They do blood work at my doctor every few months the first year and then once a year for the rest of my life after that. I'm 7 weeks post op and I get what your saying about the super growth. I'm in that stage now where my hair and nails are in overdrive growth just like pregnancy. I hear Hair loss affects some but usually levels out and new growth comes back about 6 months post op so hopefully the thinning is about done. In the meantime, get that bloodwork done so you know where u stand. Get you a beautiful scarf or a nice sun hat if it bothers you and don't let it ruin your vacation. You deserve some rest and relaxation!![emoji41]

[AJ Tylo 1,399]

You are not balanced you are just pounding in the Vitamins without balance, You need to get the bloodwork done - then set you plan,

[KarenLR75 515]

47 minutes ago, AJ Tylo said:

You are not balanced you are just pounding in the Vitamins without balance,  You need to get the bloodwork done - then set you plan,

Um..yeah...just "pounding" in the Vitamins my DOCTOR told me to take and in the amount he told me to take them.

I ADMITTED that I had not been getting in the calcium citrate so am not just 'pounding that in'. I am basically 2 weeks overdue on bloodwork for the very FIRST time. It's kind of hard to get anything done without a car which is why my doctor was happy to call in an order to quest..that I can uber to this week.

I stated that I needed to get the bloodwork done and then of course, I expect the results will hope fully guide us in. making any changes necessary.

I brought this topic up on the GALS FORUM as we have recently been discussing this very topic. If anyone here is following the recommendations of their doctor as it pertains to their vitamins and they are considered fairly 'new' in post op stages, I'm not quite sure if you view everyone as just 'pounding in their vitamins'..??

[Briswife15 890]

I, too, have developed thin, peeling fingernails and I take 1000-1500 mg of Calcium a day, so I don't think it is a calcium deficiency. I'm almost 8 months out, and first noticed this a few months ago. I got so fed up with my nails, I posted on here and got some great advice about powder dip nails. I wish you the best!

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

[KarenLR75 515]

20 minutes ago, Briswife15 said:

I, too, have developed thin, peeling fingernails and I take 1000-1500 mg of Calcium a day, so I don't think it is a Calcium deficiency. I'm almost 8 months out, and first noticed this a few months ago. I got so fed up with my nails, I posted on here and got some great advice about powder dip nails. I wish you the best!

@Briswife15! YES! It was your thread I was referencing. Good to know it may not be calcium. To be fair to AJ whose response for some reason made me feel defensive...I KNOW I need regular blood tests. I'm usually a stickler for all of my appointments and follow ups as I'm a 'data driven' person and without the 'data', am just guessing.

I'm not used to not having a car so A Tylo, I apologize for being defensive about your comments. I've very much a planner and have a 'need to know facts' personality so I think I'm generally "a bit salty" as for once, I do NOT know and am encountering multiple challenges in something as simple as a blood draw!

I cannot plan without knowing the reality even of the doses and what my dr has me taking. Everyone is different, maybe I'm low on some things, maybe I'm high..but I NEED to know and I think that is driving me batty when combined with the sudden disintegration of ALL my nails. My work schedule also makes appt making nuts as I work odd hours, often at night and am asleep during the day sometimes.

Underlying ALL of this is absolute FEAR of losing my hair. I was willing to risk it obviously but will not lie..I've been praying that it will not happen to me but considering I had thinning WAY before WLS, I'm not holding out too much hope here..

@Briswife15 - have you tried to powder dip yet? I think I'm following your topic - you got a lot of good input. I appreciate you posting about it as that may be where i go next in regards to my nails. Wish there was a 'dip' for hair!!

[JessLess 1,163]

I was going to recommend (powder) dip nails, and having read the thread, I now HIGHLY recommend it. Everyone around here who does it and is GOOD requires an apt. I get mine redone every 3 weeks. My nails break/peel with no polish and gel damages them.

[Dances with Carbs 168]

That's a wonderful idea. If you haven't done powder dipped nails before I would reccomend having them redone every few weeks or taken off professionally. I love the powder dipped nails but I thought I'd be clever and follow pinterest ideas to remove the powder. I ended up just scraping and peeling them off after soaking my nails in 100 percent acetone for over an hour. My nails weren't peeling before but they definitely were after I got done. Just some friendly advice so hopefully you don't end up in same situation.

[Briswife15 890]

Hi, KarenLR75! Yes, I tried the powder dip nails at home...2 days later I had to soak them iff because the layers of acrylic "popped" off one nail leaving it bare! I tried to open the bottles to reapply to kust one nail, and they were sealed shut and impossible to open! My nails aren't damaged from the powder dip because I soaked for an hour in acetone and didn't try to pry the acrylic off. If I do it again, I will have it professionally done! I loved how durable and "protected" my nails felt when I had it on.

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

[KarenLR75 515]

ack! So are 'powder dip' nails the same thing as the acrylic nails I used to get a decade ago? I remember feeling like my nail beds were being scored down to the bottom before they applied the powder dip. They were very sensitive when abraded down like that. I kept mine longer then than I would now but I remember how it would HURT to get one suddenly broken off/ripped off...

Or is this some new type of 'faux' nail?

[Briswife15 890]

Lol! No, not a faux nail, or like the old acrylic nails. It is an acrylic powder that you "dip" your nails into and it sticks to a base coat you apply first. You repeat the procedure 4 times. I used clear powder, 2 dips of colored powder, then clear powder again. The end result though, looks exactly like the old acrylic nails. Kinda thick.

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

[sillykitty 10,776]

I was good with Protein & supplements and initially had a lot of Hair loss months 3-6. That stopped and started to regrow.

At one year post op I was having a lot of nail breakage with my gel nails. I had had gel nails for years without any damage, and little breakage

About 6 months ago I switched to dip nails. They solved the breakage issue entirely. I sometimes get tips, so I can have longer, coffin shaped nails, or sometimes without tips, and keep them shorter. I like having both options

I also always get gel over the dip powder. It is far more durable and keeps the shine better than polish. Sometimes I do color gel, or sometimes clear gel over natural pink dip

I have fast growing nails, so no matter if it was acrylic, silk, gel or dip, I get them done every two weeks

[sillykitty 10,776]

Both of these have a week + grow out