My nails have been breaking off and splitting at the tips for a good 2 months now - only on my index and middle fingers so far, but originally I only had that problem on my right hand (my dominant hand) and now it's started on the left, as well. I get enough Protein and eat a pretty varied diet. I take a multi and Calcium + vit D almost daily, and B12 on most days. I haven't been taking much Biotin, though - the pills I have bother me because of their coating. I choked on one a few weeks ago, which was a terrifying experience, and today I took one and I can feel it sitting in my esophagus, which feels disgusting - I don't want to end up with pill esophagitis.

I've tried putting nail polish on my nails, thinking maybe it'd help hold the split layers together and prevent my nails from getting traumatized further, but it hasn't helped. I live in a dry climate, so I've been making an effort to put body butter or oil on my hands, including my nails, every day, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Am I the only one with this problem? I'm really starting to think it has something to do with my VSG. It's just a minor nuisance, but if I could fix it, it'd be nice. Do you think it's just because I'm not taking enough biotin?

I'm having the same issue. I've always had really lovely, long nails that were hard to break even if I went months without a manicure. Post op it's hard to grow them out because they're always splitting or breaking. They're dry - in fact, my whole body seems dry this winter, which is a new issue, too.

I'm also losing my hair but not enough to panic over yet. I was prepared for some pretty serious thinning and while I do sometimes worry about the amount I seem to be losing it's not really that noticeable yet. I, too, have supplemented since the beginning and I also had to stop taking the Biotin. It was making me sick to my stomach and the pills seemed to get stuck in my esophagus, too.

I've upped my Water intake and am trying to keep an eye on what I eat, because I wasn't getting enough fats for a while there. While putting polish on them will help them look nicer, it won't improve the actual nails. It takes a few months for the nails to grow out, and like our hair the condition of them depends on what we're putting in our bodies. If you're already on a multi and your B12, the only real things to improve are fatty acids, calcium and Protein. Biotin isn't a proven to work, so if you're already taking 5000mcg daily (what my doc suggested I take), I wouldn't take any more than that.

The fact is, the VSG keeps us from eating a lot of those foods that made our hair and nails look fantastic. I no longer have a tremendously rounded diet. I'm sure once I'm at goal, have stopped losing and am eating a wider variety of foods these issues will improve.

~Cheri

Holy crap, 5000 mcg/day? My pills are only 250 mcg each! That'd be a lot of pills to get stuck in my throat, hehe.

I don't watch my fat intake and with going out for meals daily, I'm sure I get enough fat when I have a curry, salmon sashimi, or a salad with avocado, etc. Low fat intake definitely isn't a problem here. I rarely measure my Protein intake because of eating out, which makes it complicated to log your meals, but when I've done it, 60-70 grams a day seems to be my normal amount. I have a Protein Bar or shake every day and go for protein-heavy food choices when I eat out (sashimi, roast chicken, grilled fish, etc). I guess if I REALLY applied myself, maybe I could add an extra 20 grams a day with another Protein Shake, but I can only handle so many disgusting supplements. For calcium/vit. D, I use Caltrate chews, the package says 1-2 chews per day for adults and I take 2, so I was hoping it'd be enough. I don't consume very much dairy, though, just skim milk in my tea and some sort of cheese when we eat out on occasion. Should I take more Caltrate?

I started adding a protein shake a day again, I just blend the chocolate or vanilla flavour into my coffee. My nails have always been thin and break and peel easily, and they continue the same. I take all my vitamins suplements and I know that even though protein on it's own isn't proven to help with the hair issues (or even the nail issues)i just figured that as CLK said not having a full rounded diet for the time being, I would add protein, cause I'm getting enough diary, carbs (more than enough!!) and fats and enough of the micronutrients from the supplements I'm taking.

My pills get stuck, but I found some that are 5000 mcg per pill, so it was only one pill to struggle with daily. I took it faithfully until last month, when I just could not bear the nausea and burning in my esophagus any longer. In my case, I don't think it helped much, if at all, but you might be different.

If you eat a lot of green, leafy veggies in addition to that little bit of milk you might be okay, but we should be consuming about 1,200 mg of calcium a day so if you're under that I would add in another chew. It's when you get upwards of that 1,200 mg per day that it gets to be too much. I barely eek out my 1,200 with supplements and food myself, so you might track your intake for a typical day to see where you're at.

I hope it gets better for both of us! I used to have such pretty nails and hair and they're both pretty pathetic right now.

~Cheri

The caltrate is it calcium carbonate or calcium citrate? You need an acidic environment to take calcium carbonate (which is alkaline). You would have to take it right after a meal or with acidic orange juice. Calcium citrate is acidic and therefore you could take it on its own.

Just a thought

Lily

I am not as far out as you guys, so I'm wondering if what is happening to you all will eventually hit me too. But right now I'm having the opposite problem. I started taking all my Vitamins in Aug (in preparation for being aware and consistent, but wasn't sleeved until Oct.) and my hair is super-long and my nails are growing like crazy. I'm taking Biotin (just one pill a day) and not having any issues with it (yet).

If you want to see a photo of my hair growth and nails check out my blog and scroll down a bit for photos.

I just *know* I'm going to lose my hair which is part of the reason I let it grow longer than usual. I'm figuring in Jan/Feb I will starting having hair trouble (and maybe nail problems too!) ugh. Back in the day, during one of my many failed diets, I took Meridia (the weight loss drug) and I did it for about 3-4 months and my nails were horrid. Peeling and just awful. I'm sure it was a side-effect of the drug but I couldn't find anything in the warning label about, maybe since it is considered a minor nuisance. But I wonder about the change in our diet, I'm sure it can affect things like nails and growth, etc.

BBJ - Maybe you could look into a silk wrap or something for your nails that would help them grow and prevent breakage? Just a thought...

The caltrate is it calcium carbonate or calcium citrate? You need an acidic environment to take calcium carbonate (which is alkaline). You would have to take it right after a meal or with acidic orange juice. Calcium citrate is acidic and therefore you could take it on its own.

Just a thought

Lily

Ah, good point. I checked and it's carbonate. Sometimes I take it with meals, sometimes on its own....I quit my PPI about 2 months ago, though, so I thought I'd be producing enough acid by now.

Ah, good point. I checked and it's carbonate. Sometimes I take it with meals, sometimes on its own....I quit my PPI about 2 months ago, though, so I thought I'd be producing enough acid by now.

Probably would not hurt to take with a meal or with an acidic drink. Just to cover your bases. Other than that it may take awhile for your nails to grow strong again.

I went thru stages with my nails, until about 4 months out they grew like crazy, having previously been very prone to splitting and flaking, then they just went right back to where they were, along with the hair loss kicking in.

Now they are growing again, although I did also find a nail strengthening pen in the chemist which is supposed to help, but I am still taking 5000mcg of biotin and my protein every day as well.

I had that problem pre surgery, but it was due to being hypothyroid. Dry skin, brittle nails, falling hair all are related to lack of thyrod hormone. So you may want to have it checked next time you see your doc.