Yellow Nail Syndrome – How I got Cured?

By Dr. Deepak Talwar in Internal Medicine Pulmonology, Respiratory & Sleep Medicine

Apr 21, 2018

Meet Ms. Sunita Jaisingh, a 56 year old lady who went through the struggle of one year in finding the reliable cure for Yellow Nail Syndrome (YNS) before she met Dr. Deepak Talwar, Chairman & Director – Metro Centre for Respiratory Diseases, Metro Hospitals and Heart Institute, Noida, Delhi NCR, India.

She has narrated her experience below to make people aware about this rare condition and expressed her gratitude to Dr. Deepak Talwar and the team of Metro Group of Hospitals.

She writes…

“Yellow Nail syndrome is a very rare disorder characterized by three features: yellow nail discoloration, respiratory problems, and lower limb swelling also known as lymphedema. Yellow Nail syndrome is considered to be very rare, with less than 400 cases published in medical literature.

In 2004, I realized that my left foot had developed swelling and after a few months, my finger nails turned yellow too. Each symptom was treated in isolation with no results whatsoever.

I was an asthma patient and in 2014 I started to get pleural effusion which was initially diagnosed as tuberculosis.

In-spite of tapping of fluid, pleural effusions became recurrent and then as late as almost 10 years of suffering doctors concluded that this was a case of yellow nail syndrome

I had the typical syndrome of swelling in feet and legs, yellow nails which turned black and pleural effusion.  Pleural effusion or accumulation of fluid in the membrane lining the lungs made breathing difficult.

First treatment in the direction to resolve heavy breathlessness was Pleurodesis which was done on the right side first at a corporate hospital by Dr Rajeev Goyal .

The recurrence of fluid depositing in both sides continued more on the left side. I had to go for tapping every few days which was affecting quality of life with extreme breathlessness.

A monthly injection of octreotide which was very expensive and difficult to procure was the cure used by doctors the world over for YNS!  

We had been reading various patient forums and consulted several doctors abroad with no lead.

With my good fortune and God’s blessings I was led to Dr Deepak Talwar, Chairman & Director – Metro Centre for Respiratory Diseases (MCRD) at Metro Hospitals & Heart Institute, Noida in the year 2015, who decided to work on a more permanent solution rather than pleurodesis and regular tapping of fluid.

Some tests including Lymphoscintigraphy was done which confirmed the leakage of Lymphatic vessels in both lower limbs and lungs.

A conference between the renowned thoracic surgeon Dr. Sabyasachi Bal and Dr. Deepak Talwar assured me and my family  that robotic surgery involving  ligation of lymphatic vessels and pleurodesis would cure me and sure enough  I am cured of the rare disease.

Breathlessness and pleural effusion is totally gone and I can lead a normal life now. Swelling in the legs is less but still there. I am sharing this to help any patients who may be suffering as I was till 2 years ago.”

Sunita  Jaisingh

Metro Group of Hospitals backed by the team of experienced and renowned clinician and advanced technology ensures right diagnosis and effective treatment for varied conditions.

To know more or book and appointment, call: +91 99104 92867 or email: metro@metrohospitals.com