Wow. Yeah, that happened to me, too. My corkscrews just disintegrated... I can commiserate, and say that vals and crypts have a great tendency to do this if temp or pH changes rapidly (more so temp, I think). The pH change is proably the culprit for this reason, and because adding good old nutrients in a sensible quantity isn't the kind of thing that should *kill* a plant...
If you do cut off the melted parts, the vals may well grow back. I find that completely excising an unecessary and dying part of a plant is often the best way to ensure it grows back healthily.