Spider angioma - liver panic

[alcopop]

Hi everyone - I'm currently in the middle of a major panic.
I am extremely worried/freaking out about liver cirrhosis, damage, disease.
I know that spider angiomas are a symptom of cirrhosis, so I regularly check my upper body for them. But at about 3am today I realised that's what the red mark on my forehead is - a broken vein/spider vein - but for some reason it hadn't clocked till now.

I have abused alcohol badly in the past and continue to drink to combat my ongoing health anxiety (which was the reason I started drinking in the first place). I'm so paranoid I've damaged my liver beyond repair. I had liver function test done in February and they were normal.I also do have mild rosacea so it could be a symptom of this?

It is without doubt a broken capillary, but it is a spider angioma related to liver damage?! I have a few spider veins around my nose etc but not one isolated one like this. Please help me rationalise this, I'm going insane...

Many thanks in advance.

[AMomentofClarity]

I would assume that if your liver was bad enough to cause symptoms, it would show up on the function panel.

[utrocket09]

Hi everyone - I'm currently in the middle of a major panic.
I am extremely worried/freaking out about liver cirrhosis, damage, disease.
I know that spider angiomas are a symptom of cirrhosis, so I regularly check my upper body for them. But at about 3am today I realised that's what the red mark on my forehead is - a broken vein/spider vein - but for some reason it hadn't clocked till now.

I have abused alcohol badly in the past and continue to drink to combat my ongoing health anxiety (which was the reason I started drinking in the first place). I'm so paranoid I've damaged my liver beyond repair. I had liver function test done in February and they were normal.I also do have mild rosacea so it could be a symptom of this?

It is without doubt a broken capillary, but it is a spider angioma related to liver damage?! I have a few spider veins around my nose etc but not one isolated one like this. Please help me rationalise this, I'm going insane...

Many thanks in advance.

Spider veins are nothing. I have them all over and am perfectly healthy.

[RadioGaGa]

alcopop

The fact you had a relatively recent LFT which was within normal limits is reassuring. Only rarely are spider nevi associated with liver disease.

They occur in about 1 in 5 people, and it is only when there are multiple lesions that it *could* indicate underlying pathology. They usually resolve spontaneously, but may take several years to do so.

Now, with regards your alcohol consumption. I will warn you, you're going down a road I found myself going down. I was drinking heavily every night, alone, for about 18 months. All because of my health anxiety. And at the tender age of 21. Thankfully, I was able to be detoxed with no sequale, and had not caused any damage to my liver.

In my experience, alcohol only makes the problem worse, with rebound anxiety the following day. It's such a difficult drug to stay away from. But you'll need to watch how much you're drinking, and (although the limits are set at 14 units per week for men and women) if you're drinking more than 25 units per week, this indicates a problem.

Please speak to your doctor about your alcohol consumption. The disease of alcoholism doesn't make itself apparent until you're addicted.

Sorry for the lecturing tone, but it's a road I'm VERY familiar with.

Good luck to you