Cirrhosis Support Group

Hi chopp If you have toothache presumably you will see a dentist so the painkiller's will be short term use
As for the spider avoli as I believe your referring to broken blood vessels, not much can be done

Areas on the face can be cauterized by electrolysis or lazer treatment.


Stopping the drink will make them; less noticeable
Generally only take pain meds if really neccessary

Regards

I also have concerns about going to the dentist and not wanting to take pain killers that could further damage my liver.

I am scheduled for my first laser treament on December 1st to have some of the veins on my nose removed.

They said it could take up to 3 treatments depending how bad the veins are. Fortunatley you cannot notice them too bad if you are looking straight at me, but if you get close to me, they are quite prominent on the sides of my nose.

My wife doesn't know that I have been wearing concealer to cover them up. I first thought the veins were just hereditary and came with age. Now, I know that they are directly related to my years of alcohol abuse.

I think knowing that they are related to my years of alcohol abuse is what is making me wanting to get the laser treament. Every time I look at them it reminds me what a fool I was to keep drinking, even after my wife always insisted that I stop.

I never got crazy intoxicated, and very rarely drank more than 4 drinks. It was just my way of relaxing before dinner and coping with the stress of life.

They tell me tht my first laser treament will cost $400. If I want the next two which they recommend, it will be an additional $350 per session.

I decided to do it because if by God's grace I happen to live another 10 years, I don't want my son catch Daddy one day putting on make up.

On the other hand, I had also serioulsy consider not getting the laser treament so I could one day show my son how alcohol can permanently damage your body.

Um, codeine...I don't know...it may be ok, but my pain killer of choice is Tramadol which is strong (moderate to severe pain) and has no nasty side issues.

For real immediate relief get some OraJel. It really does work! You will get a 'frozen' tongue, but WTF :-)

I don't have too many spidery veins but I do have the very visible broken nose and bad scarring from when I blacked out and went nose surfing on my concrete garage floor!

I could get it cosmetically fixed, but at my age Beauty Contests are out and I rather like the 'rugged' look! :-)

Craig

Greetings,
I don't take any pain meds, not even the ones my doc prescribed for back spasms...he assured me they were liver-safe (don't know the name right off the top of my head but do have them). It's not because of the ill effects they could have on my liver that I do not take them...it's because at even the very low dose of 10 mg that the doc prescribed, they leave me stoned for 2 whole days!! Talk about intolerance :)

As for the broken blood vessels..I guess I've been lucky so far in that I don't have any on my face (yet) but my chest is covered. Someone once commented on a picture of me asking how I got so badly burned. My specialist never suggested I do anything about them and told me that they may get worse, they may stay the same.....but ultimately after transplant they should go away (wow...talk about a broad-ranged answer). This probably doesn't help you at all but what the heck?
Take care and God bless,
CA

I have the veins as well but will stick with the "rugged" look. I spent enough money to put them there, the rest is going to coffee and melatonin.

Hello and welcome chopper11 !!!!!! Sorry that you have the need to be here,but thank the good Lord this site is here. Now,first I'd like to ask you what kind of doctor you have to take care of your cirrhosis? You need a liver specialist. Boy! they know what is good and not good for your liver! Where maybe a family doctor may not be as knowledgable about those updated facts. Broken blood vessels...umm those are surface and I think..just perhaps unsightly,not dangerous. There are many,many people on this site who have experienced cirrhosis problems for a longer period than others. There are some people who deeply research on the web. A lot have guidence to give. We of course do not give medical advice,that's for the doctors. We may give suggestions or tell you what our docts tell us. But..everyone is different,and your liver specialist will know your case better than us and will give you the best orders for your own progressive treatment. In other words,..what works for one may not work for another. This site has been a wealth of information to me and a blessing for emotional support. I have bonded deeply with countless people here and we develope friendships..we have a common path. As I said before,welcome,keep in touch.ps.there are lots of back pages on the discussion and advice lists,check them out.

Hi Chopper,
If your codeine is without tylenol, aspirin or ibuprophen, then it is
easier on your liver to process. If you need to take pain relief for your teeth than by all means do it. I don't believe in suffering unnecessarily just because of my cirrhosis & my doctors don't believe that I should either. But, I'm not inline for a transplant, nor will I ever have one. So that rather changes things overall in my case. If it's for toothache and not long term then your not going to do any severe damage to your liver.
I also have the spider nevi. It's from my portal hypertension. Also severe vasculitis on my lower legs from that. You can have the small ones removed cosmetically, like the others said. But probably they will just return unless or until you get a transplant.
I've learned to live with all of the vast changes to my body from the cirrhosis and Hep C.. and there's many. Some people are bothered by them, others are not. So do what makes you feel the best and with your doctors advice. I do hope you have a hepatologist or at least a good GI doctor as that is paramount with cirrhosis. Welcome aboard and stay in touch. We're here for you to talk to whenever you have a question or just want to chat.
*hugs*
Josi

craigchome is right. I also Take Tramadol. See a liver DR now! A good Gastro DR to start or Hepatolaglst.

First things first. Which doctor put you on codeine and did your liver doc okayed it?
About the veins, the only info I have is that offered by Live4.
Good luck!

I also use Tramadol. It's a good choice and if needed I ask for it by name.
I also have trouble clearing meds and some will knock me out for days, But if I have pain bad enough to need something for it . That's what you have to deal with.
One other problem with meds that I have is new sensitivity to meds I have been on for a long time. So watch for side effects that are unusual.
The veins , I have on my face , neck and upper arms. My cirrhosis wasn't caused by alcohol so I never considered them as a reminder, But when I am having a new problem starting or when my liver starts to worsen I have noticed that they are even more noticeable. I do nothing about them. Mostly because I don't want to have to see another dr.
Welcome to the group.
Gail