splinter haemorrages

[darkandstormy]

help, have recently found two on my fingernails and one on my toenai.Did a silly thing and googled this and found some terrifying reasons why people have these icluding bacterial disease of heart valves.dh is a gp he has never really come across this,and is slightly concerned.I am going to see my own gp on Monday, has anybody ever had these?I am feeling quite stressed tbh.

Apart from your nail problem how is your general health?

quite tired, but then I suffer a bit from insomnia,Iam drinking too much wine,but am addressing this problem.Apart from that quite good I am not overweight eat well,walk loads etc

whats your dental health like?

nellie, not that great I read this can be as a result of a tooth abcess.I have had root canal treatment when ds 4 was born.I also have had a crown which has fallen out .I do visit the dentist usually every 6 months, but have not been for 12 months at the mo.

Splinter haemorrhages can be present in people wiht sub acute endocardtis, but can be present in up to 20% of people without this.

They can also be a sign of psoriasis, trauma or fungal infection.
(american family physician 69:6, 2004)

You still need to see your gp(as you are)but those are the non threatening explanations.

I would think it's unlikely to be a bacterial endocarditis - patients with acute endocarditis are very unwell with this- raging temperature,weight loss, marked deterioration in their exercise tolerance and commonly a murmur on auscultation. Even those who present with a sub-acute infection are unwell over a period of time - feeling flu-like, unintentional weight loss and night sweats are a few of the symptoms they commonly display.

mmm, that needs sorting out. (pot kettle and black spring to mind) but try not to worry too much.

anyone I've met with bacterial endocarditis has felt and looked like boiled shite.

thanks stanaus and Nellie for you replies.I have been feeling anxious over this.It is bad the way I take my good health for granted, and drink too much wine etc.It is a bit of a wake up call to be honest to embark on the health kick for spring.

I think you need to pop to see your GP and request an LFT (blood test) and an abdominal ultrasound to be on the safe side, IIRC it can be an indication of liver problems so it's best to get it checked out. Do you have any abdominal pain?

No belle no stomach pain,I have as I have said been drinking way too much wine for the last 18 months.Aside from this I eat well etc.

It's good that you have no pain, it's worth popping to see your GP and getting him to give you a form for some blood tests though. It could just be nothing but it should be checked.

If I had liver damage would I be ill? I had a liver function test last summer because I was taking terbinafine tablets for a fungal toenail infection the test came back fine.

No, not everyone who has a liver problem feels ill, alot of people don't have normal livers and they have no symptoms, a number of things can affect it (infection/viruses/diet/alohol/parasites etc). A blood test will show any chemical imbalance and an ultrasound will show any lesions/structural differences/inflammation. It's worthwhile getting both.