Brain Tumor Fear Causing Extreme Anxiety

[Fix8]

Hey all -

For the last two months or so I've been worried and extremely anxious about having a brain tumor.

Back in late June I had a phantom smell that woke me up. I went to my Doctor who ordered an MRI which came back normal. I had three more CT scans that month during various trips to the ER because of headaches, muscle twitches, etc. All were normal. I had another MRI on August 3rd which was also normal.

I was relieved for a bit, but recently I've started to have some reading problems. Usually what happens is it's hard for me to focus on long text and I'll either randomly skip words like, "a", or "the", or even imagine words that aren't in the sentence so I have to go back and re-read it to make sense. I also guess incorrectly while reading for certain words - example: completely I may read as complement.

I also have hypothyroidism which I am working on controlling. I've recently started taking my thyroid meds again which I'm sure have been spiking my anxiety.

Does anyone have troubles reading when their anxiety is very high? I really want to avoid another trip to the ER if I can. It's getting expensive.

[Agora1]

Hi Fix8, (Good Name) When we are so anxious, it is difficult to comprehend what we are reading as well as having a tendency to skip words. Our mind is going round and round with other thoughts that we don't have the capacity to tune into what we are doing at the present moment.

This is one of the reasons that I get more out of listening to a CD of the book which somehow makes a better impression in my mind. Even at that, there are times when I go back to listening to a CD, that I was surprised that I hadn't picked up on something. I must have completely tuned out for moments at a time.

So I guess I'm saying that's a big YES that we have trouble reading when our anxiety is high.

Take care, Agora1

[llatham in reply to Agora1]

It's so weird how so many of us have the exact same fears...I went through a time in my life when I was terrified I had a brain tumor as well. I had many tests run and in the end, of course, it was my anxiety. That was 20 years ago. Try very hard to believe that the doctors are correct and the tests are accurate. I highly recommend talk therapy to help with your hypochondria. It truly helps. Good luck to you!

[RyRywifey]

I'm so sorry you're going through this, I have severe health anxiety and I wouldn't wish this on the worse person in the world. I'm sure you're over thinking, and probably thinking so much into your symptoms that you're actually creating them, if that makes any sense. I hope you start to feel better. I would say you should def feel assured that you're perfectly fine with a clear MRI. You're stronger than anxiety 💕

[Fix8]

Thank you all for the replies! I ended up going to the ER again today and asked the Doctors straight away if a brain tumor could grow in 30 days and cause this reading issue (since my last MRI was about 30 days ago). They said if a brain tumor did grow that fast I would definitely have other symptoms.

They spent time talking to me about anxiety and how exercise may help. So long story short, another set of Doctors gave me the all clear. No tests were done this time around though.

The whole reading issue is so strange. Until you find yourself noticing how you interact with that inner voice while reading, reading almost comes second nature. Now that I'm anxious about it, I am hyper focused on every word which makes reading an anxious filled exercise. It really sucks.

My anxiety also seems to be shifting a bit. As I calm down and focus more on concentrating while I read, I find I don't make as many mistakes. Now however, my worry is how I am speaking. I am afraid I cannot find the correct words (example: I said "Radiology" instead of "Radiation" today). I'm also consumed by being hyper-focused on every word I'm saying and judge it for grammatical accuracy. By doing so, I've found I make some grammatical errors while talking occasionally. It sounds crazy, I know. Which really leads me to believe it's anxiety. It's just a matter of convincing myself that now, though.