I am going to just come out and say it - I think I have a brain tumor!
I have never suffered headaches in my life and for the last 2-3weeks I have had this dull pressure tight band feeling around my head headache if that makes sense that has now moved to a pressure feeling all over my head!
I do hydrate and I do try and not stress about things however I have HA.
Can someone please try and talk to me about this because I have been in tears crying about dying from this tumor in my head. I have been to the GP and he has referred me for a brain MRI WTF - he MUST think this is a brain tumor!!
I am so scared I cannot tell you! Getting my eyes tested tomorrow and terrified they find swelling behind my eyes that will indicate pressure then a tumor by the MRI - My goodness I dont want to die right now
I am so scared
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Kayanne1980
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All of the symptoms you mention can be caused by anxiety and stress too. You have done all the right things, in getting tests To reassure yourself. Your gp is sending you for an mri as a precaution , I understand your fears I always think the worse about anything that is wrong.
It’s awful to think of you so worried, as I know that is just a horrible horrible feeling. I know it’s not easy but please try to distract yourself the best you can , because you will soon have had those tests, time goes by so quickly.
Thanks for replying.....I have an eye test tomorrow as apparently they can detect swelling produced from the brain behind the eyes......petrified and really do not want to go....I think I have a brain tumor and going to be told I have weeks to live!
I can understand your fears..and that you don’t want to go, but going is leading to a resolve, not going is giving you much more anxiety, many times I have worried so so much and a resolve has been there one way or another.
Wish I could take your worry away but we know what we are like and we are going to worry ..l
I will say I’ve worried so so many times and the outcome has been positive and good.
Be nice to have someone to go with you, I find waiting the worse, I mean we can imagine all sorts and what we imagine is always far bigger than the thing itself in my opinion
Let us know how it goes, keep reaching out here to chat too, I know it can help so much
Take it one day at a time. Wish I could take some of that fear away. It’s so difficult when we are waiting to find out results of symptoms and we convince ourselves it’s the worse...let’s hope not and there’s as much chance of it not being what you think..
Hey. Eye test went well. I was nervous but all is good. Its a good sign the optometrist said but he reckons its eye strain from sitting at a computer for 10 hours a day. I need distance lenses and the clarify he showed me was amazing. He cant rule anything out and said go for the mri but looking at the back of my eyes he would say its eye strain
They can inspect the optic nerve for irregularities, but pressure is usually checked by spinal tap or ct scan.
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MRIs are always the best route, they don't expose your brain to radiation like a CT scan. I read that one in 80 CT scans can cause cancer, crazy!
I went through the same thing, it's best to just relax. Brain tumors are super rare and usually people who have them have sudden seizures. MRI is wonderful, it will help analyze for other things. Not much slips past an MRI. Make sure you get an MRI with contrast and with MRS. These are good things, trust me.
Freaking me out all of this head pressure and headaches.......hate feeling like my life is coming to an end so quickly.......I have never suffered with headaches and what worries me even more is two of my aunts have had brain tumors....
Sound like me a month ago, rest assured you are fine. Brain tumors are not genetic, and even people who get them stand a great outlook with today's technology. You need to have positive thoughts and give it to God, my advice. The only thing you can control is your feelings and actions, let God take care of the rest. Read Exodus 14:14.
Keep in mind, there are a ton of things that cause headaches and pressure. Bad posture, computer monitor syndrome, anxiety, binocular vision, are just a few...
Thank you MadtownDan appreciate your messages - its hard.......I still have a long journey.....eye test, MRI appointment then the stress of the results.....too much crap! - do you get headaches still, what was the outcome?
Thank you - its so hard to believe that it can be nothing else but a tumor....its so hard to be positive when this is all I can think about right now.....dreading tomorrow....
I know I know ..... dreading is not helpful, I believe in law of attraction, and trying to be careful with my thoughts... pray and believe... let us know, ... you will be perfectly fine xxx
Hey!! Eyes are good. No swelling of the optic nerve to suggest a tumor. The optometrist said my eyes are healthy and nothing to suggest any pressure. I do need glasses though and ive ordered them. I have not had the head pressure today as not at work so...... he says ot eye strain but still go for the mri as wont hurt to check. What do you guys think?
Greeeeeaaaat news, the same will be 🙏🏻with MRI, please do not miss it, it will give you bigger peace and you will start feeling better than before, great way to recover from anxiety, accept that you are perfectly fine, do not dig into anything and be grateful for what you are xxx
Hi. I'm an RN, so maybe I can help. First thing... Does treating these headaches relieve them at all? Have you tried. Tylenol, ibuprofen, alieve and aspirin? Most people will respond to one of these but not all, so it is best to try all of the above. Excedrin migraine is excellent, the mix of drugs with caffeine is the only thing that will relieve a headache for me, and I rarely get them and do not have migraines. Migraines are usually well controlled with imitrex. An MRI is a test with virtually no risk. Because risk v. benefit analysis is usually how MDs determine their course of action, this is a good starting place to investigate the cause. IT DOES NOT MEAN HE THINKS YOU HAVE A BRAIN TUMOR. An MRI can show many anomalies that could be the root cause of your headaches, including sinus issues. As was previously stated, this isn't the diagnostic criteria for increased intracranial pressure. The eye exam with likely examine for increased INTRAOCULAR pressure, which can happen for various reasons and also cause headaches. However, even if your fears are correct, many brain tumors are treatable with little residual impact. I, too, have various medical symptoms and have not identified the cause. I understand how scary this is, especially for those of us with mental health issues. I'm a pessimist by nature, because anything that can happen to screw me usually does, and I'm not exaggerating lol. It helps my anxiety when I remind myself that I'm doing everything I can do right now, in this moment. Sometimes the most graceful way to deal with hardships is to do the best we can and surrender the outcomes as they fall... Realize that you don't, nor are you expected to, exercise complete control over everything. 😉
That's great news! Please keep us updated, I'll be checking back on the thread. If you have any medically related questions or things you'd like to discuss, I have some excellent resources and will be happy to help your sort through things whenever I can 😊
Hey 😊. Honestly, I doubt any ocular symptoms or lack of change the likelihood of whether there is a brain abnormality much at all. But if I had a patient with chronic, retractable headaches, the first things I would expect to be ordered would be MRI and eye exam. There are SO, SO many different initial symptoms of a brain abnormality that the initial symptoms could literally be anything depending on what part of the brain it could be in. An eye exam could show new symptoms that may or may not be related to a brain abnormality. These are both naturally a starting place in diagnosing a cause because ANY new finding in either of these could indicate the cause of your headaches, and both exams are safe and non invasive. Even a minor increase in blurred vision that you may not readily notice could cause eye strain and result in chronic headaches. In your case, that's now been ruled out. If nothing is present in the MRI, it most likely indicates that a physiological change in the brain is not the cause (as long as it's been properly performed and read). So if MRI is negative, naturally that's great news, but the problem is that you still have headaches, and there is still a cause. I would expect a good doc to continue testing starting with least invasive procedures. Very thorough blood work, possible spinal fluid analysis, etc. Make sure every single possibility is being completed considered. Do you take any medications that have a possible side effect of headaches? Have you started any new medications or had any dietary/environmental changes? Do you have a CO detector in your home? Started using any new home or personal fragrance products? Do you have a history of any ENT problems?
The cause could be SO MANY THINGS. What's important here is that your doc continues to seek out a cause, and doesn't become dismissive with you just because he didn't find an immediate cause.
I think it would help if you try to focus more on improving your quality of life. It's useless to tell anyone with anxiety to think positive. Nobody chooses to have anxiety. Instead, maybe try to focus on the idea that no matter what, you are determined to not have to live with chronic headaches. You don't deserve to be in pain and constant worry. So focus on and resolve to continue seeking out the cause and treatment to whatever it is thats causing this, and remember the goal is not to prove you wrong, it's to keep you comfortable and healthy, as you deserve to be! ❤️
Hi Kayanne, As a TBI patient I can sure you there will be many reasons for your GP to refer you for an MRI & many of them are far removed from the possibility of a tumour. I have to attend quarterly scans after my accident & each time it's to monitor the extent of my unstable epilepsy right through to keeping tracks on my brain injury. As my Neurologists always tell me " I'd rather be telling you to pi## off & stop wasting my time than be discussing the extreme with you"! So whilst I know it's easier said than done; try not to worry but the scan is important to look a little further at things.
Hi you will be just fine! A few months ago my sister had a brain MRI, she had headaches So many times and always dizzy she stopped cheese she stopped chocolate. Doctor gave her pain killers after one year of this intense headache they said ok will send you for a MRI. They came back crystal clear and normal! And lo and behold she has not had a headache since! She was so convinced it’s a brain tumor she was so so worried and upset about having it done. All done and dusted and hopefully you will get that peace of mind also xx I think she needed that closure and having this scan will give you that, be kind to yourself x
That's good to hear that you're not ignoring your situation. My sister-in-law ignored her headaches the doctor warned her to come back and she didn't. She was afraid of what they would find? she ended up having a brain aneurysm and almost died. God was watching her because she ended up having a total of 3 brain surgeries.
The 2nd and 3rd where because it got infected. Her doing that caused my brother and kids such trauma emotionally and financially. My sister and I pitched in for awhile to help with his kids (adults) who are autistic. Families don't realize when something happens to one of them, it affects the whole Family. Now she's suffering from depression and my brother still has to work and take her to therapy weekly. This has been going on for about a year. Baby steps. So take care.
Hey I had the same issue. I thought I had a brain tumor because I had really bad headaches caused by anxiety along with the medication. I’m sure you don’t have a brain tumour and if you do they will treat you..but then again I’m sure you don’t have one but I think your doctor is just wants to get it checked out to relieve you if nothing was wrong!
I had the same problem. Anxiety and is an awful disease, mix it in with hypochondria and you have hell. I convinced myself I had a brain tumour I had all of the symptoms, I read stories of what symptoms people had before they were diagnosed and they all matched with mine- this really scared me and added more stress that I did not need.
It got to the point where I HAD to speak to my GP, but because of my previous history of my health anxiety and all the past “illness” I have gone to my GP for and all the tests I’ve had the GP did not take me seriously and just thought it was attributed to my anxiety. I was so angry and was convinced that they were just going to let me die, it didn’t help there was always articles about GP’s not seeing a illness early and then turns out to be something like cancer! I kept pushing and pushing and became obsessed. The GP did a neurological exam which at the time I was pleased but then I thought is this really accurate? How do they know if they can’t see inside my brain? I went to spec savers as well same as you did!
long story short I got even more obsessed and went to A&E who believed nothing was wrong with me either, I did not believe them so I made a stupid story up about how I fell off a bike so they HAD to do a CT scan. The scan was of course clear and I slowly accepted that I did not have a brain tumour and sooner enough my headache was gone.
I did not feel like I was anxious at the time but I obviously was, all this stress takes a toll from our body and anxiety makes us think irrationally. You’re very lucky to have found this group I bet a lot of people have been through this phase, matter of fact I know brain tumour fear is a very common thought for someone who has health anxiety. Sorry for the rambling but I didn’t have much support during this time and I know I would of loved for someone to reassure me. Once your scan comes back (everything will be fine I know) please thank heavens you’re okay and go back to enjoying life! I wasted months and months worrying about something that never existed!
While it's obviously a good thing to be attentive to your body's signals, I would caution against symptom checking if you have health anxiety issues. Many, many different conditions and diseases have extremely similar presenting symptoms, and sometimes the same illness in two different people presents in completely different ways. The best thing you can do for yourself is search long and hard for a compassionate and patient GP that has experience in treating anxiety and that YOU feel you will eventually build a trusting relationship with. Please remember that a list of symptoms is practically useless to an experienced doc when trying to diagnose. Experiences are what builds a good diagnostic foundation, and often times, recognizing small similarities in other patients, catching a rare symptom that you remember seeing before, etc, and engaging in discussions with other docs and medical personnel are what lead in the right direction.
hahaha im sorry but i went through the exact same thing as you!! I thought i was dying from a brain tumour for 4 whole months!! im glad im not the only one being silly about having a deadly diseases because of one tiny symptom!
Did you know you can get cancer from doing scans? Thats why you shouldn't run scans for no reason. if you dont have any neurological symptoms i really sugest you to think this trough, i know you wont but its a still a risk you shouldnt take because of anxiety :/
and also: what youre experiencing is a tension headache. 90% of people will experience it at some point. and the pressure youre describing is there because youre thinking about it.
I am still struggling with forehead pressure and its driving me insane..... it calmed down a little last week but not its back and never had it yesterday.....I fear now that this is infact a massive tumor and I will die!
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