This can’t be a brain tumour?

[DoggyPaulAnka]

My Dad has been suffering with a mild headache for a few months, he says it’s not even bad enough for painkillers most of the time. It never goes away but switches location frequently (from forehead, to temple, to bridge of nose).

He went to his Doctor who has referred him on to hospital and according to my mum there was talk of MRI scans and brain tumours.

AIBU to think this is unlikely due to the fact he has no other symptoms other than a fairly mild pressure headache and surely a brain tumour headache wouldn’t change location?

I’m hoping either my mum or dad has got confused with what the GP was telling them.

Mum mum is going through this atm. She
Went for her mri a couple of weeks ago and it doesn’t show any tumors/issues. Still no idea why she is getting headaches

It’s just so odd to go from really mild headaches to suddenly worried about a brain tumour. Surely there would be more of a sign?

Anything at all could be the cause. Don’t worry, just wait for proper investigation.

Some types of brain and nasal cavity tumours can present exactly like this. It’s not really a moving headache if it only moves from forehead to temple to the bridge of the nose.

It's probably nothing, but if the GPs are taking it seriously, that's a good thing. It's probably just to rule it out. GPs can be extra cautious about these things sometimes nowadays, especially if someone's had symptoms of any kind for a few months.

I had a cancer scare that when I saw a consultant he said it was really unnecessary for the GP to put me through.

So sorry you're having this anxious situation. Am sure it'll be fine, hope your dad feels better soon. xxxxx

It's probably worth ruling out just to put everyone's mind at rest. I've got a brain tumour and doctors say most common first sign is seizures. Headaches as only sign are quite rare, they're very intense and I reckon unlikely to move about. Fingers crossed for you all.

Thank you Finfintytint I think the problem is my parents have had the fear of God put in them by this Doctor (or their interpretation of what the doctor said) so here I am way past my bedtime trying to find things to reassure them with! But you are right. Not much can be done/ said until after any further investigation

Headaches are common, non serious causes are common, brain tumours are rare but unfortunately they can present with Beth fee symptoms.

It’s much more likely that this isn’t anything to worry about but it’s good the GP treating it seriously. They might have seen something else on examination that your dad hasn’t noticed.

Fingers crossed for you all-it must be a worrying time.

It's very, very rare. But in the unlikely event that it is a tumour, the sooner it gets investigated the better, especially as the ache is constant. They may want to check for other potentially serious things like aneurysms or narrowing of the blood supply to the head.

FWIW, I'm not a doctor but these symptoms sound more like sinus trouble to me.

Sorry, my phone is being silly. “Beth fee” should say very few symptoms.

Ds had headaches when he was 9 for months, he had an MRI, turned out to Sinus infection

The MRI showed up the infection

Doctors have to rule out the worst case scenarios. There is nothing worse than a doc sending you home with ibuprofen only for you to discover you actually had a tumour and they didn't bother to check.

But I think you're right, it sounds unlikely. Most complaints about pain in the head will be referred for an MRI though.

It could be incranial hypotension ( not sure if that the correct spelling.) This is a form of low brain pressure from a fluid leak,I belive. There is some information on the NHS page.

Its reassuring to hear they are taking it serious, it's taken me years to get an MRI and angiogram and I have similar to your dad symptoms and have the above but mine is chronic.

I hope your dad is better soon.

Thank you pumpkin, he says he’s fine. A mild headache, it’s not worse in the morning or when he coughs etc, no sickness, no visual disturbances or seizures. Just a pressure feeling in the temples. Really hoping the lack of symptoms means if it is something bad it’s an early bad thing. He seems to think it’s definitely a brain tumour and it’s definitely going to be terminal. Why else would the nice doctor send him for the MRI scan at his age? Nothing I say is getting through at all.

An MRI scan can look inside the head and show various things, not just tumours. It's good it's being taken seriously. I hope he can stop worrying too much until he's been seem and has definite news, but I realise that is far, far easier to say than do.

Won't harm an MRI, very noisey things but superb imaging tech all the same had a few exprementail ones in my time!

Tumours usually present with differing smymptoms than headaches, ones that move around are usually caused by something else.

Try not to worry please!

My DH was referred for an MRI after suffering with headaches for an ongoing period. A tumor was mentioned amongst other things, to be honest I think the shock makes you focus on the worst case. His was clear and he was then refered on to pain management where he got some good meds and is now fine.

My Dads brain tumour presented as poor vision, out of character paranoia, loss of co ordination & agonising headaches. The GP gave him what I've since found is a standard test: stand with arms straight out to your side then close eyes & touch nose with each forefinger only. If you can't it's urgent scan needed. My Dad failed the test but the (useless) Dr never mentioned brain tumour & said he had high blood pressure. 6weeks later the Optician went ashen faced when looking at the back of his eye with the old fashioned light thing & gave us sealed letter for GP. Me being always the stroppy one steamed letter open & it said brain tumour. I wish I'd been older & sued the fuck out of the Dr.

My cousin’s brain tumour started as mild, unexplained headaches, then as forgetting, then as a huge fit from which he never recovered. At least they think the headaches and forgetting were the tumour but he didn’t go to get checked out at that stage so they didn’t find it until it had grown enough to cause the more severe symptoms.

But - many, many, many more people will get mild, unexplained headaches and not have a tumour. It most likely isn’t a brain tumour, but they want to check in case it is because early detection is key to good outcomes. So don’t dismiss it out of hand but try not to panic about it, maybe suggest your parents think about it in terms of an abundance of caution and great service from our NHS.

It can be frightening waiting for test results

Temporal arteritis, intercranial hypertension are both possibilities here. I'd see an optician, they have instruments that gps don't and you'll be able to get an appointment within a day or so.

Agree to see an optician. Firstly they can often spot problems in the brain due to pressure change affecting the eye and secondly (and the reason I would give to persuade him along) uncorrected changes in eyesight might be causing the headaches so can sort that out.

Doctors need to rule out things more often than they need to confirm a diagnosis. An MRI referral doesn’t mean he has a tumour, rather that the doctor is being thorough.

I get visual migraines without a headache. My ophthalmologist sent me to a neurologist just in case, who sent me for an MRI just in case. Turns out they are just visual migraines with nothing more sinister, but it was good to find out.

My friend had stroke like symptoms, went to A&E, was rushed into the MRI and turned out he did have a brain tumour. It was very early on, it was operable and was successfully removed. He is fine now. The tumour did not explain the initial symptoms, no one know why he had stroke like symptoms, but they coincidentally led to the tumour being found.

Pressure headaches like that could be a brain tumor, but that doesn't automatically mean it's super serious. Pituitary tumours often present in this way, they're non-cancerous and usually respond very well to treatment - so although they're technically a 'brain tumour' and that's a scary phrase, not all brain tumors are equally scary :)

Thanks all. He did have his eyes tested a few weeks ago because we suggested that it could be down to poor eyesight/ eye strain. It wasn’t but Optician didn’t mention anything else either. Would they have been able to see in most cases if it was a tumour?