Petrified I have a brain tumour

[squashie34]

Long story short, I've been having dull headaches every day for the last 10 days. It started off with what I thought was a sinus infection as I had pain behind the eyes/bridge of nose and teeth following a cold, and I had some orangey discharge out of that nostril. Gp prescribed steroid nasal spray over the phone so never saw me in person to check this.

Every day since then I've had a dull headache at the front of my head, along with random stabbing pains at the side of my head (happens around 3/4 times per day for 4 seconds max and although on the right mostly it happens on the left too) and I'm petrified this means I have a brain tumour.

My face has started tingling today on the tip of my nose etc. I had a twitching eye 2 days ago. A twitching leg the week before that.

I've spent hours and hours trawling google and all it seems to come back to is brain tumour. I find myself constantly testing my Eyesite to see if it's blurry and I just feel I've got every single symptom listed on the internet as soon as I read it.

I already suffer from health anxiety so it's sent me into overdrive. I wake up every morning and just feel so anxious that I'm going to die but the gp has just said it's tension headaches and there are no flags to point to anything sinister and that the tingling sensations etc are anxiety so I'm no further forward. Surely a tension headache wouldn't last so long?

Can anyone offer any advice as to what I should do next? I'm so frightened.

The likelihood of it being something sinister is way lower than tension headaches, anxiety or sinus infection (or a combination of the 3!)

Get a head massage, that might help with the tension and stress. If you're still worried, just get an MRI and rule it out. At least then you can stop worrying,I know how difficult health anxiety can be so my heart goes out to you. Oh and stay off Google for the love of God!

Step away from google. My sister had a brain tumour and during her illness I spoke to many, many people who had this awful disease. None had started with headaches. It was usually seizures, personality changes or visual disturbances.

Your symptoms sound like a sinus infection. If not remedied, the symptoms can last for ages.

Surely a tension headache wouldn't last so long?

Well it would if you were working yourself up with worry about a brain tumour!

Sinus infections take ages to clear up.

Health anxiety is honestly the worst thing I've ever known. I always go through the 'it's anxiety calm down' but then I think I'm using that to just cover up the fact this is something sinister. I'm Petrified that I'm going to leave my baby girl without a mummy.

I'm so scared of even asking for an mri as I'm convinced that it will show a tumour, it's just a vicious circle isn't it. I feel like I spend my whole day just Googling a new symptom I have and so far I've had:
-the headaches (dull ache and random splitting pain)
-floaters in vision/feeling like everything is happening in front of me but I'm not focusing
-twitching in eye
-tip of nose tingling and cheeks tingling
-pins and needles in hands (was almost like a panic attack side effect but no panic attack)

Could totally be a migraine too OP. These also have bizzare symptoms and can last weeks.

You are noticing other bodily sensations because you have a headache. Then your mind tells you the sensations are 'bad' and add up to something.
Health anxiety is a survival strategy. Separation from our loved ones is the worst thing imaginable so your mind keeps searching for certainty. To your mind, that's a smart thing to do.
A bad diagnosis therefore seems 'better' than no diagnosis because your mind thinks it can prepare and plan for 'something' but can't cope with uncertainty/not knowing.

Take a step back. Look at the time and energy you are spending searching for answers. Time that takes you physically or mentally away from your life and loved ones. You have taken yourself 'away' from your child to spend it worrying.
If you still have a headache next week go back to GP. Otherwise take some pain relief and find a nice distraction from these worries.

I’ve had headaches all of my life from the age of ~7 years old and everything you’re describing sounds like text book tension headaches or maybe cluster headaches but as they’ve only been happening for little over a week there’s a good chance that they’re a result of something like a sinus infection. I now have migraines and they can feel like you’re dying. Even the worst “normal” headache can be terrible.

Go and see your doctor and calm down. If I googled every symptom of my migraines in isolation I would have diagnosed myself with all kinds of terrible things. Keep a headache diary for at least three or four days and see a GP ASAP.

I had really bad headaches and convinced myself I had a brain tumour.

Ended up going to A &E as I was in so much pain.

They took my
blood pressure as part of the observations and basically it was off the scale high and that is what was causing my headaches.
Might not reassure you

Op I have the exact same thing at the moment! I had that awful summer cold a while ago, and ever since I have pain behind my nose, in my cheekbones & round my eyes. Like a deep throbbing ache. Also still a slightly blocked nose, neck pains and fatigued. It was one hell of a cold, so just assumed this is the lingering after effects. Did you have it as well?

You inspired me to do some googling of my own 😉 and it sounds exactly like the remnants of a sinus infection - not at all surprising given you’ve had a cold. As for the rest of it- my eye twitches all the time, and I also have near constant floaters. I didn’t think twice about them - you’ve probably only focussed on them because you’re ‘looking’ for symptoms, if you see what I mean. I don’t know if that helps, but I don’t have health anxiety about myself at all, and in your shoes, I wouldn’t be worried

@Realyorkshiretea I think the worry for me is that I don't actually have anything coming out my nose mucus wise, just that stuffy feeling so surely it can't still be sinus, plus the random piercing side headache pains - I thought for sinus or a cluster headache it was just a dull ache around the front of the head.

Brain tumours don't typically present with pain as the main symptom. It's far more likely to be tension or sinus.

The absolute best thing you can do for health anxiety is NEVER EVER GOOGLE.

Def speak to a gp. In my advancing years I am def getting a lot more regular migraine type headaches.
Just a thought, you haven’t had a vaccine in he last few weeks have you? If so that could be related

[quote squashie34]@Realyorkshiretea I think the worry for me is that I don't actually have anything coming out my nose mucus wise, just that stuffy feeling so surely it can't still be sinus, plus the random piercing side headache pains - I thought for sinus or a cluster headache it was just a dull ache around the front of the head.[/quote]
I don’t either, Squashy. Not snot just a blocked, pressurey feeling. And sharp pains all over my head and some in my neck. Honestly I think this is the aftermath of the cold, everyone says it’s the worst one they’ve ever had.

My family member had a brain tumor and her early symptoms were not headaches.

Can you do daily yoga?
I had rib pain for months, doc didn't think it was anything.
I started yoga and after a couple of months the pain disappeared. I now thing bad posture and stiff muscles were the cause and yoga released them.
This could be tension from your neck and jaw muscles.

Bit coincidental that the brain tumour and sinus infection happened at the same time and the symptoms are suggestive of just a sinus infection. The fact nothing is coming out is causing the pain- too much pressure from the mucus collected in the sinuses. Sinus infections can take weeks to clear.

I’d not worry until you actually have something to worry about.

Everyone’s at risk of health anxiety now we have the internet- need to be disciplined and avoid googling stuff.

@Cazziebo

Step away from google. My sister had a brain tumour and during her illness I spoke to many, many people who had this awful disease. None had started with headaches. It was usually seizures, personality changes or visual disturbances.

Your symptoms sound like a sinus infection. If not remedied, the symptoms can last for ages.

Yes one aunt started by losing her sense of smell and the other was poorly to start with but her personality changed quite dramatically.

Go to your doctor and make sure they confirm what the problem is!

My father has a brain tumour and has never once had a headache, despite living with it for almost two years. Like others on this thread, his first symptom was a seizure followed by loss of power and movement in his arm. My understanding is that headaches caused by brain tumours are agonising and aren’t lessened/resolved by painkillers. Do yours go with pain killers? Honestly with your symptoms it’s highly unlikely to be a brain tumour and sounds more like tension/health anxiety, Google will only make it worse.

It could be your thyroid - that’s exactly how my underactive thyroid symptoms started. I also thought I had a brain tumour or MS but an MRI ruled those out.

You can't just ask for an MRI - to the pp who suggested that. Can you imagine every time someone had a headache the NHS had to do an MRI?

My son had a brain tumour. There were other symptoms together with a very very mild headache that triggered him getting an MRI. As you suffer from health anxiety I'm reluctant to share his symptoms. You need to see a gp - a gp will listen to your symptoms and decide what the best course of action to take.

In the kindest way possible OP, you are not going to get any answers by asking a load of randomers on the internet.

You need to make an appointment with your GP to discuss your symptoms, only a doctor who can examine you will be able to give you any answers

I had these symptoms for a few months OP, almost exactly the same. I was convinced I was dying too (and I'm not normally anxious about my health, I just didn't believe it could be anything else). GP sent me for a CT scan, all absolutely fine. They've started me on a low dose of beta blockers as prophylaxis for migraines and my head feels so much better for it. I hope you find some answers and some peace

the headaches (dull ache and random splitting pain)
-floaters in vision/feeling like everything is happening in front of me but I'm not focusing
-twitching in eye

Have you considered you might need glasses?