I think I have a brain tumour

[mamadoit]

I have had a headache for weeks, it is not severe but is accompanied by nausea, a feeling of pressure at back of head, and a bizarre sensation that my head and eyes are not working in sync, which makes me dizzy and foggy. Most worryingly, the headache is always worse when I have been lying down. It responds to paracetamol, but always comes back.

I am a self-confessed hypochondriac with regular health anxiety crises (mostly motivated by fear of leaving my children). These symptoms point to a brain tumour and I am terrified. Has anyone had something similar and had it NOT turn out to be a brain tumour?

Thanks for your support 😢

What has the doctor said?

No, but I am wondering why you haven’t been to the doctor yet? Unless you have and failed to mention

Just to add - I have made appointments with physiotherapist, ophthalmologist, and GP, but waiting for these is torture!

That's an anxiety headache! You are stressing yourself out and giving yourself a headache. Wishing you better

Ps I get migraines which are not dissimilar to what you describe. I think you need to see a doc but it could def be a lot less bad than you think.

Go to GP, not DR google.

Yes! I had the symptoms you describe to a T except at times my headache was severe. Turns out I had Coeliac disease. Stopped the gluten and the headaches went. It could be something as simple as this so don't panic yet.

Really? Actually seeing a doc round here is a challenge but you can always speak to a doc the same day.
have you actually got an appointment?

Mate please just go to the doctor! This probably isn't even 10% as bad as you think. DON'T GOOGLE

Disclaimer: Massive hypocrite I google everything

Thanks frazzled, I have always been prone to headaches and migraines so I sympathise, but this has none of my usual migraine patterns.

Well, anxiety would be a more likely explanation. As would chronic dehydration or malnutrition.

What support do you have for your anxiety? What strategies have you been taught that are effective? (Reassurance seeking is generally counterproductive.)

It sounds very much like anxiety to me OP but the appts you have made should help put your mind at rest.

Are you getting any support for your anxiety?

Thanks, bramble - reading your message was such a comfort, I confess I am crying with relief 🥲

I can hear how worried you are, but your symptoms can mean one of many, many things. I do understand why you are focussing on the worst case scenario though, especially if you struggle with anxiety.
Please seek some real time support via your GP and when a brain tumour has been ruled out, please be kind to yourself and seek some support for your health anxiety, I know how agonising this is to live with and you deserve some inner peace ❤️

The only GP appointment I’ve been able to make is almost two weeks away, but I am going to try to make same-day phone appointment tomorrow morning, which involves spending an hour waiting on the line but is definitely worth it given the state I’m in.

I am not sure what support I can get for anxiety - I was once referred for ‘counselling’ for it on the NHS, which took the form of a single phone call. 🙄

Me too! Exactly the same thing. I had a full house of deficiencies, too, by the time I was diagnosed. Which might be part of the mechanism.

What about the support groups? I think there used to be one called “no panic”.

I had symptoms very similar to this and had an MRI scan which was all clear as was my eye examination.

Thank you for your kind words, Millie. 💓

I know people who had brain tumours and had no symptoms at all.

You're describing how I feel when I have sinus issues.

Thank you for weighing in, Hinchcliffe. Hope that’s under control now and you are better!

@WestIsWest May I ask what it turned out to be, or if it just went away by itself?

Are you getting any help with your anxiety?

Could you be clenching your jaw at all without knowing. I do this op and the headache it gives me. I suffer migraine too but I do this without realising in my sleep. So in the morning you can imagine what I'm dealing with.

Completely better, thanks.

Do insist on starting with a full panel of blood tests. It could be so many things, most of them very easily fixed.

I hope you get it pinned down quickly.