Persistent headaches - Possible brain tumour?

I have been experiencing persistent headaches for around a month and I have been to see my doctor twice. He examined me and questioned me regarding the symptoms and seemed confident that it was nothing serious. A few weeks ago I had my eyesight tested to make sure that wasn’t responsible and it wasn’t. Friday last I had blood tests at the hospital and my doctor rang me to tell me that I had a non-serious sinus infection and prescribed me antibiotics. I have all but finished the antibiotics but the headaches remain. I am beginning to get quite concerned that I may have a brain tumour. Two of the questions my doctor asked me originally were whether the headaches were at their worst in the morning, getting better as the day went on and secondly whether I had any neck pain/ache. At the time I said no but it seems to be the case now in both instances.

I’ve just started to get over the worst prolonged episode of panic/anxiety that I have ever experienced and I can feel the anxiety building again. Am I overreacting?

Hi Tooting! I thought I had to reply as headaches are my area of problem too, I have been there and bought the hat you might say.
Like you I get headaches all the time, all day and at night sometimes too, I also get migraines which hit me hard. I have a busy life and when I get migraines I get so depressed.
The pain was so prolonged and so bad I ended up having an MRI convinced I had a brain tumour, and it came back totally clear! The doctor said it was a combination of stress and a familial dispensation to having headaches. :ohmy: I was convinced I was going to die, and despite this MRI am still convinced something is in there they missed (which is virtually impossible).
I live on painkillers, and my life is very depressive because of it, I worry about the pills I take but worry how I could function if I let the pain build up. I dont have any answers but trust me you are not alone, and I worry about the pains too.
Sue x

Hi there

I have just written this page so have a read ....

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=21758

I also went through a phase where I was getting constant headaches, and in the end it was my allergies. I felt better when I took sudafed, and when the seasons changed I was totally better.

I have been where you are not too long ago, I managed to convince myself that I had a brain tumour, I was so convinced that I had mentally seen my funeral, who would be there and what i thought I would say to my son etc etc, I was havng daily headaches, I was back and forth to the doctors who at first gave me pills to try and sort it out and when it persisted I was sent to see a neurologist, i was seen and they did a few minor tests and asked me questions about the headaches, and it turned out that I had some kind of strain on my neck, which was causing the weird sensations in my head, and because of them came major worry causing tension headaches, after seeing the neurologist my headaches then practically stopped, (I had started to panic less nearer the appointment and managed to sort myself out a little, or else nothing less than a MRI scan would have worked) and I understood just how severe the stress/anxiety that I had. had affected me and caused me to worry, of course now I feel so silly as life back to normal, but at the time it seemed so real to me.

I do still get pains and sensations in the head all the time, and now I realise that when I had them before I concentrated on that area so much, that I really did give myself a headache.

I am so glad that I decided to keep a diary when I was feeling rough, so if I ever go down that road again, I hopefully can read it and keep some kind of perspective.

You don't actually mention what type of headaches you were getting. Mine started in the morning when I woke up, I seemed to have a pain in the right side of my head, and by the end of the day was all over my head (tension headache) I thought that I had something seriously wrong and then I knew by the end of the day was a tension headache, but thought something serious had started it off.

If your still not happy go back to the doctors, just so they can put your mind at rest, but I am sure its the anxiety. If the doctor asked if it was worse in the morning then thats another thing for you to think about and you can be pretty sure that your body will react accordingly to add to the anxiety I know mine did.

I would also add that all mine started after a very stressful time had passed, perhaps yours is your bodies way of letting you know its not quite over it yet.

Hope your feeling better soon:)

hi Tooting
after several years of headach and eating paracetamol kike sweets to ao avail doc eventually sent me to see top head vet in my area
he then after lots of scans /tests and loads of needles stuck in me by everybody and his dog and am I glad they did
I had a pituatory tumor the size of a plum prof Pobereskin the man who remoevd it said he had never seen one like it
that was all 10 years ago I still take a bucketload of pills + injections everyday and I am glad to do so (cos im still here) dont give up
ask anybody and everybody you can think of in tthe medical profession for help and dont take no for an answer
best of luck :winks: