Trouble with my mum *PLEASE READ, I DON'T WANT HER TO DIE :(*

[Toby2000]

Hi,

For once, I'm actually not worrying about myself. I'm worrying about my mum.

She says that she has been getting headaches at the back of her head for quite a while, she says that she can sometimes also get them in the core of her head aswell. She also says that she has been getting them for years and years, even before I was born which was a lengthy 14 years ago.

She is very stressed at the moment. A few years ago she split up with my dad and now regularly fights with her current boyfriend. She does have a lot to put up with as a single mother, including us 3 children who can be quite challenging at times, especially my little sister who is always screaming, crying and moaning. We live in quite a big house and my dad is paying the mortgage (he lives in a flat across the road), but she has to pay most of the bills. We aren't poor at all though, but we just aren't rich. She gets up quite early most mornings, ranging from 5am to 8am. She sleeps in the day quite a lot for 30-90mins a day, but she says that this is because she spends a lot of time cleaning the house. She has shingles as well due to stress and eczema. She does wear glasses and is under weight.

I'm scared she has a brain tumor or something! Do you think she has? No loss of balance, loss of appetite, involuntary movements, weakness, no sickness, nausea or diarrhea. They also go with painkillers. She has a stiff neck at the moment and she says they're tight.

Any ideas?

[Serenity1990]

No. I think she has a headache.

But this is a question for her to ask her doctor. Not for you to ask a forum containing approximately zero trained medics.

[Toby2000]

Anyone else?

---------- Post added at 19:16 ---------- Previous post was at 18:56 ----------


No. I think she has a headache.

But this is a question for her to ask her doctor. Not for you to ask a forum containing approximately zero trained medics.

Then what's the point of this thread? To ask for health questions and opinions. Of course it's a question for the doctor, but how many people come on this thread before going to the doctor?

[cpe1978]

No. I think she has a headache.

But this is a question for her to ask her doctor. Not for you to ask a forum containing approximately zero trained medics.

Cut the OP some slack - they are 14 years old, I remember being scared of all sorts of stuff when I was 14 and I don't imagine it is easy to get your parents to do anything.

I think the thing is that no one here can give you any sort of sensible medical opinion because as Serenity points out, no one is qualified. The forum is predominantly designed to discuss anxiety.

However, I think it is safe to say that a) brain tumours are exceptionally rare and that b) if it has been going on for in excess of 14 years then logically there would be virtually no chance of it being something like a BT which would get incrementally worse.

That said, maybe you should speak to your mum if you are worried.

[Vigilante]

14 years and logic? if they are the same exact headache types with no change, id say its impossible. Number one reason a brain tumour would cause a headache is raised ICP, all other common garden headaches are coming from muscles, blood vessels and nerves.

Hissy, you really need to get some help about your constant worrying, you really do not want to keep shifting from one worry to another over and over.

[Serenity1990]

My apologies, I didn't realise the OP was 14.

I had similar headaches to that last year. There is quite a common headache that originates from neck tension, travels up the back of the head, over the top and side(s) and sometimes into the upper face. This is called a cervicogenic headache. They're really common with stress as most people carry their tension in the neck and shoulders.

Brain tumour pain doesn't, as I understand it, usually disappear with pain relief. In fact my understanding is that head pain is generally one of the least likely presenting symptoms.

[JMA]

She says that she has been getting headaches at the back of her head for quite a while, she says that she can sometimes also get them in the core of her head aswell. She also says that she has been getting them for years and years, even before I was born which was a lengthy 14 years ago.

Given the long term nature of the complaint, it ain't a brain tumour. Some people just seem to be prone to headaches/migraines.

To alleviate your concerns, get her to pop down the doctors and explain what's going on.

[Toby2000]

Thanks for your replies everyone :)

I'm not trying to be annoying, I'm really not. I'm just worried. I think it is a tension headache that she's suffering from, because she is obviously stressed and has a lot to put up with. She is seeing a doctor on Thursday, but that's about a prescription and she says she will bring it up. I know that when someone's stressed, they tend to get a headache on their lower back of the head. My mum's going to bring up my hypochondria too and ask for an appointment regarding that.

[Light_Bringer777]

That's the exact description of a tension headache, yeah. No reason to worry in my opinion.

[MrH]

People aren't medics here and can't tell you for sure what's going on, and going to the doctor is the right thing as if they think it's cause for concern they won't treat it lightly. However what you've described has a thousand benign or not-particularly-scary reasons before even thinking of anything nasty, and the fact it's been going on 14 years or more is a very good sign it's nothing alarming. I get sometimes terrible sinus headaches that often take root at the back of the head - I'm not saying this is the same as your mum, but just saying it's possible to have very bad headaches in the same area and it be perfectly harmless. When people say someone has "just a headache" it doesn't alter the fact they can bloody hurt, just that they're nothing sinister.

Another thought is my mum had a terrible and quite disturbing headache when she had shingles, which passed when she got better.

I hope all turns out OK, and don't forget the laws of chance are on your side that it's nothing to worry about. You're doing the right thing consulting a doctor, but treat it as a sensible precaution, not something to do out of panic. Try not to worry, which I know is easier said than done.