"Normal" people health worries? To what degree?

[Jinaiya]

Feeling a little lonely and isolated so I thought I'd type instead of replay the dreaded fears over and over.

I've posted a few times now, but just to reintroduce myself, I'm a 32 year old new mom who has been suffering greatly for 3 months. To admit: I have suffered from HA on and off since I immigrated to the US from Canada 5 years ago, but normally my fears are heart related because my heart always pounds when I'm anxious. Not this time - and that makes me even more convinced that I really am sick this time.

I am pretty sure I'm looking at an acoustic neuroma, since I have all of the symptoms and the symptoms do not get better. I guess I often wonder how a "normal person" would be coping if they had vertigo, tinnitus, right sided headaches, head pressure, right ear popping, and fullness in right ear nearly all day long upon waking for 3 months straight? Would they be "cool" with it?

When the headaches began, I did manage my symptoms just fine for the first month. Being a new mom, I wrote it off as hormones, potentially stress. I may have had a few fleeting fears of tumour which passed quickly and I went about my business. Once new symptoms cropped up though, and the head pains persisted, I did begin to worry. The doctors say I'm fine but I still worry, after all, these things get missed all of the time in normal people who are NOT overly freaked out.

I guess I'm just throwing the question out there because I feel like even if I were "a normal person", this is scary stuff... However, unlike the general population, I guess what sets me apart is that I DO obsess over this. It is literally ALL I think about all day long, which is very distressing, especially when I should be happy and positive with my new baby girl. These are very intrusive thoughts, images and "day dreams", all about tumours and me dying. Even if I keep busy, it's in the back of my head and I'm constantly checking in with my physical symptoms to see if they are still present. If I wake at 3am, it is the first thing I notice (usually my ringing ears), and then my head hurting or my vertigo when I get use to use the restroom.

Sometimes I feel like the emotional distress is worse than the tumour itself. I imagine that would not be the case for the average person.

I just hope it gets figured out soon so I can get on with it. This is miserable, but its near impossible for me to "get over it" or stop thinking about it when the pains and pressure are there. I can't even walk across the room without feeling like I'm on a boat.

Thank you for reading. If you are suffering with the obsessive thoughts too, I wish you hope in getting past it soon. :hugs:

- Kristina

[helenhoo]

Hi! Sorry you're going through this too. It's horrible how we do this to ourselves. Normal people are like 'ah got a headache, so what we having for dinner' whereas us HA sufferers obssess. I'm terrible. I'll google. I have stopped. But I wpild Google and Id find one obscure article on page 3 of Google that tells me I'm Ill and that's it. That's tbe fact and oh my god I can't stop panicking. I annoy family and boyfriend with my constant concerns, sometimes more than one illness worry at once. Other times I'm focused on one. I'm still only in the early stages but I've read up a lot and wish to offer to help.

Are you one of those who avoids doctors? Or are there earlier?

[Jinaiya]

I have had a lot of tests done, and have seen multiple doctors for various concerns. I'm definitely not an avoider, though I'm usually pretty scared for the outcome. I have an eye exam on Monday and I'm really nervous he will see that my brain is swelling.

Warm wishes

[Gary A]

Acoustic neuromas are completely benign tumours. It of course wouldn't be nice to have one, but in the unlikely event that you do, it's not something that's going to kill you.

Now, to your symptoms. There are quite a lot of conditions that can cause each and every one of your symptoms. Acoustic neuroma is most definitely the least likely of them all. Minears disease, labyrinthitis, a blockage of the Eustachian tube of the ear, BPPV, these are just some of the conditions that can cause your symptoms. It's also entirely possible for anxiety to produce each one of these symptoms.

I wouldn't ever tell you to just "get over it", but what I will say is that you are being completely irrational by concluding that your symptoms are being caused by, what is, after all, a very very rare condition. There are far simpler explanations for your symptoms.

I would speak to your doctor about your concerns about an acoustic neuroma. They tend to be quite clear on why they don't think this is the case.

[Fishmanpa]

Whenever I see an ailment I never heard of, I immediately assume, and for good reason, that Dr. Google had hand in the diagnosis.

You'll see your eye doctor on Monday and I'm quite sure it will be another clean report to go along with the others.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this but when medical science finds nothing wrong physically, you need to explore the mental aspects. If indeed you had a physical ailment, you would treat it. The same should be the case for a mental ailment.

Positive thoughts