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View Full Version : Unequal Pupils and scared



Zach2000
07-12-16, 17:49
I'm a 16 year old male. Just about a month ago I noticed my right pupil is larger than the left. (Most noticeable in dim lighting). Its not a huge difference but still concerns me because I looked up on google "unequal pupils" and it said its normal. And I was like "phew!" But then I kept reading and it said UNLESS you have headache, stiff neck, light sensitivity, and eye pain then it is a medical emergenvy. I HAVE ALL OF THOSE. As the days progressed I started developing one sided headaches every day now. They're not severe but they're dull and annoying. My right eye feels heavy and just hurts all the time especially when I look at light. I'm also getting occasional flashes or floaters.

Now I know what you're thinking, yeah this sounds pretty bad I should see a doctor asap. I have. 5 doctors to be exact. I started out with the neurologist because all of my symptoms lead to a brain tumor google says. He did his neurological examination on me and said I'm functioning great. I have a history of hypochondria so he ordered me prozac, an anxiety medicine. He said my eye reacted to light so the pupil being larger was no big deal. He said what I'm having is chronic migraine and once I get all the stress and worries out of me the symptoms should go away.

Next I see my optholomogist. I told her about my unequal 8 and she looked in the back of my eye to check for papilledema (a sign of raised intracranial pressure). She said it looks perfectly healthy and said my pupil was nothing to worry about either. She diagnosed me with chronic migraine just like the neurologist. After the appointment, I'm still getting headaches and now I'm getting phantom smells (which is another BT sign..) so I'm still convinced I have a tumor. So I got a second opinion with another eye doctor and same thing: migraines.

I now just went to my general physician and told him about what I'm feeling and showed him my eye. It still hurts and feels like something is pushing on it. Like pressure. He said I'm probably just stressing myself out over this fear that I have a brain tumor. Then he said how rare brain tumors are and all of that. So he again, left it off as migraines.

At this point I just want a real answer. I dont want a brain tumor.. but I want an answser thats not "migraines" because my gut feeling is that theres seriously something wrong. So I saw another physician and demanded a CT. he complied and I had it the next day. The results came out normal and I was temporarily relieved because I read earlier that CT's can miss small tumors or skull based tumors. So I faxed it to my neurologist to thouroghly look at it and he said it looked normal.

I guess the next step is an MRI? I dont know or maybe there really is nothing wrong with me I hope

SLA
07-12-16, 19:08
What is the answer you would most like to hear from us?

An answer that would make you beam and smile with positivity....

Boydo
10-12-16, 22:36
no need for sarcasm....
he young,scared and needs helping, not your stupidity, if you require to be a little sarcastic tw@t please go and do it else were!
ZACH2000 I know where you are right now and it not a good place, i had all those symptoms just like you and went to see more doctors than yourself, i did eventually get it off my chest and left that behind me, until now! pupils uneven but stress is high so my anxiety is too and as everyone else knows we seek a bit of reassurances it why am searching for uneven pupil topics just to reassure myself and tell others the same!
Sit back and relax and try accepting what is happening feel very real and keep telling yourself you are well in health but just down on your mental state, as soon as you can tell yourself this isn't real and it's your body just playing games with you the easier it becomes, all your symptoms are happening to me right now! NO seeking doctors help or asking doctor google am on here just getting that little boost of reassurance that i am not alone!

take care Zach and hopefully you will be better soon

Fishmanpa
11-12-16, 01:50
no need for sarcasm....

SLA wasn't being sarcastic. It's a legitimate question and the answer is blatantly obvious. Reassurance isn't the answer... Reality is. Several medical professionals and tests have proven Zach doesn't have a brain tumor. He does have anxiety and it would appear pretty severe too!

Keep taking your meds Zach and speak to your parents about your fears and ask for help (therapy). You're much too young to be held captive by your anxiety.

Positive thoughts

randomforeigner
11-12-16, 07:20
How do you know that you can trust your "gut feeling" and not trust the "5 doctors" who all agree the uneven pupils are no big deal, and that you simply have common migraine as the doctors suggest?

The next step could be realising that you not only have phantom smells, but phantom thoughts as well, and realise that "gut feeling" is not always to be trusted. It seems to me you're pursuing something that isn't even there in the first place. You see some doctors, they all say you're having normal and benign symptoms, and so you decide to go and see yet another expert. You have a CT scan, it comes back normal, and you immediately conclude you must go on and have an MRI scan? And after the MRI scan, it it comes back normal, should you have one, would the next step be surgery on the skull just to have a look?

I've had unequal pupils for 52 years and one week, and so far I haven't noticed any difficulties connected with having it. Admittedly, it was less fun to have it at age 16, than it is at age 52, but it's something one has to live with, and it's not like being born with just one arm, or no hearing, or some other handicap like that.... as a handicap goes, it's pretty benign.

Fismanpa is usually right, see the previous post.

Wilburis
01-01-17, 22:16
Hi

How are you? xx