Brain tumor anxiety (25)

[Kaelon]

I thought I had left it in my past after suffering debilitating month long anxiety attacks about having ALS, HIV, some sort of bird flu and a few others.

And at the moment I feel utterly convinced I have a brain tumour. My symptoms are as follows:
- trouble recalling the right word or name of a colleague
- constant brain fog and headaches (seven weeks going now) headaches are relieved with ibuprofen
- occasional ringing in my ears
- constant post nasal drip down the back of my throats despite no blocked nose
- I swear I have double vision but I'm not sure, I just feel like I am having trouble concentrating on things in my vision. I can read signs etc perfectly

I've been to a doctor who gave me numerous cognitive and neurological tests. All of which I passed perfect. He's booked me in for a blood test and an MRI. However due to the holiday season I'm unable to get these tests done for a week and a bit.

All I can do is sit in my room and obsessively read threads of brain tumour stories and initial symptoms having a mild panic attack every time I find one that matches my symptoms.

Has anyone else suffered from this and can you offer any advice?

[bin tenn]

Sounds harmless, IMO.

1) I often cannot recall a name or a word. It happens to everyone.

2) Headaches relieved by OTC pain meds are just that - headaches, nothing more

3) I also get occasional ringing in my ears, as do many people

4) I also have persistent PND. I have had it for years - 7+. No blocked nose. No obvious reason. Allergies? Maybe. Brain tumor? Nah.

5) I also sometimes feel that my vision is wonky, but I believe it's due to surroundings. Lights, motion, etc around you can sometimes throw your vision off once you remove yourself from those factors.

I was going to ask if you've been to a doc. Since you have, and all has been well so far, I imagine blood tests and MRI will also yield clear results.

Advice? Just try to chill out. You can't control the outcome no matter what, all-clear or not. Worry won't make anything better. If anything, it'll make the wait more difficult. Hang in there; you'll be fine.

[Scared2death21]

I had a pretty bad experience with a BT fear a few years ago. It started with ringing in my right ear and a little google search and that's all it took. From then on, I started to develop all of the symptoms you have and more. I wish I could tell you all my symptoms but the website I used is no longer around. With that being said, I won't tell you explicitly that you don't have a tumor, but I will tell you that anxiety alone and having your mind fixated on one issue can feel every bit as real as reality itself. If your mind is racing about a brain tumor it won't exactly be easy to recall something. Double vision is a funny one. I had a certain version of this where I couldn't stare at something for too long before my eyes started to cross, causing double vision. In any case, you already have an MRI lined up and I would personally be shocked to hear that you have a brain tumor. The only reason I won't make a guarantee is that I can't look inside your brain to know for sure, but what I am saying is I've KNOWN I had a brain tumor with tons of symptoms to back it up, only to find out it was nothing.

[Iker20]

Hey, yeah I went through the brain tumor fear some months ago, the anxiety was so bad it made me have crazy symptoms like using wrong words, feeling like I couldnt walk right and thinking my intelligence was diminishing, I also had an almost permanent dull headache that was caused by anxiety, I cant really give you any advice because I know that with any HA fear you have to dig yourself out of the hole, but I will say that anxiety can mimic all the symptoms of a brain tumor, if a neurologist examined you and the neurological exam was alright id say you are 99% cleared, an MRI will make it 100%, dont make the mistake of doubting the mri

[Kaelon]

Wow @iker20,

That sounds like exactly what I am experiencing. My order of symptoms went:
Couldn't remember a girlfriend's friends name (remembered 20 seconds later) > Started freaking out thinking I have Alzheimer > Start having brain fog and thinking I'm speaking strangely and messing up words > Find information on brain tumors > Start having blurred vision, worse memory, constant dull headache and brain fog.

I been through this before for ALS, HIV, Bowel cancer and a few other diseases, and I know as soon as I get the results back majority of my symptoms will disappeared but it just feels so real to me at the moment.

[Sixpack]

What you are talking about do not indicate a brain tumor. IMO, it is a sign of a person taking random things that we all get by virtue of being human and turning them into something sinister. Basically adding 2+2 and getting anything but 4. But that is what HA peeps tend to do :winks:

By the way-- I have known 7 or 8people with brain tumors---one was my dad and one is my sister---all of varying types brain tumors with varying symptoms. Your description, as I said, nothing like a the brain tumors the people I ACTUALLY knew/know had. Any blood test or MRI will say the same. Actually I am surprised a doc would order an MRI based on what you have written.

There is definitely more than you can do than sit in your room and obsessively read brain tumor threads. IMO, going from one disease to another as you described, is indicative of a serious anxiety disorder. What are you actively doing to deal with the illness you actually have? This is a serious question. HA peeps can not find lasting peace obsessing, googling, monitoring, looking for oddities, and seeking reassurance from unnecessary doc visits and med testing. All these things do is further entrench the mental disorder.

Good luck and be well.

[cattia]

I'm mid brain tumour anxiety at the moment. Mine started when my car broke down and I started freaking out that it would happen again so I was constantly monitoring the air for that burning smell when I was driving. I then started to imagine that I could smell burning when it wasn't there and of course that was all it took for me to begin the spiral into anxiety, because I convinced myself that I was having partial seizures. Cue the start of horrendous visual disturbances that started as soon as I begun to focus on my eyes, and so it has gone on. In my rational mind, I know the fact that these symptoms happened in direct correlation with my anxiety about brain tumour symptoms, more than likely means they are yet another product of my anxiety. It seems that the manifestations of HA really are endless. My Dr thinks it's anxiety. She ordered full blood tests to check my thyroid etc so now I'm freaking out about getting them done in case it shows something up. I know the anxiety cycle by now as I've been living it on and off for twenty years, yet every time it floors me. I know how you feel! Just know that anxiety can certainly cause all the symptoms you describe, and has done for me more than once.

[Nicholebear]

All of these are anxiety symptoms

In most cases I've seen of actual brain tumors, there a lot more going on, like SEVERE symptoms that don't come and go, or get better when you don't think about them, also usually a good amount of pain.

You are doing the right things by going to the doctor to get examined, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. Maybe some therapy to work out your underlying mental health issue of anxiety and possibly OCD . (We all have mental health issues if we're on this forum honestly lol)

[Kaelon]

I just had my MRI and I am extremely nervous, the person doing the scan didn't say anything and said I will hear back in a few days. Is this standard procedure? I'm quite sure he was looking at me strangely and he was on the phone a lot during the MRI.

[swajj]

It is standard procedure so don't read anything in to it. I always imagine they are looking at me strangely thinking "poor thing she hasn't got long". He was probably on the phone to his wife. lol

[Wilburis]

Hi

I agree he was probably on the phone telling his wife what he wants for dinner.

I suffer with severe anxiety and cannot even leave the house by myself.

I try to "read" people too. I get a bit paranoid sometimes.

He was probably wondering why you are having an MRI as there is nothing wrong with you!

Good luck and let us know x

[Colicab85]

I had an MRI a few months back for the same reason and yeah, the technician said nothing to me either.

All good though, no tumour or anything else going on in my noggin. Just a severe case mental health problems.

You symptoms are very typical of Anxiety!

No tumour or anything and still suffering with brain fog and a dull headache. If it were something more I'm pretty sure after 10 months, I'd be a lot more poorly.

[BrightPhoenix]

The MRI tech I think isn't allowed to disclose the results, so yeah, you'll always get a funny look from them. Our health anxiety will cause us to interpret the actions of the MRI tech to mean something.

For example, I'm currently dealing with some neurological symptoms myself leading to MS fears. I had an MRI done of my neck and after the MRI was done he asked me what kind of symptoms I'm dealing with and how long they lasted. After I answered that I had them for about a month he made this strange face and then just said "Huh, really".

That made me think he found something on my neck. Come to learn from the results it was nothing but a slight off-set disk from tilting my neck just a slight bit to the right when I use the computer for a long time.

Now my neurologist has set me up for an MRI of my brain because my symptoms are still persisting. They aren't getting WORSE, but they're just there and the wait for the authorization and then to see her again is excruciating. Haven't gotten the authorization for the scan and she's booked so I have to wait until Feb 15. Seeing another neurologist in the meantime because these gaps is too much.