Very Worried About Headaches

[aanns_GAD]

I’ve been getting headaches since Saturday afternoon. I posted about this on the HA thread but I felt the need to do so here too. I’m very worried. My husband thinks they are stress and tension related and that they will eventually go away. I’ve only been taking Motrin at night when I sleep and when I wake up the first thing I do is symptom check. And I’m not sure if it’s really a headache or I’m focusing so hard on it that it’s happening. I’m worried about a brain tumor and I can’t shake the fear deep down. What do I do? Does this sound concerning?? It seems be near my left eye by the bridge of my nose. I used to get aches here when I was little due to sinus issues and then later as an adult around my period when I was on birth control. I’m not on birth control anymore and I haven’t had any sinus issues because I take Allegra once a day and I’ve done that for years. Helppppp

[budgie1979]

I agree that the fact you are wondering whether it's a "real headache" indicates that it's probably just anxiety/stress. The thing is, stress can trigger a headache, so it really is best if you can find a way to relax. I get horrible migraines, so I know how hard it can be to do that when you're in pain. I had headaches for a full week just 2 weeks ago. One was an actual migraine, the others were all tension headaches from a stiff neck and the anxiety that resulted from worrying about the headaches. They did go away, but I was super nervous about things like brain tumors.

The best thing you can do, if your headaches are not debilitating, is find something to distract you from symptom checking. Maybe you can try some meditation or light exercise (yoga is good) first thing in the morning to start you off in a good frame of mind.

[Emily101115]

I'm going through this at the moment however,I suspect that mine is stress related! I've went throug the in the past and I'm still here to tell the tale! x

[daisyflower]

I've had 2 episodes of long term tension headaches. They lasted about 6 weeks each time. There was nothing wrong with me.

[aanns_GAD]

Thank you guys for the reply’s. Seriously. They seem to be jumping around. Like today it was mainly like a helmet. From the back of my head all the way on up. I get this weird sensation like burning and tingling almost in the back and that’s what started all of this on Saturday. It’s nuts that this is all anxiety at least from the facts I see that.

I just spent the last hour googling about brain aneurysms and I’ve been crying because I’m so scared. I don’t have blurred vision, speech problems, etc but I’m still freaking out. The what if’s are driving me nuts.

I did go and see an eye doc today because my contacts were super old and gross. She did a full exam and I expressed to her my fear of tumors and she took an extra look and did the pressure test. She said the nerves behind my eyes look healthy and great and the pressure test came back perfect so she didn’t see a need to dilate unless I really really wanted it. I asked if I should go see my doctor and she said there wasn’t a need since she didn’t find anything. Now I’m sitting here on my couch wondering if I should’ve just let her dilate so I could calm down but would that have even helped? I don’t know.

I keep telling myself that she would’ve seen something if there was a serious problem. Aneurysm and tumor wise. From the research I’ve done the light test can tell if something is wrong there too.

[shirlp]

I get headaches all the time. Dr has diagnosed tension headaches. You need to learn to relax.
Try a hot water bottle on your neck xx

[ravenz]

Not an MD but I've worked doing transport for cancer care patients between treatment and home - pretty much where I developed my own health anxiety thinking everything is cancer.

Brain tumors will cause SERIOUS noticeable symptoms when they become big enough and you will end up in the hospital getting diagnosed most likely. Brain tumors as they grow will cause serious headaches, seizures, loss of muscle function, loss of vision and other serious complications.


For those of us that suffer with stress and anxiety, you'll feel like you have a brain tumor. I get tension headaches that last for days (eased by hot/cold shower and OTC medicine but not eliminated), muscle twitches (eyelids, fingers, calf, etc. on both sides), visual disturbances (floaters, flashes) and sensitivity to light. If you google these symptoms its SUPER easy to run to the doctor screaming brain tumor, but it's not the case. We tend to focus on the most severe outcome of each symptom and this tends to cause MORE symptoms and MORE worry for us. As I've learned this I've noticed symptoms disappearing.

Think about how many of us who suffer from health anxiety have diagnosed ourselves with 18 different cancers or illnesses. If we had one we would KNOW it would be one. From this stress/anxiety bout I've been in for months I've convinced myself of Lyme, MS, Bowel Cancer, Skin Cancer, Eye Cancer, Brain Cancer, Lymphoma, and Leukemia. If we truly had a disease we would have ONE area we would be focused on that we would know something is wrong with. Our problem is truly our brain and our thoughts, and that's what makes us find problems that don't exist all over.

You will be fine. Focus all your energy on the anxiety and stress, and you will slowly see improvements with each symptom. It takes time, I've been fighting it for months and slowly each week I see some progress as I lower my stress levels.