Getting myself really worked up about brain tumours

[MidnightCalm]

I searched dizziness on here, opened a thread and read someones problem, they went on to say the things they don't have (which I do) which are signs of a brain tumour. I'm not in a big panic, feel a bit scared, haven't even moved out of bed yet from fear of being off balance and dizzy again which I've had off and on for a month (when I had a cold for a few days it faded and I was pretty rested).
Can anybody relate to these:
Calf muscles twitching like mad at times (almost always feeling a bit crampy and weak).
Nausea from time to time.
Off balance/dizziness practically all day especially when standing.
Headaches, neck pain, sometimes a shooting from my neck to head.
Pain behind eyes and in sinuses.
Ears randomly blocking, feeling full, tinnitus.
Occasional loss of appetite.
Sometimes (mainly when I breathe throgh my nose really hard I'll get a horrible burning type smell that I can taste and this stays for anything up to 30 mins.
I've been feeling generally tired but hard to sleep.
Please help/replyxxxxxx

[Vixxy]

Sounds to me like an infection in your sinus.
It will cause bad smells as youll have infected mucus up there. Loss of appetite/nausea as youre probably swallowing a lot of it.
This could also lead to dizziness problems as all the tubes in your head are connected, so if you have an infection itll make you dizzy.
have you been to see your gp?

[MidnightCalm]

I'm really too scared to go, I'd end up going crazy if they said they couldn't see any infection or problem and they needed to carry out further tests or send me for this and that.
Ugh, I feel completely hopeless :(

[STEPHYUNO]

Hi there, I hope you are feeling ok today, I know it must be difficult with all these unhelpful thoughts in your head. I do agree that you should see your G.P. as this could be a number of different things, most of which wont be very serious and will be easily treatable.
I know it seems scary, but at least it will stop the constant worrying and allow you the chance to feel better, it may bea good idea if you can get a trusted freind or relative to go with you to doctors.(you dont have to tell them everything, just that you are a bit nervous and could do with the company and take it from there)
All the best Steph

[Vixxy]

With the symptoms you describe they would no doubt put you on anti biotics. Theres not really much to see.
All theyll do is poke around your eye socket, nose and cheek and ask if it causes discomfort if they press on it. Then theyll have a look in your ears and throat and thats it.
Please do go and see your GP, the chance of having cancer is so small compared to an infection and as steph says you could be feeling alot better soon :)

[MidnightCalm]

Yeah, i'll get myself into the docs as soon as possible, doubt it's sinuses though as my nose isn't really blocked :/
I'm actually staying in bed all day today, woke up worrying, can feel the offbalance feeling is still there, my belly is churning and I don't feel like eating, feel a little sick actually.
I know it's said that anxiety can cause all my symptoms but I rarely have panic attacks (unless panic attacks are more than just when you can't breathe and go on for weeks) I'm just generally pretty anxiousevery day and worse at certain times.
Can I still wake up with symptoms (off balance/dizziness) even if I don't feel i've woken up anxious?
I was hoping somebody would say they experience a similar thing :(
Thanks guys for listening x

[MidnightCalm]

This is the fourth time I've wrote this out because my computer keeps deleting everything I'm saying.
The burning smell I complain about isn't actually anything like a smell, it's not something I think is happening in the house nor have I ever mistaken it for something burning, I can tell and feel that it's in my nasal passage, at the top, maybe in my head, it leads into a taste and into my throat when I bring it on (It always comes on from heavy breathing or snorting, say like when I sniff hard it'll appear or when I snort which I've been doing a lot lately because I've had a cold, BAM it'll appear) it doesn't last long but it makes a horrible taste, I can actually FEEl it in the top of my nose, sometimes it stings a bit or actually feels like burning between the top of my nose and the top of my forehead and around. Would you say this was a good sign on the whole brain tumour front? Thanks for listening guys you're really helping until I get a dr's appointment which I'm doing soon!

[MidnightCalm]

anybodyy?xx:huh:

[joannap]

doesn't sound at all like brain tumour symptoms to me - ask them to check your thyroid because every symptom you mention can be caused by underactive thyroid. i have been suffering an underactive thyroid and know exactly what you mean by the burning smell in the nose - i get a funny feeling in my throat with it too but yes - it may be sinus too. also anxiety can cause all your symtoms but i tend to know when it is more physical than mental/emotional - a few basic tests at the gp won't hurt x

[MidnightCalm]

Can that cause the offbalance feeling/dizziness?
x

[choccychompa]

Can that cause the offbalance feeling/dizziness?
x

Yes, it can, but although you said you haven't got a blocked nose, you then went on to say you've just had a cold. The after-effects of a cold can last for a few weeks and this could explain all your symptoms. I know of someone who had a brain tumour and her symptoms were utterly bizarre and definitely not what you're describing. xxxx

[joannap]

yes - i have only occasionlly felt dizzy but my friend went to the doctors complaining about dizziness - that was the only symptom she had - and it was because her thyroid was underactive.

i tend to put everything down to anxiety - when i had an over active thyroid - it was not discovered for ages because i kept just accepting all the symptoms and plodding on even though my thyroid was 38 and normal range is 10-20! looking back - i did not feel physically right at all. just ask your gp for some basic blood tests to rule anything out x

[MidnightCalm]

Yes, it can, but although you said you haven't got a blocked nose, you then went on to say you've just had a cold. The after-effects of a cold can last for a few weeks and this could explain all your symptoms. I know of someone who had a brain tumour and her symptoms were utterly bizarre and definitely not what you're describing. xxxx

I had these symptoms for a few weeks before the cold though but they got worse towards the cold so maybe it's because I'd been building up to the cold for a while?
I don't think it's related to the cold but I guess it's always a possibilty.
My nose keeps going from blocked to unblocked, it's actually pretty annoying :/
x

[MidnightCalm]

I can remember the exact day my dizziness/off balanceness came on, I was quite anxious about going into busy town that day, woke up and just felt anxious and that's when it started and since then it's not left apart from the 3 days I had the cold where it faded to being not noticeable and then as soon as I started noticing the cold clearing up they were back again.
I've been experiencing different things for months, even up to a year, put them all down to anxiety but this is one of the scariest and one I just can't put down to anxiety :||

x

I will see my doctor soon and I'll bring up the thyroid, I've always been really skinny and not been able to put on weight though, that's not typical of a thyroid disorder though is it?
Can that cause hot sweats aswel?
xxx

[Adam22]

I have had a tension headache for two weeks now .. all day and all night . its so anoying because I like you believe it to be much more severe .. is the tension you are experiencing an achy pain and all over? have you had your eyes check at optiticans?

[MidnightCalm]

I doubt it's my eyes because I've got other things like ringing in my ears and I keep getting hot sweats and bad tiredness, I'm just trying to change this that and the other until my doctors appointment to try and see if there's anything that specifically makes anything better or worse. Cutting my sleep down because I tend to force myself to stay in bed for like 5 hours after I've initially woke up feeling wide awake.

[Adam22]

ah rite, well I'm pretty sure the Doc will do the same checks he did on me .. on you .. I think that your are really anxious and this has triggered the hot flushes and dizziness. We have similar symptoms and I'm pretty sure the doctor would know if you had something as serious as what you believe.. the mind is a cruel thing sometimes ...

So are you headaches consistent but bearable?

[NoPoet]

Hi, when I was first ill with anxiety I had horrible ideas about brain tumours, brain injury and other horrible things. Here I am, nearly 2 years later, with no sign whatsoever of any brain problems.

If something is really bothering you then get checked out by a doctor. They should recognise a problem very quickly and if they give you a clean bill of health you can put it down to anxiety and try to move on.