Still "have" a brain tumor

[panicplus]

Im still worried about having a brain tumor or some form of serious degenerative disease...

From what I have heard, these symptoms are related to anxiety but that thought doesnt really help.

My symptoms include:

minor headaches or 'twinges' ( near the ears, temple and back of neck mainly) that arent always necessarily painful... though sometimes its a more generalized throb

visual spots... these range from all kinds of small black spots to moving bright white sparks to colored spots similar to what you see after looking at a bright light for too long.

Unable to fall asleep, waking up early -- i often sort of jolt awake (not physically but mentally)

tightness in the neck/throat and stomach...

slight nausea -- rarely in the stomach more like slight gagging feeling in the throat -- very hard to describe...

and of course... the dizziness or "dis equilibrium" i feel like i am always just off balance -- like i might be walking funny.

Sometimes when walking I feel like my legs are weak or are going to give way... they havent yet but I have begun to find my self avoiding going places alone just in case...




Do other people have these issues with anxiety? The spots particularly have me worried since I dont really understand where those come from but the dizziness is also alarming.

I am posting this here under health anxiety but with the worrying about everything (a big one is every meal i eat I wonder if I am going to get sick from it) I might have GAD? I dont know... all this started in Feb. and has been on and off... for example I dont recall having many of these symptoms for most of April but then they come back...

[Lou 1]

Hi,

I have very similar symptoms to you, i get the twinges/throbs in my head and behind my ears.
I also get headaches but i get facial pain too.
I have days (particularly today) where i feel dizzy and off balance, almost like im on a boat or in the sea riding the waves.
And my eyes, they have become a worry of mine i get black spots and little white spots that just apprear suddenly, sometimes in the corners of my eyes and others in the centre of my vision, i find it seems worse when im in a really bright room- i have had my eyes checked and been told they were fine.

Its hard not worry when you beleive something is wrong, but anxiety causes all sorts of symptoms!!
I've had mine for just over a year now..

Hugs x

[panicplus]

how did you discover/ how are you sure it is 'just anxiety'?

I have been to two GPs and both say that there is nothing wrong after a physical...of course... they did not order up CTs or MRIs -- they both pretty much told me that I am giving the thought of a brain tumor more energy than it deserves and that the chances are very slim especially at my age (im 19)

[Adam22]

Hi Mate ,

I having been suffering with exactly the same symptoms for 2 months and its so frustrating .. im 22 .. doc wouldnt consider sending me either .. which to be honest you should take a postitive ...

he would know if it was something serious was wrong.. and u would be sent ..

currently my neck and back of head are so stiff..

all of this can be put to tension and anxiety..

[panicplus]

does anyone have any tips on how to deal/manage/get rid of this?

It is really debilitating... I feel like i just need to lie down sometimes and nap to get rid of it... which is not exactly conducive to life....

[Adam22]

light exercise - take long walks focusing on deep breaths...

Hot baths - try some lavender and focus on deep breaths

hydration - drink lots of water ..



and the best thing to do although the hardest is to accept ur symptoms are as a result of anxiety .. once thats achieved it can be dealt with..

try and continue with work and daily life commitments as best you can and I can assure you it will fade away !!
:)

[panicplus]

yeah... exercise gives a little relief... but as soon as i stop... i comes back...

I also find it troubling that these symptoms come seemingly from nowhere... I mean to say that in the past, i have always been mentally worrying about something then i get nervous... now it seems that these symptoms will come up even when not consciously thinking about anything worrying...

[panicplus]

I forgot to mention one very important symptom I've been having -- it just happened again today. Its also one of the ones that freaks me out the most.

Its a spacey feeling sort of like disreality or like being in a dream state. I find it hard to focus on something like reading words and walking feels like I am not in 'sync' with the world... Its very hard to describe but from what I read it is a common symptom of brain tumors. Can this also be anxiety related? Like all the other symptoms it appear seemingly at random and not when 'feeling' anxious but just when calmly hanging out with friends. I just dont get it... does anyone know how anxiety causes something like this?

This site especially seems to mention it.

http://www.virtualtrials.com/braintumorsymptomssurvey.cfm

[CrazyCatLady]

I was (and to some extent still am) convinced i had a brain tumor. I had all those symptoms, plus an incred painful neck. I went to the doc (as per usual) and she took my blood pressure and shone lights in my eyes. apparently she could tell i didn't have a tumour, becuase she couldn't see any signs of pressure behind my eyes! it made sense when i thought about it, and my symptoms eased after that.

That "floaty" feeling i think, is my mind trying to distance itself from my body temporarily, so i can't get anymore anxious.

[panicplus]

yes. I had two separate doctors look in my eyes on two different occasions separated by a few months. Neither of them seemed to find anything worrying... still doesnt help too much.. i felt better the few days immediately after... but the anxiety is still there.

[panicplus]

ok... new thing to report... we not exactly new but new to this forum and something i havent felt for a few months.

When I walk I feel like I am leaning/ walking to the left. I don't know if anxiety can cause this... I hope so. Anyone have thoughts?

[Nicole01]

Panicplus,

How have your other symptoms been since you noticed the left sided walk?

I only ask because in the month that I've had the "brain tumor" fear, I've had a dozen different symptoms, some of which have now gone (pressure in right side, blocked right ear, dead right arm) and new ones have appeared (dull headache constantly). If i focus on one, the others seem to go!

I too have had two seriously in depth eye tests (photos of the back of my eye, air blown at me etc etc) and all fine. 4 doctors down, still not totally convinced.

I feel your pain! x

[panicplus]

Hi, I suppose it does seem that as some symptoms occur, others lessen -- not necessarily disappearing completely though.

I am really starting to get annoyed with the nausea-ish thing. My stomach doesnt really feel bad it is more of a feeling in the throat -- like a clenching thing that happens... if that makes sense.

[MidnightCalm]

I get the throat feeling!
My nausea is nearly always in my throat which doesn't make a lot of sense :|

[pinktoni]

Hi my sysmptoms too are very much like yours esp the neck and throat tightness, ive also been gp and a&e as ive been worried im seriously ill! but now im excepting its just anxiety and will hopefully pass! Im on diazepam which helps me relax and my panics has reduced! I still have tightness in my throat but not as much! Also like many when i busy it eases lots or even goes but as soon as i stop it seems to come bk! im hoping by tryin to carry on as normal and assuring myself im ok that it will pass! Hope you can do something similar!

[panicplus]

Thanks, these replies help some.

I am still concerned about the headaches -- they are not the typical tension headaches where the pain is diffused and all over (though I get those too)

Im not really sure I should call them that but I don't know what else to call them... They are more like head twinges where the 'pain' (not undurable but still there) sort of throbs once then goes away. then may throb again a few minutes later. This mainly happens on the right side from the temple region back towards the back of the head but has also happened on the right.

I also experience strain in my neck mainly on the right side as well.

Any thoughts on this?

[Nicole01]

I get pains like that all the time - freaks me out. They're called "Ice pick headaches" and are by all accounts, normal.

Have you been to the opticians? I've heard they can tell if there is anything untoward going on - although, having seen two now, I'm yet to totally believe it!

I had all my symptoms down my right side for a week, then when i forgot about it just being on my right side, it disappeared! Now i get weird stuff going on with my eyes and I'm forever thinking that I can't speak or type properly. It's never ending...:shrug:
x

[panicplus]

hmm.. "ice-pick headaches" I had never heard of them before. Arent they described more as a shooting, stabbing severe pain? I would not characterize my headaches as severe or incapacitating... ice pick headaches are also rare in youth (im 19).

Also. is it normal for symptoms (especially tightness/nausea/diziness) to be worse when up, standing and or walking around. laying down seems to bring relief. WHy is this?

[panicplus]

is it normal to have more floaters some days rather than others. the other day I was in the shower and had noticed a lot more that other days.

I also now have a pain in my neck on the back to the right and in my sternum area which started yesterday morning.

[panicplus]

My fears of a brain tumor have gone back to vCJD or some other neurological disease.

I have a new symptom that I just noticed. In my right leg mainly on the outside of my thigh and on the outside of my foot there occurs randomly a sensation of heat. Not painful or anything. Just kind of weird. Like a warm water sensation. This started three days ago. This one is really freaking me out... I also have been having trouble sleeping and staying asleep with numerous nightmares about vCJD or Brain tumors. I tend to roll around and start to sleep then am sort of jolted awake with my heart pounding.

Still have the spots in the vision.

I also have these feelings of shooting pain and tinglings (like something on my finger is vibrating a little) -- never in the same area, but all over.

My face also feels hot to the touch sometimes...

Im now starting to think of vCJD (Again)...

Any thoughts? especially about the warm leg feeling?

[BigPaul]

Panicplus,
How long have you had these symptoms for ?

I have experienced most days pretty much everything you have described, and others too.
At its worst the headaches and random head pains, blurry vision and the unreality feelings really p**s me off !
I have had worries of various life threatening problems, primarily brain tumour and cjd, sometimes its MS. I have had 2 brain scans and both have come back normal. I have been suffering like this since I was at primary school and I'm now 37. The chances are if it was something serious it would either have been diagnosed by now or I would no longer be here .... but I still have bad periods of anxiety.

I have finally found a CBT therapist that understands me and have built up a great rapport with - I am feeling better and see some light at the end of the tunnel.

I just wanted to let you know that everything you have described here can be attributed to anxiety, I have felt 100% convinced at times that I was dying and have been to hospital in a ambulance. Yet I'm still here !
Good luck buddy .... I hope you are feeling better soon :)

[panicplus]

Hi, thank you.

It depends on what you mean by how long I've had these symptoms.

I suppose the first time I started getting concerned something was wrong was in Feb. I had this strange feeling of depersonalization when I was snowed into my dorm for about a week and didnt get a whole lot of sleep. I started googleing that and found brain tumors.... then also vCJD (something that has always concerned me because I ate meat in France in 2000-2001 (roughly 10 years ago).

I've spent the past couple months with on and off anxiety (ive always been anxious but never like this) I felt like I could not breath. and like I was always tense. Never before with anxiety had I had spots/floaters in my vision or had the skin sensations. One of the early symptoms of vCJD is anxiety. Followed by skin sensations and other neuro symptoms (dizziness, forgetfullness, etc.)

All the symptoms I am describing I suppose have come and gone at different times. A few weeks ago I would have sort of continuous indigestion. Now I have the pin prick feelings and the buzzing numbness feelings (which I think I had earlier this summer). What is weird is I find all sorts of sites that explain these as symptoms of panic attacks, but I would not characterize what I have now as a panic attack -- in fact I feel more or less calm but i still experience the symptoms.

[Belfry1973]

What would you chracterize as a panic attack? Someone crying, shaking, unable to breathe? Anxiety pretty much the same? Because I dont do those!
The most extreme form for me is a seizure and these can pretty much come out of nowhere. I can also be out and about, feel pretty calm, then all of a sudden the visual disturbances can start, or I'll get these sudden pains or pressure in the right side of my head feeling like its pushing it sideways, sometimes my mouth wont work properly, I might feel dizzy or lightheaded,patches of numbness on my face lots of neuro signs. In fact I have more of these than I have atypical signs such hyperventilating,'jelly legs', etc

I have epilepsy anyway and I know its not that, I had an MRI scan done a few weeks ago to double check on the seizures I have been happening, so I know I dont have a brain tumour. So it is very possible to have so many neurological symptoms with stress and anxiety, I have seizures for Gods sake!

Now I've accepted its anxiety and not a return of my epilepsy thats causing these symptoms, I've been able to deal with my stress and anxiety a lot more and am well on the road to recovery. You'll probably find that if you can do this instead of using 'Dr Google' and finding the worse thing possible to fit your symptoms it'll be a lot easier.

BTW
Only 3 cases have been identified in the US, 2 were actually UK citizens who'd lived the vast majority of their lives in the UK, and had been too briefly living in the US to have been exposed to it. The other was a Saudi National and had only lived in the US for 6 months, apart from a short visit earlier before he showed symptoms of vCJD. So to date no American has ever had vCJD, and you must admit, the likelihood of you being the first one is very, extremely, miniscully small
Oh and France has only had 15 cases, so again, very unlikely

[panicplus]

I suppose I consider a panic attack is like an overload of anxiety -- crying/nausea/severe diziness/emotional distraught.

The only reason I am considering vCJD is because I lived for 9 years in Europe mainly in France (starting in 2000 when they had a BSE scare) but since then I have been to the UK several times as well.