Back again...Now I fear Brain tumour

[ems1981]

Hi All, I've had HA for the past 4 years on and off. I've convinced myself in that time that I had Ovarian, Cervical, Nasal cancer, heart disease and a brain tumour. Now after a break of feeling fine I'm back to the brain tumour. My symptoms are: Eye floaters that are constant. See about 20 a day in my right eye going on for about 6 weeks. I went to the Eye doctor Friday and he said my eyes look fine. Last Saturday I drank a lot of alcohol and saw double vision for about 5 minutes. Then I drank a lot Thursday night and saw double vision again. This is the only time I've seen double vision - both times I was drunk. I've not drank since then and no double vision. I've been worrying sick about this and now have nausea and I've lost my appetite. I do get headaches but nothing out of the ordinary, no seizures, sickness. Doe's anyone have these symptoms and any advice on what I should do, maybe go back to the doctor. Cheers Ems

[RLR]

Okay, a space-occupying mass such as a brain tumor does not present itself in the manner you have contemplated. Understand that when a true mass exists, it imparts changes or dysregulation of the particular functions that the area of the brain serves and which is being affected by the presence of the tumor. Headaches are the absolute last symptom which patients complain of and this is due to the fact that the mass is creating pressure within the restrictive space of the skull. There are no nerve endings in brain tissue itself. You also need to understand that tumors of the brain typically progress somewhat rapidly due to the particular components which form their basis, so 4 years of headaches would place you well beyond any consideration of a mass as a differential diagnosis.

Floaters are an extremely common phenomenon and actually constitute small wrinkles and space between the retinal wall and the vitreous humor, the gel-like substance that causes the eye to hold its shape. They are difficult to observe directly because when accommodation is attempted, they seem to move out of direct view, again caused by the gel-like quality of the vitreous humor which is mobile within the eye.

Floaters are not associated with the presence of a brain tumor at all. Although the incidence of blurred vision subsequent to alcohol consumption should be self-explanatory, I'll endeavor here to share that visual accommodation is challenged by the influence of alcohol upon the central nervous system and is not somehow evidenciary of a brain tumor. The actual double vision associated with the presence of a tumor is generated behind the optic chiasm, or conversion of cortical to optical vision and is due to influence by a tumor process.

Your headaches are alternatively more likely to be the consequence of tension and/or migrainous headache syndrome, depending upon their location and characterization, as well as the result of sinus inflammation if the necessary signs and symptoms are present.

In over 40 years of practice as a neurologist, I can assure you that I've observed more than my share of patients with actual brain tumors. Your symptoms have absolutely no association to these patients in any context whatsoever. Your fears are being generated based upon your own interpretation of what you believe to be the requisite signs and symptoms. Diagnosis, particularly self-diagnosis, is in all reality impossible in the absence of the requisite background and training. You can't simply go on the internet and try to match your symptoms with what you perceive to be a universal context.

My suggestion here is to take a breath and relax. You need to arrive at the point where you can recognize your error in judgment that clinical diagnosis is as simplistic as finding what you perceive to be a match on Google.

You'll be fine and you do not have a brain tumor. Speak with your doctor about a referral to a headache specialist for evaluation and treatment of your headaches.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

[ems1981]

Thanks for your message! I know I need to drink less alcohol which I intend to do. I've never noticed double vision before while drunk and it's happened the last two times. Could this be because I'm looking for problems to do with the floaters?

[pinkpiglet]

Ahhh, Good old Health Anxiety, a much nicer term than Hypochondria I think, which is how I always referred to my constant worrying. My friend and I were both ridiculously bad before we had children, much to the dismay of our very semi-understanding friends (if semi-understanding is actually a word at all) Between us we had meningitis dozens of times, brain tumours, various cancers and CJD at least twice each. We couldnt even reassure each other. It went away for some time in between us getting pregnant and more recently, but now its back so hey! you could say we are in the same boat as you!! I think you need to find ressurance in the eye doctors findings and accept there is no evidence of a brain tumour otherwise you could find you dragging yourself through every health professional going in the quest for something that doesnt exist. Your doube vision is obviously an affect of the heavy alcohol consumption which you described so I would not worry on that score, but maybe lay off (or at least go easy on) the bottle!!!

Hope you can get through this quickly, you really do have my sympathy xx

[ems1981]

Thanks Pinkpiglet for your message :)

I've seen the optometrist twice and an Ophthalmologist in the last two weeks and they didn't see anything wrong apart from my eye sight has gotten slightly worse and my astigmatism worse too. Would they be able to see if anything was wrong like pressure from a tumor by looking in the eyes? The eye specialist had a good look for about 30 minutes and pretty much said my eye's were healthy.

I hope you are going OK with your anxiety at the moment.

Cheers
Ems xx

[Geoff2301]

Well I know they can pick up high blood pressure as my brother was detected like that. Just accept.... easier said than done I know.... that you don't have a brain tumour..... RLR gave you a brilliant reply (if you'd been in USA, he'd have charged you a fortune for that lol and don't drink so much or try coke (the drink!). Don't look things up on Google..... hospitals/consultants do huge expensive tests for a lot of serious ailments...... don't you think they'd use Google if it worked!!!:)

[joannap]

yes - brilliant reply by RLR!

my grandma had a brain tumour and she suffered siezures/mini eplieptic fits. i have read that headaches are the least likely sign although i used to worry about this when i started with constant daily headaches and suffered them for 3 years straight but all tension related!

i am now suffering with my stomach and guess what - my diagnosis was - oh my god - cancer and yet there could be 101 simpler explannations so lets go with the simpler ones unless we are proved otherwise!

[ems1981]

Thanks for your messages guys!

I try and be positive but it's easier said then done. My hubby thinks I'm nuts and that I just need to stop looking at google and I'll be fine. I've said maybe I need to get some medication/help but he doesn't think it's neccesary.

I live in Australia and spent most of yesterday (Sunday) looking up causes of Double Vision. If was a fantastic sunny warm day and I spent most of it stuck at a PC looking for answers.

Even though most of the websites I went on said temporary double vision can be caused by the consumption of alcohol I still believe I have a brain tumor. OMG reading this back makes me feel so stupid but I just can't help myself.

Has anyone else had double vision after consuming too much alcohol? I've never had it before and that's the main reason it's scarying me to death. :weep:

Ems xx

[blueangel]

Erm, I think you'll find that double vision is a very, very common symptom of drinking too much alcohol!!

Alcohol is actually a poison - although in the forms that we drink it, it's usually fairly well diluted, unless we're daft and drink too much of it. If you drank more than a small glassful of 95% ethanol (the stuff that makes booze alcoholic), you would die very quickly from alcohol poisoning.

The other problem with alcohol is that for a lot of anxiety sufferers, it can make us worse. I know this one from bitter experience, as if I have more than about 2-3 drinks, it will play hell with my anxiety the following day.

As for the floaters, I first noticed them in my vision when I was 22. I'm 51 now and I'm still here! :)

So, I advise that you step right away from Dr Google. He is a false prophet who scares people...... :wacko:

[phil06]

So, I advise that you step right away from Dr Google. He is a false prophet who scares people...... :wacko:

I done this and my symptoms got worse..

*I have slurred speech from nerves, feel all funny writing..
*Off balance, dizzy
*Feel I am in a cloud, staring into space, worried.
*Slow.
*Headaches.

I have been worrying about depersonalization for weeks though so it always gets worse. I'm pretty much bed ridden today worrying about how I feel..and terrified it's a tumour.

[blueangel]

Depersonalisation is murderous. I don't get it that much these days, but when I was a student I had a spell of about 6-8 months when I seemed to have it all the time. Along with this, I had blinding headaches, dizziness/loss of balance, panic attacks, numb patches all over my face and head, problems speaking sometimes and all sorts of other stuff.

My real problem was that the anxiety had got so bad that I was hardly sleeping, so it was all fuelled by exhaustion. My GP at the time gave me some tranquilisers (not sure which ones, it was ages ago) and they just basically knocked me out for about 10 days, and I was significantly better after this.

[phil06]

Depersonalisation is murderous. I don't get it that much these days, but when I was a student I had a spell of about 6-8 months when I seemed to have it all the time. Along with this, I had blinding headaches, dizziness/loss of balance, panic attacks, numb patches all over my face and head, problems speaking sometimes and all sorts of other stuff.

My real problem was that the anxiety had got so bad that I was hardly sleeping, so it was all fuelled by exhaustion. My GP at the time gave me some tranquilisers (not sure which ones, it was ages ago) and they just basically knocked me out for about 10 days, and I was significantly better after this.

The issue for me is when I feel this way my life stops.

I've not turned my xbox on in about a week.
Not watched a tv show properly in a week.
Losing interest in every day activities.
Too scared to go a walk.

I've literally become bed ridden as all my time has been consumed by worry. My DP had eased but I relapsed bad from a minor episode which made me worry since..I hit google and learned the symptoms and over the weeks I've got worse and worse and here I am now..I had this before the summer and trust me I can't get back to normal activities until I stop worrying...no idea when that is..:weep: