worried i have a brain tumor

i also get pain down my left arm and often find my self tensing my feet and hands without realising its so annoying ;( do you find yourself tensing your feet and hands? 

im so glad im speaking to a nurse and yes you are absolutly right i am 20 years old and i have told my mum about it and she tells me to stop worring i an due in for blood tests soon  for tyroid liver kidneys diabetes dont no what it covers completely i told my doctor about my headaches and she thinks its to do with the citalopram i am on i have been on them for 4 weeks now 

is it also normal for your pupils to move in and out when shinning a light in your eyes causes i dont this a few days ago the go small but they pulsate like the move in and out but only with a bright light shinning in my eyes but when im out in daylight there small and dont pulsate 

All perfectly normal. It's what's supposed to happen.

oh thats ok then i new they were sposed to go smaller obviously but didnt know weather they should pulsate so do you think that the chances of my headaches related to a brain tumor are slim because my headaches get better when i lay down and go to sleep but they appear about mid day and i have heard that brain tumors are often worse when sleeping and waking in the morning and mine is the oppiste 

Yes, that's quite true. Headaches due to brain tumours are indeed more likely to be worse after lying down all night.

However, the converse isn't true - a headache that's worse in the morning isn't necessarily due to a brain tumour, in fact, usually not. I had severe headaches all my life, especially when I was your age, and I always used to wake up with them. Still get them occasionally now I'm in my 70s, and in excellent health.

Brain tumours always kill or at least cause serious disability within months of starting up.

You do the math!

yeah i dont normally suffer from headaches and recently been put on citalopram from anxiety and depression cause i just didnt feel right and they thought it was depression i also have constant ringing in my ears but haver done for years and the headaches feel tension like but i sometimes get a shooting pain in the left side of my head my memory seems ok i find i drop things sometimes but may be due to clumsyness my headache isnt as bad today but was bad yesterday and painkillers struggled to shift it its nice to speak to you cause i am finally getting thw answers i need to put my mind at rest

Shelby, you just brought back a memory from nearly 50 years ago! The big London hospital where I trained as a nurse had a separate neurosurgical unit, and after I qualified I was given permission to spend my compulsory intern year there, doing their six-month course in neuro nursing.

Brain surgery is pretty run-of-the mill these days, but back then (1967) it was still quite a new speciality, with less than half a dozen units in the whole of the UK. We even had a helicopter landing pad out the back (unheard of in those days) bringing in patients from all over the southern half of England and the Near Continent as well.

I'd always suffered from those shooting pains in the side of my head, just like you (and millions of other people) and hadn't worried about them too much till then. Something like half the patients we treated had ruptured aneurysms in their brains. The ones who were still conscious and able to remember the event always said they'd felt a sudden, sharp pain in their head.

For my first few weeks in the unit, I was terrified every time I got the pain - convinced I had a ruptured aneurysm. After all, I was seeing around 50 patients per month with this condition, so I thought it must be quite common. I finally figured out that the unit's catchment area covered nearly 100,000 sq miles and a population of about 20 million people!

Oh, and I still sometimes get the pain now...

Something a doctor said when I first started my general training has stuck with me, and is worth remembering. He said that the human body is such an amazingly complex system, it's a miracle it ever works at all - so we shouldn't get too worried when it throws up the odd glitch.

And now I'm shutting down. It's almost 10pm in the European city where I live, and I haven't eaten yet. And if I eat too late I'll probably wake up with a headache tomorrow morning!

ok then best get something to eat then thanks for all the help and im sure i have nothing to worry about do i anxiety just really get a hold of me sometimes and i worry so much about my health but if you had the same symptoms and still standing im sure im goin to be ok to you have made me feel at ease and i hope to hear from you again soon will anything show up on my blood tests if theres anything wrong??

Hello lily65668 I found this post and now I feel like I must ask you a question I've been needing to ask everyone lol About a month ago I started developing tension headaches that only really happened more on the left side of my head rather than on both sides and really bad neck pain that is more on the left side. I went to the ER and to my primary doctor because I was 100 % sure I had a brain tumor and they asked if I had any other symptoms apart from the headaches and they also did a neurological test where they test my reflexes and check if I can follow their fingers with my eyes and not move my head and they said that it was simply just tension headaches, that I was fine.

I had a tension headache for a month and then it went away for about three weeks, I was pain free and happy!! A couple of days ago they came back -_- and its about the same kind of dull pain but this time it goes over my eyebrow and my eye a little and it feels like there is a pressure in my left temple like as if there's something there and I cry so much because I'm a a hypochondriac And now I assume I still either have a brain tumor or an aneurysm -_- my psychologist and everyone else that I talk to this about say that they don't think that if I had a brain tumor or an aneurysm it would leave me be for three weeks and not give me pain whatsoever and then randomly come back, unfortunately I don't seem to get this through my head that I'm perfectly fine and I wanted to know your opinion

Hi Cindyloo, I'm inclined to agree with your primary doctor and your psychologist. It doesn't sound at all like an aneurysm or tumour to me. However, I know how strong these ideas can become. I assume from your references that you're in the US. Is there any way you can consult a neurologist and maybe get an MRI done? I realise that can be very expensive over there (around $4,000 when a friend had an MRI in California a few years back) but it would reassure you. An MRI would always pick up a brain lesion.

If you can't afford this, I can only suggest that you try and stop worrying about yourself. Anxiety is an ideal way to produce headaches!

My herbalist wants me to get one done just for piece of mind. So ill have to see if I'm able to do it & I try not to worry because I think about the fact that I hear that tumors are rare and that it wouldn't have just gone away for 3 weeks if it was serious and I would have more symptoms but it's just this constant pain in my left temple and I get so scared because it just feels like there's something there. I try to convince myself that it's just coming from the pain in my neck but I always panic and then I make it worse and I cry and

*therapist, not herbalist lol

Hey lily65668 I read how you said you were n the medical field and id like to ask you a quick question. I just got a MRI done but I'm moving to another state before I can get them reviewed by my neurologist, what should I do? I'm deathly afroad that I have a brain tumor BC I had these so called ice pick headaches, but ever since I my doc told me that, I started getting mildly dizzy, and tense neck which would randomly move or twitch by itself. Idk if its just my anxiety doing this to me BC I have bad health anxiety, or if I really do have brain tumor, I wanna find out, but dont know what I should do! I already have the MRI scans, just don't have a neurologist to look at them

Hi Tori, You say you just had an MRI done. Well, even if it hasn't yet been seen by a neurologist it's pretty obvious there couldn't have been anything very serious on it. Although it's true a neurologist needs to see the scan to look at the detail, MRIs are closely watched throughout the procedure by highly trained technical staff. If there'd been anything drastically wrong they would have spotted it and they wouldn't just have let you walk away without saying anything. I don't know how it works in the US, but over here a specialist eventually looks at all MRIs anyway and produces an official report. I'm assuming that you've left a forwarding address or some other means of contact with the place you had the MRI.

The tensing and twitching in your neck is a classic symptom of anxiety. This in turn is interfering with the blood supply to the base of your brain, which is causing the dizziness. And I expect the upcoming move is making you more nervous than usual. The last time I moved house it was only five miles away and I got into a huge state of anxiety about it!

Nothing terrible is going to happen in the immediate future. You clearly don't have a dangerous brain tumour or you'd have heard about it on the day you had your MRI. Get the move over with and then find a neurologist to review your MRI, just to reassure you. Then you can hopefully put all this behind you and get on with your life. I can't tell you how to go about finding a neurologist if you don't know how to do this, but it's quite possible someone reading this will be from the US and will be able to step in to help with that one.

Good luck with the move!

hey lili, Im a 15 year old male and im worried about having a bran tumor, I've had pain under the jaw, neck pain(might be whiplash), my eye hurts, I have a sore throat, i get a bit of ear pain and chest pain. I had migraines since i was younger but one day I had a headache for a week, the doctor told me it didnt look like it would be a brain tumor, but im scared and I feel sudden sharp pains in my head. I heard tha puberty causes chest pain so Im hoping it is also causing everything else, please help . thank you

I have also not eaten any fruits and vegetables(literally) since I was like 6 or 8.

and there is a wierd ball under my jaw and on the left of the neck, Ive heard theyre called lymph nodes

Your eyes are like a camera lens, what you have noticed, is the eye responding to varying amounts of light

Sometimes the eye adjusts like that when you have been taking various types of medication. Nothing to worry about

Hi lilly do you still go on here i had a couple questions

I'm 13 and I started worrying about this this year, because I had read up about this and that one cause is the phones. I have an iPhone and I keep it in my room all night but sometimes I fall asleep with it on near my face, and the article I read from said that that is one cause that's what got me scared. So I would appreciate if you were to help me and tell me how to prevent it now.

I have very bad health anxiety and over the last month I've had almost a constant headache I'm scared I have a brain tumor please give me advice

I have very bad health anxiety and been having almost a constant headache for about a month and I'm so scared it could be a brain tumor headache is pretty much my only symptoms please give me advice

Really late to the discussion here but I have seen my neurologist 2 times and the first time he said my neurological exam came back "pristine" but idk how accurate Neuro exams are and I get strange muscle twitches (sometimes in the face) and he still doesn't think further testing is warranted. Idk what to do because it's so hard for me to believe that. I believe what he is saying but I just get horrible anxiety and weird symptoms sometimes and get really scared and always go back to the same terrible thoughts. Idk what to do?

I'm keep kinda going through the same thing right now, I keep having headaches and it seems like the more I freak out about it the worse it gets and then I start hurting in my neck, more than likely it's all tension and muscle spasms but I can't help but to be scared I have a brain tumor it sucks and anxiety sucks it's so scary 😪

It's a terrible feeling. I hope you get better soon, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers

Lily they r treating me with anxiety but get a lot of head pressure and funny heads it has got worse im terrified i got a brain tumour my legs feel heavy the antidepressants they put me on wake me up through night with like a pulling in my brainsometies i walk like im drunk i get angry easily please cud u answer asap terrified

Thanks for your comforting words. I'm petrified of brain tumours and also get shock like pain on my left side I won't go to doctors for the simple reason afraid of diagnosis

Don't worry!! Everything you mention anxiety causes. It's worrying. I've been terrified of having a brain tumour since I was 18 now I'm 47 and still afraid of that plus other illnesses. Spent my whole life worrying and still do. Try and relax you will live along healthy life don't was these years worrying like I did. Enjoy life

HI there my name is heather. I have no insurance and I'm scared to death. I am 37 almost 38, never smoked or did drugs or gotten drunk. Had 2 miscarriages, have 2 girls 6 and 2. I have always been very healthy til about 19 most ago. I had extensive blood work over a yr ago and all was great except I had no omegas, no bvitamins, and no testosterone in my body. I went bcuz I am still terrified I have a brain tumor. Please help me or let me know. Ve had an extremely stressful last 7 years and now for about 20 mons my life has gotten better. But now that it is less stressful, all the drs. Tell me my symptoms are all anxiety finally releasing from the last 7 to 12 years I've been keeping it in. So here are my symptoms.....I started getting panic attacks out of the blue, dizzy, and my head feels weird. Best I can discretion is its main in my eyes. They feel pressure behind them around the top. I've never had a seisure but that is the best I cud explain is my eyes and head feel like I wud feel better if eyes just rolled in my head and I convulsed. Although this has never happenes. Sometimes I cudnt breath from pani, sometimes I wud get cold and hot shakes all over, I wud feel like pooping. Sometimes I got super nausea and shoulders and neck super tense. I wud feel awful. Sometimes my husband wud rub my back and shoulders and all wud calm down and go away. It also goes away when I sleep. Lights bother me a ton now and I have to wear sunglasses even inside at times. I get headaches more. I get nausea constantly but no vomiting. The other stuff has gotten better. Sometimes concentrating is hard or finding the right words. At times I feel like I don't know how to spell. Looking on phone too much bothers eyes and head and makes them feel loopy again. I was told tumorsor their symptoms wudnt go away with acupuncture or massages, so since I feel better after that,...they don't think I have a tumor. I have no insurance or Dr so I can't afford to get an mri or CT scan although I know that wud take all my anxiety away. My therapist I saw, homeopathic dr, regular dr, and acupuncturist all tell me it isn't a tumor but it is stress.ease please please get back to me about this. My life is getting more depressing and stressed bcuz I don't understand what is causing all these problems and I am really scared. I don't know how old this post is but please respond. I can't die I am too toung, I can't leave my girks or husband, I have never done anything bad in my life so I can't be cursed with this. Thanks so much

Are you still neuro nurse? I have a question

Hi ya can I ask u a few questions hun pl I have anxiety n some thing r goin on Kik u xxx

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Hi there. I don't want to hi jack this post but you sound so knowledgeable. I have had an inner ear pain, dull pain in two spots in my head and extreme nausea, no headaches in the morning. I have been to the ENT and he sees nothing. I went about 5 months ago to get my eyes checked and he said he saw high pressure but that it was either the start of glaucoma or not, it couldn't be anything else. I also had an elevated d dimer test which I read can indicate malignancy. Needless to say I'm terrified. What do you think?

Hi please help me. I am 14 year old and I often have lightheadness and headace on top of my head which lasts for few minutes. I took a blood test and it is perfect, was on EKG and my heart is normal, I am anxious but I don't take any medications. I am afraid of brain tumor. Answer quickly thank you.

Weird.. I’m 14 and I have the exact same symptoms.

I have also done extensive bloodwork which all came back normal.