Could it be a brain tumour?

Question

I'm not an easily rattled person but lately I've been having headaches and blurry vision, plus a few nosebleeds and I'm terrified that it could be a brain tumour.
I've booked in for a doctor later this week but am really panicky and can't help thinking the worst- that I'm going to die.
I'm not even sure if this is connected, but I've sort of 'forgotten' how to walk up stairs and have to look at them when I'm walking up them- could this be classed as memory loss.
Please advise me. Should I be so worried?

Answer 1

I had all those symptoms with anxiety...headaches with flashings light blurry vision (starts around the edges of vision) feeling dizzy under flouresant lights in a que, pressure nose bleeds. Also goldfish bowl vision, that could be the looking at stairs thing? pins and needles in hands and feet?

Don't jump to conclusions, have you had stressfull events recently?

Answer 2

Definitely see your doctor and get any tests that you can, it's always best to be on the safe side. However, headaches and blurry vision can be caused by stress or eye strain, and you might be having nosebleeds because the weather has taken a cold turn. I've got weak vessels in my nose, so I get frequent bleeds every time the temperature drops... Not a hell of a lot of fun, but nothing scary.

The best advice I can give is don't worry about anything until you've had tests. There's nothing you can do before you've been tested, so the best policy is not to wind yourself up about it. Stressing yourself out isn't good for you at all. Also, if it does turn out to be anything unpleasant, people with lower stress levels are more likely to make good recoveries than people who wear their bodies out with extra stress.

Answer 3

1st of all you did the right thing by scheduling an apointment with your doctor.2nd of all sounds like migrane headaches.About the Nose bleed,ask your doctor to check if your having High blood presure problems. oh and by the way if you sort of forgotten how to walk up stair,shouldnt you sort of not supoust even remember that? Maybe you going trough a lot of things ,stress can do that too. I have long history of tumor and tumor related surgerys and all have been bening and I thank God Im still alive. Maybe you feel real panicky if you have had health issues that has tramatize you in the process .Id live in fear for so many years ,because of health concerns I let it take control and I am trying to get it back.Dont let the pain take control of your life.Ask questions to your doctors ,you doing good even asking the question here etc. Look into medical health information, online .

Answer 4

i had most of the symptoms u had plus some others,everyone i talked about it said that it could be a brain tumour(this all happend for 2-3 years) they didnt find anything!

i still have the symptoms and keep on going to the doctor but it isn't anything other than stress..u have to keep calm,stop worrying about everything so much,find more time for yourself,get good rests and u can also do yoga..peppermint oil helps a lot by headaches...

just try these things till u know what is happening,at the very least u calm urself (:

Answer 5

With a brain tumor your head would hurt so back you could not stand it at all. You could just have a sinus problem.Nosebleeds are common if you live where the AC is on in the Summer. It dries out the air inside the house. Forgetting how to walk upstairs is brainfog. I have had that happen to me while driving. SCARY!!! If you are concerned please go to the doctor. As I have said many times before it is better to find out it is not a brain tumor than to let it go until it is too late and find out it is. Your blurred vision could also be from the headache. Good Luck to you.

Answer 6

Tumour types
There are many different types of brain tumour. Some, such as a meningioma that forms from the meninges or covering of the brain, are almost always benign and removed easily by surgery.

Others, such as an astrocytoma, may be rapidly fatal.

Symptoms

Brain tumours can cause almost any symptom, depending on which part of the brain is affected

Brain tumours can cause almost any symptom, depending on which part of the brain is affected. But, typically, one or two symptoms first draw attention to the problem.

The two most common early warning signs are caused by an increase in pressure in the skull as the tumour grows (called raised intracranial pressure): a headache, which is usually worse in the morning, on coughing or exertion, and nausea.

Although these can be everyday sorts of problems for everyone, they should be checked out by your doctor if they persist.

Raised intracranial pressure also causes:

fits or faints
visual disturbances
confusion


Other symptoms depend on which part of the brain is affected. Common ones include:

numbness or weakness on one side of the body
loss of coordination or balance
changes in personality
loss of intellect
changes in senses, such as smell
problems with speech, writing or drawing


The diagnosis is usually confirmed using a brain scan.

What are the causes?
The causes of brain tumours are still mostly a mystery. The two known risks are high doses of ionising radiation to the head (scarily, once used to treat the simple fungal infection, ringworm, of the scalp, as well as other cancers); and certain genetic conditions, such as neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis. But these account for only a small number of cases.

There have been some reports in the media about the risk from mobile phones. But these fears have been shown to be unfounded.

Worries about ultrasound scans during pregnancy and use of other electrical devices have also proved unfounded. There may be links to certain occupations, possibly due to exposure to chemical or physical cancer-causing agents.

Treatment
Like other cancers, the three main types of treatment are surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. What's used will depend on the type of brain cells causing the cancer, and where they are, as well as personal health factors.

Surgery: it's difficult to operate within the bony box of the skull but surgery can now reach many tumours that were previously inoperable.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are used to treat most malignant, inaccessible and inoperable (such as multiple) tumours. They may include experimental drugs and radiation techniques.

Steroid drugs are also frequently used to control swelling within the skull.


Factors affecting prognosis

type of brain cells causing the tumour
where and how widespread the tumour is
amount of tumour left behind after surgery
age
how well the person's brain worked before the tumour
duration of symptoms




Chances of survival
Many factors influence the chances of surviving a brain tumour. A brain tumour may result from spread of a cancer from another site in the body, especially lung, breast, kidney, colon and malignant melanomas.

These are known as secondary brain tumours and they are actually more common than tumours that originate in the brain (primary brain tumours). These secondary tumours are usually multiple and often have a bad prognosis.

Brain tumours can be disabling. The American Brain Tumour Association has some good advice on coping with the stress.

Living with a brain tumour
Try not to get into a fruitless battle to find something to blame - the causes are mostly unknown.

Find support wherever you can. Don't be afraid to ask friends and family for help when you need it, or hook up to the BRAIN Trust, a group that uses the internet to share information and experiences between all sorts of people involved with brain tumours, from patients and families to professionals

Answer 7

I think you should be seen right away. Blurry vision, headaches, nosebleeds all could be linked to a number of nuerological disorders. Not necessarily a tumor. I would advise going to an urgent care facility to be checked as soon as possible. Call your doctor and get advise where you should go.

Answer 8

It might or might not be connected. I do agree that you should get into a hospital ASAP. As for looking at stairs- well, my hand-eye coordination has never been that great, so sometimes I have to look too.

Meanwhile, try to relax: That just might help with the nose bleeds, which could be caused by elevated blood pressure from worrying.

Good luck, Honey: I'll be cheering for you!

Answer 9

My mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor last month. Some of the symptoms she had were frequent headaches, bad mood swings, and pressure near her eyes. Still, for everybody it could be different.
Calm down, though. They'll find out what's going on. You just keep your head up and live your life to the fullest!

Answer 10

You may be scaring yourself into thinking that there is more wrong than there is. Don't try to figure out what is is let your doctor do that, therefore don't think the worst. Try to relax as stress worsens ailments. Watch some good movies or read a good book. Try to take your mind off your woes because it can only help you to be more relaxed. Stay calm... Breathe.