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This has GOT to be a brain tumor

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Migraine Headache
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Posted 10/15/2006 1:15 PM (GMT -7)
I've posted here before, and AnnUK, among others, helped me a lot, but right now I am terrified.  Even though I had an MRI w/wo contrast 7 months ago, I am sure that I have a brain tumor that probably was so small at the time they couldn't see it.  My symptoms at that time were constant headaches, although not bad ones, nausea and dizziness.  Since I last posted on this board, my life has gone to hell.  Husband is drunk all the time, foreclosure on our house, gave us five minutes to vacate, then 2 days to get all our belongings out of that house, lived in a motel room for over 3 weeks, moved to another city into a house that's not very nice, guess I need to take the silver spoon out of my mouth, there've been family probs here, and to top it all off, my husband lost his job, so we have NO income at all.  And today is our anniversary, and of course, he's drunk.  He's even been having headaches for the past 3 weeks.  My headaches did go away for a while and I was completely over the phobia and doing really well, then they come right back on me.  My neck, shoulders and upper back are very, very tight, plus I've recently been diagnosed with TMJ.  These headaches do not interfere with my sleep, and they aren't there when I wake up, but I don't have to be awake long before they hit.  Today I have a combination sinus and tension? (or tumor) headache.  It's not unbearable, but headaches everyday are not normal.  I just can't believe that stress can cause this.  I don't know what to do anymore.  I don't want to have a brain tumor, and I'm so scared that I do.

Forgive me for rambling, but this is sheer terror for me right now.

Melanie

Posted 10/15/2006 1:39 PM (GMT -7)
Hi Melanie,

I am so sorry you are having things so tough at the moment. I am afraid tension and stress can do the most unbelievable things to you, including headache! What is happening to you at the moment will produce the most awful stress making you feel quite rough, but try hard to remember that it is 'stress' and not any other illness!!! Unfortunately stress knows just how to hit our weak spots, like tightening your neck shoulder and back muscles producing headaches - which can be every day too!!!!!

Have you a close friend or family member that you can confide in and that would be willing to support you in getting your life back on an even keel? Even if there was someone that you could just confide in would be so much of a help to you right now. Please believe me when I say I do know how you feel, I lost my home due to my husbands debts with a young baby, and it is tough!!!

Someone once told me, and maybe I should have remembered it before to pass on to you, but one of the last indications of a brain tumour - the tumour at this point would be clearly visible on any scan and probably quite large too - is headache!!! There are usually a lot of other symptoms first that would indicate that something was very wrong and you don't have any of them as far as I can see!!!!! Please try not to worry Melanie, and let me know how you get on.

take care

Ann
Posted 10/15/2006 2:19 PM (GMT -7)
Hello Melanie. I am so sorry that you are suffering so much. I agree with Anne completely in that stress and tension are wicked and leads us to believe that all kinds of horrible things are happening to us. If you are a migrainer then you have a different brain. You have a very sensitive brain that is wired differently than a person without migraine. Migraine is not just a headache. However, migraine and tension headache co-exist and tension headaches can be as chronic as migraine. I have a headache of some type pretty much everyday. You need to take care of yourself and your children. Forget about your drunk husband. He needs to take care of himself. The psychological stress is wreaking havoc on you. TMJ is probably acting up because you are tense. It is not likely that you have a brain tumor but you should definitely discuss with your doctor asap. I hope you feel better soon.
K.
Posted 10/15/2006 5:23 PM (GMT -7)

Hi Melanie,

Sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time.

Ann is correct, one of the last symptoms of a brain tumor is headaches and it would have been very visible on your scan.

Unfortunately, I know how you feel and stress can do horrible things to you. It is your body's way of telling you that it needs you to stop and take care of yourself. It took me five years of feeling like I was dying (or wanted to) before I finally realized I had to stop the craziness.

It sounds like you need to take care of yourself and your husband needs to take care of himself. As the other two posts have indicated, there are people to talk to. Do you belong to a church? Is there a shelter close by? Or do you have close family members you can turn to? It sounds like you need to change your situation, go and stay with someone else. If you have children take them with you. And visit your doctor. I suspect that you're suffering from depression as well. Your doctor can refer you to a psychologist and possibly prescribe an anti-depressant (if you're okay taking them).

You won't believe how much better you will feel once you get out of the situation you are in. Take control of your life. Make a plan. Ask for help. Build a support system and move on. I bet your headaches improve very soon.

Good luck and as you build a support system around you, use us here. A lot of us have been through some kind of stress.

Posted 10/16/2006 1:45 AM (GMT -7)
Hi, and thanks for your replies.  To answer some of your questions, no I have no support at all.  My best friend calls everyday, but I don't want to burden her with all this because her brother, (and my ex-fiancee) was murdered last February by his ex-girlfriend, so I feel like she has enough on her without listening to my problems.

I am trying to convert to the Catholic faith, with the supposed help of my husband, who is not interested in helping me at all, but converted quickly for his first wife.  Just looking at this man gives me a headache.

I just keep thinking over and over again, that maybe I had those tests done too soon, maybe a tumor was too small to detect because the headaches weren't very bad.  They're still not, although I have had 2 that were horrible right after we moved out of that house in 2 days.  Chiropractor took those away though.

And yes, I'm severely depressed and I know it, I don't keep myself up anymore, I just don't care.  My life is consumed with a horrible marriage and constantly thinking I have a brain tumor.  I do have one other symptom that bothers me, and that is occasional nausea, but I have a bad gallbladder, so who knows?  Do brain tumor symptoms come and go?  Or do they come and stay?

Thank you guys so much for your encouraging words.  I need reassurance constantly, and I just don't get it.

BTW, I don't tolerate anti-depressants at all.  They make me terribly sick and anxious.

Could somebody please answer my question about the brain tumor symptoms coming and going or coming and staying?  That would help me a lot I think.  I'll tell you, the internet is so controversial, that I don't know what to believe anymore.

God bless you guys,


Melanie

Posted 10/16/2006 9:41 AM (GMT -7)
Hi Melanie,

I know it's hard to take control here, we will support you as best we can but you do need your depression treated with something as soon as possible, please go and talk to your Doctor about what is going to work best for you.

Brain tumour symptoms do not come and go when it gets to headache. I truly believe you do not have a tumour you do not have the right symptoms! I think the depression and anxiety is playing a large part in your distress, which is not your fault but you do need to deal with this somehow. You can come on here and talk to us anytime and if you want you can email me, if you click on the envelope on the left under my name you will be able to do that.

I am sorry if I have sounded a little harsh, I am concerned that you find a way to pick yourself up. Although it is very admirable that you are considering your friends feelings in her circumstances, maybe although your friend is suffering herself, she may want to help you and it may be a good diversion for her to be able to support you. It might be good to give her the option.

Hang in there Melanie, and let me know how you get on.

take care

Ann
Posted 10/16/2006 10:41 AM (GMT -7)

Melanie611 said...
 but headaches everyday are not normal.  I just can't believe that stress can cause this.  I don't know what to do anymore.  I don't want to have a brain tumor, and I'm so scared that I do.

Forgive me for rambling, but this is sheer terror for me right now.

Melanie

Hi Melanie

I completely understand the CHRONIC EVERYDAY HEADACHES.

Mine will not go away.

I've had mine everyday for the past i don't know how long.

And i think it's time to have more mri's or bloodwork.

This doesn't seem normal.

I ended up in the ER last night and they gave me vicodin and motrin.

It didn't even touch it.  :(

I hope you feel better soon and figure out what is wrong.  :(

I'm waiting for my doctor to call back again today.

Posted 10/16/2006 1:46 PM (GMT -7)
hi,

i was recently diagnosed with cluster headaches, after suffering alone most if not all my life. my symptoms include huge headaches, pain behind my eye amazing crippling pain in my trigeminal nerve and of nausea.

dear melannie,

im just wondering if maybe you some symptoms like this, i suffered for so long alone tht now i recieved the help i needed and am on a mission to help anyone. If any of your symptoms resemble mine...

you might want to look into oxygen treatment which saved my life or also veramapil. maybe im beeing naive and you already have tried these treatments but if not try clusterheadaches.com for optional treatments. So sorry you hurt like tht, peace and love will win the day.

luv allen
Posted 10/16/2006 1:55 PM (GMT -7)
Hi Allen,

Just wanted to welcome you to Healing Well. I have one or two friends that have clusterheadaches, and we have a supporter of a sufferer Mrs Mac here on HW.

I look forward to getting to know you, keep posting and let us know how you get on.

take care

Ann
Posted 10/16/2006 4:18 PM (GMT -7)

Hi and thanks again for more replies.  These headaches of mine have been diagnosed as occipital tension headaches.  I also have a compressed vertebrae in my neck, and that vertbrae has a bone spur on it.  I don't know whether that could be part of the reason or not.  I went for almost a month and a half headache free, but when I found out that my husband lost his job, they came back, and he started having them also.  We both have terribly tight shoulder and neck tension, sometimes I won't even get a headache, it'll just stay in my neck and shoulder/shoulder blades.  I have no other neurological symptoms except occasional nausea.  I have read so many times that since I just had that MRI done 7 months ago that it would very, very unlikely that there would be a tumor there now as these things take a long time to grow.  I know that there are some tumors that grow very fast, but I would think that if that were my case, after 9 months of these headaches, I would be presenting with a lot more symptoms than just headache, wouldn't I?  They aren't bad headaches and they respond well to aspirin.  I'm wondering about that compressed nerve and that bone spur, coupled with horrific stress and hydrocodone addiction for 10 bone spurs in my lower spine.  I have a headache right now, but it's sinus, I always know what they are.  And it does help me to know that I had the MRI done at one of the best hospitals in America.  I could deal with them easily if I could just get that brain tumor recording out of my mind.  That's my biggest problem.  My husband has had headaches now for almost a month, and not one time has he thought, "Oh my God, I have a brain tumor".  I wish I could be like that.  I also read about other people who have had daily headaches for years and years, but they get their tests done and they don't worry about tumors anymore.  Sometimes I wonder where God is in all this hell that we've suddenly found ourselves in.  We are suffering, and all because of his greedy ex-wife, who is living in the lap of luxury with not a care in this world, and laughing and making fun of us.

Enough rambling and sorry that I did.  Could a compressed vertebrae with a bone spur be causing these headaches?  When they first started, they started out in my neck anyway.

Ann, did you get your MRI report back yet?  Be sure and let us know what it says, and good luck!!!!!!!!!

Love you all,

Melanie

Posted 10/18/2006 10:02 AM (GMT -7)

Melanie,

 It sounds like you are having stress headaches ( wonder why  ) ?????? Beleive me a MRI would have picked up a tumour ...It picked up my aneurysm pretty good..the CT scan picked it up but it thought it was a tumour, so did MRI (which is much better test ) and showed in detail, the aneurysm..Why I know you don't have a tumour or anything bad in your head,,Your really lucky......But you do have alot of stress related problems...That will cause alot of headaches...I don't know how you can easily sleep at night...You need to get some couceling, go to Al-anon they can help you...But really you have nothing in your brains, but intellingence,,,Hugs, Cindy

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