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Worried I may have a brain tumor

Milliemillie1313
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Hi I’m 14 years old, I’m worried I may have a brain tumor because of some signs I have. I’ve had balance issues for quite a while, they aren’t extreme to the point where I can’t stand up at all but I struggle standing still sometimes as my hairdresser noticed it when cutting my hair, I wobble a bit when standing. I also get really dizzy sometimes and my peripheral vision has kind of gone for a minute or two occasionally in the past couple weeks. I’m also always tired. I today experienced an issue where I was speaking to my friend on the phone and forgot what I was talking about mid sentence, and forgetting what words I wanted to use. And mainly I’ve struggled with headaches which feel bad on my forehead area, sometimes it feels like my head is pulsating and has pressure on it, the headaches come and go but last at least an hour or two. Thankfully I haven’t had any seizures as I know this is one of the biggest signs, but I’m still worried and uncertain of if it’s just me getting scared for no reason or something I should get checked. Thank you so much.

Parents

  • Hello and thank you for your post.

    I am sorry to hear that you are worried about a brain tumour.

    Headaches and other symptoms are usually due to poor sleep, being a bit stressed, or poor posture. Even sleeping on a poor pillow can strain the neck and cause a headache. Not drinking enough fluids can cause dehydration too, which can lead to a headache. So there are many possible explanations. Eye strain from not using glasses will definitely contribute to having headaches. So, do wear any glasses regularly. Strengthening and stretching exercises to the neck and shoulder regions can also help. Dizziness can be related to ear infections, and low blood sugar if you skip meals for example. Symptoms are not necessarily related to each other, and often due to different things.

    Try not to Google symptoms, it rarely helps and tends to increase anxiety. Brain tumours are in fact quite rare, straightforward headaches are very common. So it isn't at all common for a 14 year old to get a brain tumour or any other sort of cancer. If you are asking because of the headaches or another symptom and are concerned, do talk things over with your GP.  Bear in mind that the very same symptoms that occur because of brain tumours can also occur for other less serious reasons. Being anxious about your health can make symptoms seem worse.

    If you are anxious, then maybe mention this to your GP.

    There is good helpful information about headaches on the NHS website here

    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/headaches/

    Severe headaches can often be due to cluster headaches.

    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cluster-headaches/

    You could ask your GP for a referral to a hospital based migraine or headache clinic where they review people with ongoing headaches. 

    I hope that you feel better soon.

    Kind regards,

    Vanda

Reply

  • Hello and thank you for your post.

    I am sorry to hear that you are worried about a brain tumour.

    Headaches and other symptoms are usually due to poor sleep, being a bit stressed, or poor posture. Even sleeping on a poor pillow can strain the neck and cause a headache. Not drinking enough fluids can cause dehydration too, which can lead to a headache. So there are many possible explanations. Eye strain from not using glasses will definitely contribute to having headaches. So, do wear any glasses regularly. Strengthening and stretching exercises to the neck and shoulder regions can also help. Dizziness can be related to ear infections, and low blood sugar if you skip meals for example. Symptoms are not necessarily related to each other, and often due to different things.

    Try not to Google symptoms, it rarely helps and tends to increase anxiety. Brain tumours are in fact quite rare, straightforward headaches are very common. So it isn't at all common for a 14 year old to get a brain tumour or any other sort of cancer. If you are asking because of the headaches or another symptom and are concerned, do talk things over with your GP.  Bear in mind that the very same symptoms that occur because of brain tumours can also occur for other less serious reasons. Being anxious about your health can make symptoms seem worse.

    If you are anxious, then maybe mention this to your GP.

    There is good helpful information about headaches on the NHS website here

    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/headaches/

    Severe headaches can often be due to cluster headaches.

    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cluster-headaches/

    You could ask your GP for a referral to a hospital based migraine or headache clinic where they review people with ongoing headaches. 

    I hope that you feel better soon.

    Kind regards,

    Vanda

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