Hi Nina,

Sadly your description of the headache does sound very much like a tension headache or possibly the start of migraines.  And, although it's not very well understood yet, it is possible to get sensations of tingling and numbness in parts of your body when you have migraines, and nausea is very much a lovely addition we get with migraines and tension headaches :(

As I've said to Shola, brain tumours can rarely be felt because they are inside our skulls, so your lumps are very unlikely indeed to be brain tumours, but I can understand how lumps on your head and awful headaches has caused you this worry.

You don't say where the lumps are but everything you say does ring very true of migraines (with the lumps just being 'one of those things') so I hope that puts your mind at ease a bit, especially as you have been checked over and your doctor isn't remotely thinking anything to do with cancer.

The problem with anxiety is that it can very well cause tension headaches so as long as you're worrying about a tumour you could make your symptoms worse.  If it helps any read my reply to Shola and you'll see how severe my migraines have been over the years.  Thankfully it is entirely possible to have that level of pain and stroke-like symptoms and it still 'just' be a migraine, even though I too have had my days (especially when the ice-pick headaches started) where I am constantly thinking "how can this not be something life-threatening when it is this painful?"

Our bodies are weird and wonderful, no part more so than our brains!

So try and genuinely relax and see if that helps.  But if your headache returns, do seek help.  Just because it isn't cancer doesn't prevent it infringing on your ability to live your life, your doctor may be able to find a way to help you.  It may also help to talk to a migraine charity to see if having more information about migraines and tension headaches helps you.

Best wishes,

LJ

Hi Nina,

Sadly your description of the headache does sound very much like a tension headache or possibly the start of migraines.  And, although it's not very well understood yet, it is possible to get sensations of tingling and numbness in parts of your body when you have migraines, and nausea is very much a lovely addition we get with migraines and tension headaches :(

As I've said to Shola, brain tumours can rarely be felt because they are inside our skulls, so your lumps are very unlikely indeed to be brain tumours, but I can understand how lumps on your head and awful headaches has caused you this worry.

You don't say where the lumps are but everything you say does ring very true of migraines (with the lumps just being 'one of those things') so I hope that puts your mind at ease a bit, especially as you have been checked over and your doctor isn't remotely thinking anything to do with cancer.

The problem with anxiety is that it can very well cause tension headaches so as long as you're worrying about a tumour you could make your symptoms worse.  If it helps any read my reply to Shola and you'll see how severe my migraines have been over the years.  Thankfully it is entirely possible to have that level of pain and stroke-like symptoms and it still 'just' be a migraine, even though I too have had my days (especially when the ice-pick headaches started) where I am constantly thinking "how can this not be something life-threatening when it is this painful?"

Our bodies are weird and wonderful, no part more so than our brains!

So try and genuinely relax and see if that helps.  But if your headache returns, do seek help.  Just because it isn't cancer doesn't prevent it infringing on your ability to live your life, your doctor may be able to find a way to help you.  It may also help to talk to a migraine charity to see if having more information about migraines and tension headaches helps you.

Best wishes,

LJ