HELP do you ever get paranoid that you have a brain tumour?

And please no one say, go get a CAT scan.

I have recovered from them and often worry that they might come back. I get an MRI every three months to check that they haven’t. Mine were not initially giving me headaches, they were affecting my vision and adrenal glands. (Hormone production.)

It seems to be one way that you have chosen to deal with anxiety. You can change this kind of schema with the help of cognitive-behavioral therapy if it is causing you distress.

@DarkScribe oh my, I’m sorry you had to go through all that. If you don’t mind me asking, did you have a history of them in your family?

It’s never crossed my mind till last year.
I was having seizures and got an MRI and an EEG test done to check for tumors or epilepsy. I didn’t have either. I don’t worry about it now.

@TheOnlyException oh my, I’m sorry you had to go through all that. If you don’t mind me asking, did you have a history of them in your family?

No, they aren’t hereditary – any more than a broken leg is. They were secondary tumours from a metastatic Melanoma. Too many years in tropical sun without a shirt. Luckily as I was already being treated for metastatic cancer they were discovered before they grew to any real size or caused permanent damage.

I only become paranoid about that when the voices won’t shut up… But sometimes those voices give me the lottery numbers, so I try to give them their space. :P

Seriously, though, if you are that worried about it, go see your doctor. Don’t live in fear, you’re too important for that.

No, I worry more I’ll inherit my mom’s rare neurological condition which often isn’t diagnosed until midlife. Chances are incredibly slim I’ve inherited it, especially since I’ve had MRIs (for other reasons) but sometimes the fear will overwhelm me.

I used to when I was younger, it’s odd I was just thinking about this as I have a sharp pain in my head. But it’s gone now. My mom had a brain haemorrhage and eight hours of surgery it was horrific. She came back to us as a “baby”. I am wondering if it is the same as yours @hug_of_war ? Any way when I was thinking about it a moment ago, I decided I need to tell someone not to keep me on life support if the damage is bad. But I am kind of over it. You die one day, some sooner some later. Its inevitable.

It’s Not a Tumor !

@Pretty_Lilly hahaha Kindergarten Cop!

@Just_Justine oh my goodness! I can’t believe that happened to your mother, I’m so sorry
Do you know what caused it or was it just one of those things? :-o

You know what? No. I never got paranoid that I had a brain tumor. Then I found out that I had one and it had been there for seven to ten years. So you know what? Be paranoid. If you’re worried, get a damn scan.

I’ve had the same thought from time to time, and I’ve learned to laugh about it.

Look at it this way… what if it is a brain tumor? What if it is the biggest, meanest, most aggressive brain tumor in history, and it’s going to kill you?

Well, you were going to die anyway—you knew that, right? I’m not spoiling the suspense of your life by telling you the ending, am I?—so your plans and hoped-for timetable changed a bit. You’d be going sooner than you expected and maybe (hopefully not) with a certain amount of pain, discomfort and maybe loss of control. You may not get everything accomplished that you had hoped (we never do; I hope you weren’t unaware of this, as well).

If there’s something you can do about that, such as getting the MRI, CAT scan or other test performed, and treatment or surgery to make the thing go away, then by all means do that. But ‘right this instant’ there probably isn’t anything you can do about it except treat the immediate problem: the damn headache (that’s when I have these thoughts). So take a couple of aspirin, lie down in a comfortable and quiet place, and try to get some sleep.

Chances are that you’ll feel better when you wake up, and you can learn to laugh at these fears—and treat headaches effectively in the meantime—as well.

Don t think about it.I have a similar problem with.I found out that if you don t think about it than it does not exist

@MacBean 10 YEARS?! damn. How old were you when you found out you had one, and what was the reason they found out you had one? Did you get it treated successfully?

@TheOnlyException: I was diagnosed in 2002 when I was 18 because the tumor finally grew to be large enough to kick my health issues into overdrive. My parents couldn’t keep calling me a hypochondriac; I had to be taken to specialists to have tests run. I was officially diagnosed with Cushing’s disease and about a month after that I had brain surgery to have the tumor removed.

For a while, things got better. But then suddenly the same old crap was back, along with some new stuff. I’m not entirely sure if they didn’t remove the whole tumor or if an entirely new one grew, but… whichever. That part of it hardly makes a difference. I lost health insurance and had to struggle along for years while I fought to get coverage again. That finally worked out for me in April of 2009. I was re-diagnosed and had the same type of brain surgery again last December, a week before Christmas. This time they didn’t just remove the tumor, they also took half of my pituitary gland, hoping that would eliminate any stray cells that would grow into another tumor.

So right now, I’m doing better. Things appear to be running smoothly. My half-a-gland is producing the right amounts of everything so far. I have to have blood work and MRIs done periodically to make sure things are still good. That’s kind of a hassle but nowhere near as annoying as having all kinds of hormone and steroid imbalances, lemme tell ya. They don’t call the pituitary the “master gland” for nothing. It regulates (and can therefore mess up) everything.

Oh, man, I remember when you were in the hospital! We were all so glad when we heard you were coming home.

There was a small time back in 9th grade when I was convinced I had a brain tumor. Some of the symptoms I was feeling matched it and I was a known hypochondriac. It distressed me quite a bit. But after realizing that it was a migraine that I was experiencing, it was kind of a wake-up call to not let hypochondria ever get that strong again.

@MacBean wow. I am glad the operation went well. I’m sorry you had to go through that.
Do you know what caused it? I know that particular disease is caused by an increase in Cortisol, but did you have a family history of it? Or did you take something?
Or was it just plain bad luck?
Again I’m sorry you had to go through that.

Thoughts are like that
with the mind cementing the fear and doubt as you give them energy.
You can start to worry that you could die tomorrow and the mind will dream up every scenario to contribute to the drama.
Persuing thoughts like that with more thoughts like that will end up going around in circles and contribute to the confusion.
BUT Of course If you have Specific physical symptoms or dramatic mental manifestations you should see your Dr for a checkup for sure., however you didn’t sound that way in your question.
But worry begets worry, so remember what a remarkable body you live in that heals itself when injured and remember that you are a perfect being with the power of the universe within yourself. This could be a confidence builder that would propel your thoughts in a positive direction. and you could see yourself in a healing light.

@TheOnlyException It was caused by some sort of brain arterial malfunction. They did tell me but I really have no clue. Some of her arteries in the brain were too tightly formed. It is hereditary I believe. But I don’t think I have it :) in fact I am positive I don’t! Just reading some of these posts is very humbling that so many people have been through so much. I take my hat off to you all.

@TheOnlyException: No family history at all, which is part of why my parents thought I was making things up for years. Sometimes I think if not for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all. ;)