Another hypochondriac with a brain tumor question...?

I am an 18 year old male that has been struggling with hypochondria and severe anxiety for most of my life. I have worried about such things as heart attacks and appendicitis, however i can assure you this is a bit different.
For a few years now, I have been suffering from several symptoms, such as depersonalization, severe lack of concentration and minor lack of memory, and vision problems (such as floaters and increased sensitivity to light, along with the occasional flash and the inability to quickly adjust from very dark to very light environments), I have never had good vision though. I have had extreme nearsightedness all my life. Just recently I have been having regular pressure headaches on the left side of my head, about midway back and seemingly deep. Anyway, I have recently been worrying more and more about the possibility of a brain tumor. I am absolutley not a person to be running to the ER at every little sneeze, but one day last year, my DP got so bad (before I knew what DP really was) that I had to take a trip to said ER. I underwent a CT scan, which came up clear, but my symptoms continued.
On one side of the coin, I know how anxiety can affect the physical body, and after spending months online searching my condition, I've discovered many people that have symptoms close to mine.
On the other side of the coin, well, I'm a hypochondriac and I am very concerned about the little details- The fact that tumors can sometimes take a long while to be noticed, that CT scans aren't always accurate, and the fact that i feel just so abnormal that its hard to think that anxiety could cause such persistant physical symptoms. At times I get so paranoid that I do not talk to anyone, and I am just locked alone in this state of horror.
On a side note, I am almost always exhausted. I find it terribly difficult to get up and go to work, and once I get there I feel that I may fall asleep halfway through my shift. Oddly, sometimes after I have been working for about 5 hours, I feel less tired and more motivated. Bear in mind that I do not always "wake up" after working, it is not an everyday occurance.

So, if anybody out there has any idea at all about what I should think, please don't hesitate to respond.

Thanks in advance,
Nate.

[M4Y0U]

Hello there,

It is very unlike someone at your age will develop a brain tumor. People are often trying to diagnose them-self on the internet and they come up with all sort of diseases but they don't even read what is the average age for the disease and special conditions for the disease.

Neurological symptoms you are describing if you had a brain tumor the tumor would have shown on the Ct-Scan and probably even with simple neurological tests.

If you think tests are gonna make you feel ok you can still insist on a MRI or a PET scan but i doubt it will show something.

You need to treat your hypochondria/health anxiety with a qualified therapist. Even an hypnotist can work if you are prone to be hypnotized since it will go tap into your subconscious mind which is 1 million times powerful as the conscious mind.

Best regards,
M4

[r9c]

Yeah what M4YOU said is very true,i remember the last time i suffered from lightheadness and headache,i went to a doctor explaining me that its unlikely to be a brain tumor because most patient he saw comming with brain tumor dint even really expericing daily dizziness and headaches,they just have this just one extreme headache,and then after all test being done,its diagnosed as brain tumor.you already had a CT scan which turn out fine,and u are likely to be okay,its just sometimes how anxiety can trick our mind,before i tend to worry a lot on my heart,ending up palpations,chestpain etc..thought i had a heartproblem and then went to the cadiology dept did all those necessary test,came out fine.

[sythdrummer90]

Thank you guys for the reassuring words- It actually does help immensley I just wish that I could get rid of hypochondria for good. Its ruining my daily life and running me down.

[flicts]

I'm a hypochondriac too so I can relate... I don't think you have a brain tumor if the CT is ok. Best advice I can give is try to control yourself regarding online searching and googling for diseases/symptoms, it will freak you out (happenned to me). If you feel something is really wrong, try to find a dr you trust and believe him.

[flob]

it is absolutely astounding what types of physical symptoms can manifest as a result of anxiety. obviously being tired all the time is one of them...because most of us have trouble sleeping as it is, then add on to that the physical aspects related to anxiety and you're bound to be tired as a result. pressure in the head is also very common. i suffer from migraines on the left side of my head, so when my anxiety level is rather high for an extended period of time, i experience dull persistant pain in certain regions of the left side of my head....usually the same areas where i get migraines, but it's different from a migraine. also cluster headaches are quite common for me when my anxiety level is high...something i only ever experience from stress, and they're rather scary if you don't know what they are. you would think someone like me would always fear they're having an aneurysm, but my bigger fear is that if someday i do actually have one, i won't know it. but anyway...hopefully it never comes to that.

i'll echo what's already been said...you likely don't have a tumor and if you read through these posts, you'll find symptoms such as yours repeated over and over and over and over again. still, it's not a bad idea to have it checked out...as it sounds like you already did...and then follow up with a trip to a psychiatrist so that you can possibly better manage your anxiety. in my experience, anxiety isn't just related to the chemistry of the brain...it's also about underlying emotional issues and everyone agree's that working through those is a huge part of treatment.