Brain Tumor Question

Hello all,

I am a 17 year old male in good health except for my anxiety which you will probably be able to tell I have. I've recently been feeling "off balance" but I don't know if I am actually off balance. I can walk in a straight line and I don't trip or anything I also can easily do various things that require a lot of balance yet I feel off balance. I also experience sinus headaches and a feeling of very "tired" eyes or "heavy" eyelids. I do have very bad allergies which was confirmed by an allergy test. I'm allergic to every type of pollen and mold you can imagine. So I figured these sinus headaches were coming from my sinuses. I went to the doctor and got a sinus ct scan which was surprisingly completely clear. So now I'm beginning to doubt that my headaches are from my sinuses. However I find it hard to believe that my sinuses are clear when I can't breath through my nose very well at all. Other then feeling as if I'm off balance and occasional mild sinus headaches and pressure I don't have any other symptoms and I was wondering if the symptoms I have could indicate a brain tumor? Or is this out of the question? I've also been to the optometrist and they had this strange vision test that I don't quite understand but it supposedly checks for brain anomalies such as tumors and that came back normal. If anyone has some insight on my symptoms or this eye test that would be great thanks.

Nathan

[enzymelover]

     Hi Nathan. Just one more idea. What are you taking for inflammation? Your symptoms indicate the presence of inflammation. A C-reactive protein test would show how much inflammation you're dealing with.

I agree with Surgi about the ear, nose, and throat specialist. This is what I would recommend as a next step.

Good luck to you!

[LivingInHope]

The optometrist may have been referring to a field of vision test, which can detect if any part of your vision is being affected by something (for instance, in pituitary tumors, the peripheral vision is of particular concern).  They also can dialate your eyes and look for some abnormalities that way.   I may be wrong, but I've never heard of an eye test that can definitely rule out all kinds of tumors in the head.

When you had the sinus CT scan- were you in the middle of a headache and feeling dizzy?  I'm kind of surprised they didn't just order a general CT of your head, to look at your brain and your sinuses too.  Did that doctor who ordered the sinus CT order any vestibular testing to see if you may have an inner ear disorder causing your equilibrium to feel off?  If not, why not get yourself referred or set up an appointment with an ear, nose and throat specialist?  Did they ever take any pictures of your cervical spine, which is also valuable to one's equilibrium system?  Did they ever test your iron level, which if low, can cause dizziness, lightheadedness and headache and fatigue?

[neptune692]

Thanks for your response,

I am always in the middle of a headache kind of thing but it really isn't pain its just a sense of pressure between my nose and above my eyes and sometimes it turns into a headache that I end up taking Tylenol for and that usually helps but they were aware that I was coming in because I was complaining of headaches and pressure so I am also kind of surprised they didn't just kill two birds with one stone by giving me a complete ct. I didn't get any other tests besides the sinus ct. One of my other main symptoms is fatigue so i'm wondering if I might have low iron but would a complete blood count not detect this? Cause I had one not more than a week ago and everything looked normal. I've also noticed that my feeling of being off balance is better in the morning before I put my contacts in. However I don't know if thats just because can't see well and can't tell if i'm off balance or not until I put my contacts in. Is this off balance thing anything too worry about because i'm not to fond of the idea of going back and getting my head radiated with a ct again? I would think if it indicated a brain tumor I would have more severe symptoms but then again I don't know much about this stuff.

Thanks again I appreciate the feedback and I will go ahead and ask my doctor about some of the things you suggested.

Nathan

[enzymelover]

     Hi Nathan. Just one more idea. What are you taking for inflammation? Your symptoms indicate the presence of inflammation. A C-reactive protein test would show how much inflammation you're dealing with.

I agree with Surgi about the ear, nose, and throat specialist. This is what I would recommend as a next step.

Good luck to you!

[neptune692]

Well currently I just started taking liquid sudafed for nasal congestion and sinus pressure and i've noticed my balance getting a little better as well as my nose clearing up a bit. I don't know if any of you could answer this but i'm confused how I could have sinus or nasal inflammation when my sinus ct was as my doctors nurse put it "perfectly clear" but what is strange is I can't breathe through my nose very well at all so doesn't that indicate inflammation in my sinuses? Does a sinus ct not detect small amounts of inflammation? At the time of having the sinus ct I was experiencing difficulty breathing through my nose so it was real strange I got an all clear with the ct. I also get sinus pressure or at least that is where I think the pressure is coming from, it is usually located between my eyes and above my eyes kind of like a feeling of pressure pushing outward and down on my eyes. I have visited an ENT and that is who suggested the sinus ct but I haven't followed up with him on the results yet. I only got a brief explanation of the results from my general practitioner's nurse. I will go ahead and visit my ENT and hopefully clarify how my sinus ct could be clear while I have obvious nasal congestion and bad allergies according to my allergy test.

Thanks for the reply I will also look into the C-reactive protein test.

Nathan

[enzymelover]

I think inflamed nasal turbinates can cause nasal congestion, without involving the sinuses. Did your ENT check for nasal polyps? How long have you had these symptoms - especially the pressure behind your eyes?
Definitely go over everything again with the doctor.

[neptune692]

I've had the pressure behind my eyes and in my forehead for years. I'm not sure my doctor checked for nasal polyps but he did mention that should be detected in my sinus ct. I am planning to make a doctors appointment soon to go over this stuff.

Thanks again.

[enzymelover]

    OK. Good luck! I hope it turns out to be something easily fixed.
My  "knee-jerk" reaction is to fear a pituitary tumor, and insist you get a specific pituitary MRI, with contrast, to rule this out. Small pit tumors can't be seen on ct very well.

The reason is because my son had a pituitary tumor, and his first symptoms were headache, light sensitivity, digestive upset, emotional sensitivity, and the development of sinus pressure and nasal allergies. The docs didn't guess that he had a tumor, even when it became obvious that he wasn't growing (he had lost growth hormone function), so it takes a LOT to get some doctors to even consider the possibility.