really scared

I just wanted to say im a 20 year old famale and im really worrid that i might have brain cancer. i tend to get really bad pain in and around ma eyez, and feel a pressured feeling in my head. alwayz get headaces but the pressure feeling is worse. now feel that my face feels numb, and painful. Also bending down and looking up feels pain full and when getting up from sitting down get a qick black out. tend to also feel dizzy and sometimes get blurred vision. according to the doctors my blood pressure is normanl and so is my blood test. i have anxity problem and get alot of panic attack, have no family history of illness, so dont know what to expect. im just really worrid if someone can help me or even make me feel reassured.

[rumpled]

What doctors have you seen and what tests have been run?

Have you seen an eye doctor? Have you been evaluated for migraines?

For the passing out, do they test blood pressure sitting down and standing up (that is important). POTS or autonomic disorders may be possible but docs tend not to look that way.

[Julieb89]

well everytime i explain my symptoms to my GP he says that i'm not giving him a clear idea, but all my symptoms match anxiaty problems. He has checked for migraines and i do not have it. i have a feeling it might be sinus. Thank god i haven't passed out but my attacks are just shacking alot.

He did my blood pressure whilst i was sitting down.i do feel he is really good doctor, as he does sit there and reassure me. But i am still worried because sometimes doctors can miss things

[LivingInHope]

How did he check for migraines?  Pain in and around the eye  (usually one eye per migraine) can be a common migraine symptom.  You might ask for a referral to a neurologist.  

Has he done an x-ray(s) of your sinuses?  Do you have TMJ disorder?  I personally believe my TMJ arthritis/disorder can aggravate my trigeminal nerve and have experienced face pain below my eye from this.  But a sense of fullness in the sinuses as well as pain would suggest to me that they should check your sinuses.

Since you black out when you stand, you really should get those orthostatic blood pressures taken, not just sitting.  Do you keep well hydrated?  

Did the doctor test blood iron, T.I.B.C. (total iron binding capacity) and ferritin levels, not just a CBC to check for iron deficiency?  From personal experience in the past, I can tell you that symptoms can happen when CBC is normal, but iron level is low.  My tachycardia was worse with my postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and I was extremely tired.

[rumpled]

Can you get a blood pressure cuff (drug store or mass merchandiser) and you can test your self and keep a log.

I would agree that getting more testing as well as getting another GP maybe, will help,

[ZeeIn]

We all know that GP's like to play God and can delay a diagnosis due to their own ignorance. I had one GP blame everything on Stress, Anxiety, etc. for a couple of years before my insurance changed and I was finally able to go to a really good Neuoloigist and Cardiologist who both ran a series of tests, including Tilt Table (to confirm Neurocardiogenic Syncopy - very similar to POTS), MRI's to rule out serious Brain issues (glad they found one in there), confirmed Chronic Sinusitis and some rare form of Migraine that goes in and out of remission over the last several years.  Invest in a good BP monitor, and you can test for Hypotension yourself by getting a reading sitting down and another 5 minutes after standing. Either type of Hypotension will cause your BP to drop over 20 points and your pulse to race (which can feel like anxiety).  The Tilt table will prove what type of Hypotension you have.  It is good to get the Neurologist and Cardioligist to agree on diagnosis after running their tests and then consider a new GP if he has issues with any of it.  I have gone through a number of GPs and finally settled on an Internal Medicine Doc as my Primary since he new enough to say certain diagnosis's were out of his field if compatency and relied on the Specialist to run the correct test. However, a decent Primary will run more than a CBC.  Have him check your Thyroid levels. (T3, T4, Free T3 and Free T4). That can also have a great impact on you if they are too high or too low. He should also be able to run a simple ECG which will detect Tachicardia, or any other obvious issues.  He can also order and MRI to rule out Sinus's or anything serious. All of that without even going to a Specalist.   If he has issues with any of it, ask for a copy of all your records, get a recommendation from friends or coworker for another Primary that has a clue and go from there.  My first Primary I had here blamed everything with Women on Stress, Depression and Anxiety. He was known to toss SSRI's to everyone of his female patients.  Completely missed some significant findings regarding my health and luckily I was smart enough to fire him as my doctor. He was the extreem and makes you really wish you could find out just what did he make in Med school and was his degree real or photo copied.  Lol.   What I would recommend to you is not to get stressed about all of it, but stay vigilant if you don't agree or feel ther is still something else going on.  Stay on their case until you get a good diagnosis that fits all of your symptoms.  Start keeping a log of symptoms daily.  That alone has helped me the most when talking to doctors. Good Luck.  Best case, it is just anxiety (but let that be a conclusion based on actual testing and not assumptions).   Best Regards!!!

[Julieb89]

Thank you for your advise, i have been to two different GP and they both tend to say similer things. i have been checked by a gynacologist in hospital who did ask to get a blood test done for everything which all cam out normal and he also stated that i have stress.
My GP did tell me that he does not ignore anything he just puts some illness aside when i tell him my symptoms. he had put me on this eye drop for the moment and did tell me that if i dont find this help full then he will refer me to a nuerologist. i am hoping it is just stress and anxiety and nothing serious. but thank you for your advise.

[rumpled]

Stress is one thing, but then again, I had a disease that caused the stress as it was a tumor that increased cortisol and so the tumor caused the stress.

It took over 12 years to get help.

I am pretty sure that you have not been tested for everything.

The problem is that now that there are pills for depression, it is easy to toss a pill at it - and they help a lot of people, but sometimes, they forget to look for the cause, and treat that, and therefore some people never get better. I do advise you to think about why you feel bad, when it started, journal what you can, and bring someone with you who can advocate that it is not just stress.

[LivingInHope]

Actually, in some with P.O.T.S., it is possible for the BP after less than five minutes to increase rather than drop.  The heart races so passing out doesn't happen (an increase of over 30 BPM happens with standing up from a laying position), one can experience graying/whiting out happening and the norepinephrine goes into hyper-overdrive, overcompensating with the blood pressure elevating too much.

[Julieb89]

if you don't mind me asking, what tumor did you have and are you better now. i also want to thank everyone for their help and will try and take it on bored. there are no place where i can go and check my BP myself here.
If nyone still has more dvise do let me know as i am worrid, and to be honest probably scared to also findout i might have something serious.

[LivingInHope]

Don't know if you live in the U.S., but Omron blood pressure monitors for home use are sold that a person can buy.  They are available for sale at Walmart.

[Julieb89]

I am actually from the UK, so i'm not sure what they may have available.

[evo123]

hiya,

I am from the UK also and have 'suspected POTS'.  You will be able to buy a bp monitor from several places, a couple of them are asda, Lloyds chemist, superdrug, argos and boots.  I have a Omron which I bought from a Lloyds chemist within superdrug it cost me around £25 but the same model is being sold in asda for half the price if you are lucky enough to get one.  These can be ordered online from most of the stores if you cannot manage to go shopping at the moment.  

I had a tilt table test at fazakerley hospital in Liverpool, I am not sure if these are used in all hospitals but at least now you can tell them you know where there is one if you find getting the test a problem.  It would benefit you greatly from having one of these it would either rule in - or out - several conditions you or your doctor may be thinking of.  

My bp increases on standing and also has some infrequent drops!!!  My heart rate increases on standing.  I hope you get some answers soon x

[cbrn07]

C/o pressure has anyone checked your spinal pressures to see if there is an increase and the BP test that everyone is talking about is called orthostatic vitals to determine what your heart is doing sitting lying and standing

[rumpled]

I had a couple of pituitary tumors.
Odds are what you have is very treatable, not enormous and well, if it is enormous, treatment sooner is better than later?

[Cudi]

Pls i need help,i hv been experiencing his funny feeling,sleepless night,i suppose to write some exam and i think because of the exam,i hv been having a lot of pressure in my brain and stress off,i cant even concetrate at work because of this funny feeling,i thought it was malaria,and i treated the illness but the funny feeling is still there in my brain  

[rumpled]

Have you seen a doctor?