Brain Tumor?

[crazycam]

Hello,

I recently about 6 months ago started having panic attacks. I went through a phase where I was concerned my heart was giving out on me. I started feeling PVC's and they scared me to death, however I have since seen a Cardiologist and recieved a good bill of health. My question is that recently, I have been getting new symptoms that are scaring me. I sit and work at a computer desk all day, and sometimes I will get a feeling of disorientation, almost like the floor is bouncing, my neck gets stiff, and I get a pulsating feeling in my brain that makes it feel like my head will pop. I have also been getting an occasional burning sensation in my left ear. I wear glasses and have allergies. When I walk sometimes it feels like I am walking on a boat. So is this all residual effects from the high anxiety I had a couple months ago? Or is it something I should be concerned about, like a brain tumor? I also tend to get a lot of muscle spasms I that happen in all different places. PLEASE RESPOND!! Thanks.

[ggreg]

Yeah, it's not so much anxiety that's getting to you, it's the way you deal with the computer.  I merely told you the breathing thing as an "extra."  I AM glad you noticed you ain't sitting right, changing that will help your neck.  But it's the funny eye thing that happens when too close to a computer screen, AND where you just stare at it for hours upon hours without moving, that can make you dizzy and feel wierd.

You know, CRAZY CAM, I worked in a call center, and I gotta tell you something.  For whatever reason, I didn't feel high-stressed!  Of course, I was pretty good at what I was doing, keyboarding is easy for me.  But as far as how quick I gotta work, NO WAY, I just work along at my own pace, I enjoy talking to people on the phone, but, I mean, I was conscious of making the call go quickly, it's just I didn't get all worked up about it.  And we used to be able to leave up a live internet window so I could look at the news and whatnot.  I also would stay at my desk BUT I would stand up and look all around, stretch out my behind, and in general chat with my neighbors if they weren't doing a call.  

So, I don't know, could be your phones stay REALLY busy and you feel like, by golly, you cannot waste a single moment in getting right on top of the next call.  And I'm here to tell you that a few seconds is NOT going to goof up your usefulness to the company.  No one is standing there watching you, and they don't listen to you very often.  If you are nervous at all about how well you're doing your job, just talk to your supervisor.  Could be they can answer a few questions that have crossed your mind quite a lot, like, "How is it I go from computer screen four back to three if the customer wants to change part of his order?"  Just do whatever it takes to lighten up.  

But this strangeness you have HAS to be the computer. And it doesn't help that those places have those awful fluorescent lights, and you can't wander except on break and lunch, and all these monkeys crowd into what must be the filthiest place in the world known as the bathroom.  Ye gads.  I will NEVER forget one time this guy fell out on the floor in one of those, and as I sat at my desk, I saw the emergency guys wheel him out of there, one of the EMTs was all the way up on the gurney and doing chest compressions for all he was worth, and THE GUY DIED after he got to the hospital.  Yup, ain't nothing worth getting all worked up over at a call center.  Just be there, do your work, stay in RE-lax mode all the time, and actually it's one of the better jobs to have.  GG

[crazycam]

Thanks so much. Ya I work just 40 hours a day, I do work in a stressfull call center environment. But I just find it hard to believe the weird sensations in my head all stem from anxiety. I admit I did have it really bad for a few months, but I have since calmed a lot of it down. I do appreiciate the feedback. Also, I notice my posture at work is terrible. I lean forward when I type mostly. Thanks.

[ggreg]

Well, to me, the clue to your problem has to do with working in front of the computer all day long.  People who do that can have all sorts of oddball symptoms, it has to do with several things you can adjust to perhaps help you not have so much trouble.  

One thing is you must be a certain distance from the monitor, as it gives off some sort of waves that can interfere with your normal being, so your hand stretched out in front of you should not touch the computer screen.  Second thing is you MUST get up and look away from the screen at least once an hour, to where your eyes focus on a distant object, which will rest your eyes, and moving will also rest your whole body.  It takes some energy to sit in one position at a computer for a long time, so you need to "unwind" about five minutes periodically.  

Third thing is, the main reason your neck is bothering you has to do with how you sit in your chair.  You MUST sit back so the back of the chair is holding you upright.  Do not lean forward to see.  If you have to, put a pillow in the small of your back.  If you cannot see the screen clearly, get some glasses that let you see the distance of your arms outstretched in front of you holding a paper with words on it.  I used to get my prescription glasses so I could see rather farther than just book reading distance.  Also, in computer window frames, in the lower right corner is a percentage number for screen size.  Usually it's set at 100 percent.  But I always keep mine at 150 percent.  Just click on the percentage, and a tab will pop up that lets you choose what percent of magnification you want for the whole screen.

Your ear situation is your allergies, something is amping it up in that ear, just use a Q tip with alcohol on the end and gently clean it out.  Also, make sure your glasses aren't pushing strangely on that side of your head.  Lastly, occasionally lean way back in your chair and stretch your arms all the way out to the sides, crunch together your shoulder blades, then with your arms in your lap, gently move your head forward a little ways and then back a little ways.  You can rub your own shoulders and neck some, too.

One more tip, but this is on the anxiety you have, next time you get to feeling nervous, just do some deep breathing, it'll lower your heartrate and thus your anxiety.  Breathe in really deeply, blow it all out, then breathe normal a couple times, and then repeat up to ten times.  You won't get to ten.  

Now, if you actually do these suggestions I've made, which I learned when I used to work, some of them from a computer repairman, some just over time, and you are still having a problem, particularly with the balance thing, you will need to see an ear nose throat ENT doc to make sure the balance mechanism in your inner ear isn't infected or irritated or whatever.  And if he finds nothing, and IF you are working longer than an 8-hour day, you will need to talk to your supervisor and cut overtime waaaaay back, I don't care how broke you are.  If they insist, you tell them you're having dizzy problems by being in front of the computer too long, you've already had to go see a doc, so you really have no choice but to work a normal 40-hr week.  Let us know how things go.