slow bleeding

[shay131]

what would be the symptoms of someone who  is having a very slow bleed within the brain? would an LP be able to diagnos it?

[ggreg]

Go to a neurologist or cardio and find out if your family doc is correct or not.  If family doc won't refer you, call your insurance company, if this is the issue.  Sometimes they can tell you who to go to and still be covered.  Now, if you have some BASIS for thinking you have a bleed, whatever doc told you that, go back to them, and THEY can give you a referral.  And if you have what CareGiver said, sensitivity to sunlight, you just might have this bleed irregardless of how you came to that conclusion.  If you do not have problems with sunlight, and if no doctor told you about any bleed, then you may consider visiting a county psychology clinic, perhaps you are nervous about things and just THINK something is going on in your head when it isn't.  They can give you medicines to calm you down and help you focus on what might be making you think like that.  Or could be whatever symptoms you have that made you think of a bleed, are related to something entirely diff from that idea.  So, visit your regular doc again and ask him how come you are having whatever symptoms you have.  Hopefully he'll give you some sort of direction or a referral for tests to see what you DO have.

[shay131]

im just so confused about all of these conflicting information ive been receieving because my family doctor has told me numerous times that a bleed in the brain couldnt possibly be lived with for as long as ive had my headaches and that i would not be able to even function with such so i am confused.

[caregiver222]

A hallmark of a very slow bleed in the brain is sensitivity to sunlight. Such sensitivity can, of course, be due to various other things, especially drug reactions. As ggreg stated, a lumbar puncture is not the way to make such a diagnosis. Generally an MRA (in contrast to an MRI) is necessary, using dye-contrast media to determine where there is blood..

[ggreg]

Symptoms would put you in the hospital.  You need to see a neurologist or a cardiologist and he'll order a scan of your brain, and that's how you find out if there's a bleed in there.  If you do not have a bleed in your brain, at least the neuro or cardio can tell you perhaps what IS wrong from your symptoms.  But a lumbar puncture is not the way to diagnose such a thing, as far as I know, however one of those docs would know for sure.