headaches and fatigue

[revs_hope]

to whom it may concern,
i'm a 15 year old female, with quite a problem. i've been having some serious symptoms ranging from a year to a few months. at the top of the list is the (1)head pain. for about 2 months now i've been getting about 2 headaches a day, that are constant through the day. i've tried different kinds of meds for them but they absolutely never help so i've given them up. along with the headaches my head feels very heavy yet very light at the same time, which causes me to be very careless without meaning. also, for about 3 months i've been extremely (2)fatigue and (3)weak. i've been a basketball player since age 7, and never in my life had so much trouble doing little things such as climbing a flight of stairs or taking a shower. i have great difficulty with just walking and sometimes balancing. (4) i have a very hard time adjusting my eyes when moving them from close objects to farther away objects. i've always had 20/20 vision and am now noticing lately that my vision is more blurred and difficult to focus as quickly as before. (5) also, some mental changes have been occuring. in school, i have a hard time keeping focus and concentration. my parents and i have noticed a lot in the last year that i have a lot of memory loss, mostly short term situations. i have to write notes or place things in the wrong places that would stand out to me to remember little things i needed to do. (6) i have been losing A LOT of hair in the last few months also.
ive really been worried that these are symptoms of a brain tumor.

any feedback would really help out a lot!

[knicholas]

Hello,
Did you ever get a diagnosis?  I have been having symptoms like yours, but no one has been able to figure out the cause.  Blood tests and an MRI have come back normal.  I know this is an old thread, but I was wondering if you ever got this resolved.
Thanks.

[revs_hope]

hello there
havent been here in awhile and just now read the last comment. but no i havent gotten an MRI yet. my appointment from last friday was moved to this friday so i will be finding out soon. about chiari malformation, is it serious? ive never heard of it before so dont know anything about it. if you could give me anymore information thatd be great! im really sorry to hear about your daughter, how is she? i hate bringing ideas up to my mom about this kind of stuff, i just dont want anyone to worry. and its been so long that ive been going through this i hate to keep complaining. ill post after my appointment.  THANK YOU!

[bcgirl89]

hello,
   hopefully you get this and have had your MRI. By the discription you gave are all classical smptoms of a Chiari Malformation. You don't hear of it often. If you go up on the Arnold Chiari Malformation website you will see that all your smyptoms that you described match. The reaason I know, is my little girl has a Chiari Malformation I. She had decompression surgery almost 3 yrs ago. Because of an awful fall is battling it again. She had all signs and smyptoms you have. PLEASE have your mom take you to a qualified neurologist that knows what a CHIARI MALFORMATION is and have them check you for this. Hope you do better, and PLEASE keep me posted.

[revs_hope]

i'll be going back february 9, hopefully we can do a full scan and get this mess figured out. it's really nice to hear what you all think and know that you care. thank you :) and i'll keep you all posted.

[Quixotic1]

You need a thorough neuro exam and a CT scan or MRI with and without contrast As Soon As Possible!  Any new and persisting headache, especially with chronic vision changes needs this.  Yes, a tumor, could cause these sx, but it's likely something else.  Your parents need to demand a basic workup NOW, and when the serious things are ruled out, you can deal with the rest.  Good luck and keep us posted.  Quix

[revs_hope]

thank you for replying!
i have taken several blood tests with my doctor in town, and anemia was something she was concerned about, but it was fine. I also got a complete blood count and everything was normal there. she referred me to riley hospital, and i went about a week ago. my regular doctor thought i had mono, but my test was negative. so the doctors at riley want me to come back at the start of febuary to give it more time if it was mono or something viral that really took its toll on me, and said if nothing has improved by then, they will have to dig a little deeper. so i guess we'll see then. but my parents are going to ask about a ct scan, just to clear up some worries in that area. let me know what you think, thank you again!

[Annie62]

You might also want to get your thyroid levels checked.  Some (if not all) of your symptoms can be caused by hypothyroidism, especially the hair loss and fatigue.

[kemosabi]

Hi,

What you are discribing are symptoms of anemia. Their are many kinds of anemia. The 2 most common types is: Iron anemia and pernicious anemia. Because you are a female, it is highly possible that it is Iron anemia.

It is unusual for a person that is a teenager to have pernicious anemia, but it does happen.

Some of they symptoms of Iron anemia and pernicious anemia is:

1)Weakness and fatigue
2)Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
3)yellow color in the eyes and skin (jaundice)
4)Difficulty walking and loss of balance
5)headaches that last longer and longer until they are 24/7
6)Memory loss, disorientation
7)Brain fog
8)Upset stomach
9)Numbness and tingling of the arms and legs
10)A sore tongue

If you have most of these symptoms, I suggest that you see a doctor as soon as possible. He/she will do a CBC (complete blood count)blood test, which will show if you are anemic.

GOOD LUCK...TAKE CARE...KEMOSABI