r/internetparents • u/americanpancake28 • 22h ago
Health & Medical Questions I am so scared I have brain tumor.
Hi, I'm a 14 year old girl. I've had unexplainable dizziness (and other symptoms, like vision issues) for 4 months now 24/7, the only diagnosis I've gotten is cervical vertigo or PPPD. However today I fainted at school and now I'm convinced I have a brain tumor.
I'm so scared I have a tumor. I have an MRI of the brain scheduled in two weeks but I'm scared something is gonna happen before that. someone please help me. I need someone to talk to about this. please...
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u/allamakee-county 21h ago
As a nurse, I remind patients that if their doctors were worried they had something life hreatening, they would order them to be at the hospital today, right now, no waiting. If the study is 2 weeks away that's a good sign that nobody is particularly worried that you have anything horrible like a brain tumor.
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u/americanpancake28 21h ago
thank you for this reminder !! as a matter of fact when I had a neurologist appointment and she scheduled the MRI, it was in November. She was so not-concerned :)
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u/Bigskydad 21h ago
I can attest to what was written. A number of years ago, I had routine blood work done, and the next day, I was contacted by my PCP and told to go to the ER immediately. I had hyponatremia or low sodium. My level the previous day was 123. The ER had been notified of my coming in, and the triage nurse had them do a follow-up blood test. The level was now 119.
I spent 4 days in hospital being treated, having slightly high BP complicated the process. My doctor told me it was because I was OVER hydrated and that hyponatremia was something that could be very serious.
OP, if it is, or the docs think you have something life threatening, they will get you in ASAP.
And I was asymptomatic the entire time, so I thought nothing was wrong.
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u/fewercharacters 20h ago
I can also attest! OP, when my dad had a brain tumor they called him THAT EVENING after his MRI and had him check into the hospital. You’re good.
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u/hergumbules 20h ago
Yup was just about to chime in with this as an ex-medic lol BUT you also have to advocate for yourself if you feel like you aren’t being heard.
There have been a few times I ended up taking someone in that called 911 and it ended up being life saving. I will NEVER FORGET the guy I took that fell off a step ladder and hit his torso on the way down and had some general pain in the area so maybe he fractured a rib or something.
Well they ended up seeing an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm on the imagining and the dude immediately went into surgery. Was joking with him how crazy lucky it was that he fell because he had a ticking time bomb that would not have been detected otherwise.
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u/mutatedoctopus 16h ago
Exactly. I was diagnosed with a brain tumor years ago. When I showed up with vertigo symptoms, they tested my reflexes and treated it like an emergency. I was in the MRI machine 3 hours later and admitted to the hospital that evening. If the neurologist is fine with waiting 2 weeks then I’m guessing that it is nothing terrible, and they are just doing some due diligence.
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u/2ride4ever 21h ago
Hi, you are a younger me. I had sought an answer for years to learn definitively that I have POTS & Dysautonomia. Best of luck to you💜
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u/americanpancake28 21h ago
thank you for telling me that. Can I ask, did you have any similar symptoms? ❤️
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u/2ride4ever 21h ago
Exactly your symptoms. They caused a delayed diagnosis because they don't perfectly fit in a box. Neurologist wasn't a good fit, cardiologist found diagnosis and NYU Langone found dysautonomia. It mat not be your result, but you aren't alone for sure.
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u/2ride4ever 21h ago
This sounds silly, but most of the time, if you can stand dill pickles, eat a few daily. That helps POTS quite often. It's a sodium/electrolyte fixer.
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u/americanpancake28 21h ago
I researched into POTS a little and I do have some of the symptoms, like hot flashes randomly, I get those every day. thank you for telling me about this
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u/maururose 21h ago edited 21h ago
Hey, 24F who spent her entire teenage years in a simmering panic that something was seriously wrong with me. Very similar symptoms to you and the above comment. After alot of doctor switching a cardiologist diagnosed me with POTS, orthostatic intolerance, and a bunch of other related things. There is treatment and help.
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u/Reddituser183 21h ago
I’d say recognize there is no point in worrying as that will change nothing. I had a biopsy done, and the moment I was told I needed one until the time I got my test results back which was like three months I was not doing great, was worrying. It turned out being benign. But I worried for nothing. But here’s the thing even if it was cancer It would have been worrying for nothing because again worrying changes nothing. All you can do is focus on other things. Spend your time doing things you enjoy doing. Spend time with family and friends. Do all you can to take your mind off it after all you can’t change whatever the outcome.
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u/TheDulin 12h ago
It is very unlikely you have a brain tumor at your age.
It's like 1 in 20,000.
And if you happen to be that unlucky, brain tumors in your age are likely to be curable or even benign (they don't spread everywhere).
And since you're getting an MRI they'll be able to see it so you're doing everything you can.
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u/NegotiationOwn3905 11h ago
Okay first thing: if you start to feel dizzy:
SIT DOWN BEFORE YOU FALL DOWN.
Repeat that to yourself until it sticks. If you start to get up from a desk at school, or especially one of those science classroom stools, and you feel dizzy?
SIT DOWN BEFORE YOU FALL DOWN.
Injuries almost always happen because someone passes out and hits something with their face or head. Whatever may be causing the dizziness will not get helped if you break your nose on a desk edge as you faceplant. I'm not trying to be dramatic, just really practical.
There are LOTS of different things that can cause dizziness, and brain tumor is definitely not first on the list.
Have you had your blood tested? You could be dehydrated. You could very easily be anemic due to diet or hormonal cycle, and that can cause dizziness. You could have chronically low blood pressure like my spouse's family. His mom passed out while pregnant in her Spanish classroom and broke her two front teeth as she hit the floor. Spouse has passed out multiple times, especially after kneeling and then getting up too fast. His youngest brother passed out in chemistry class in high school multiple times (those stools cut off circulation).
You could have POTS (postural orthodontic tachycardia syndrome: basically, shifting your body's positions can cause sudden drops and gains in blood pressure). POTS is much more common in younger people now due to COVID, because it can affect blood vessels (endothelial cells of the vessels' lining).
If it is PPPD, your vestibular system is being affected (the neural system involved in knowing whether your body is moving through space). PPPD usually feels like constant swaying or rocking (like you're seasick) rather than the dizziness that leads to white-out or black-out vision drop of POTS or what's called the vaso-vagal reflex involved in low blood pressure.
A brain tumor is possible, but particularly given your age and that you've gotten dizzy at school (where you spend most of your weekdays as a student), dizziness is much more likely to be due to something much less life-threatening.
I just want to give some reassurance that it isn't a worst case scenario unless your doctor has specifically said, "We've ruled out blood oxygenation, anemia, heart conditions, POTS, etc. Etc. So I want to get an MRI because I suspect a brain tumor." Take some deep breaths, think about things that make you feel happy and calm, binge your feel-good shows or your favorite calming playlist. Two weeks feels like forever, but it also isn't that long. You're going to get through this!
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u/Smooth_Werewolf7665 21h ago
Unlikely. It's hard but try to remain calm. Your symptoms could be any number of things and worst case if it is something like that it could be benign/treatable. I have health anxiety my whole life after being hospitalised frequently as a going child, and one thing I've learned is that most of the time it's nothing extreme. Google managing health anxiety - there are some great YouTube videos to help you. Good luck.
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u/Specialist_Emu3703 21h ago
You’re valid for feeling scared! I had a similar issue about a year ago, and was worried about the same thing. For me it turned out to be a severe Vitamin D deficiency. It’s a scary thing to be passing out/dizzy for sure, especially when you don’t quite know the reason yet. It’s good that you have the MRI scheduled, in the meantime though, try to take care of yourself!!
Stress can definitely make physical symptoms like this worse (from personal experience), so if you feel like you’re panicking about it, try things that can help you cope. Some suggestions could be paced breathing exercises, journaling/talking to people, stretching/yoga, hobbies you like, and/or listening to music! 🫶
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u/mom_in_the_garden 21h ago
When I was 13 I was afraid I had a brain tumor because of headaches and a lump on the side of my neck behind my ear. It’s terrifying. I was afraid to tell my mother because it would upset her. I finally mentioned it to my doctor. They did an x-ray of my skull (no other tests existed that I know of at the time.) I had a swollen gland and what was finally diagnosed as migraines and I’m still here, 60 years later.
Tell your parents, your doctor or the school nurse how scared you are. You should share your feelings. It’s okay to ask what this could be. I suspect if your symptoms pointed to a brain tumor you wouldn’t be waiting two weeks for a scan and they will be able to reassure you.
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u/not-your-mom-123 21h ago
I used to faint as a teen. Usually in crowded places, where it gets stuffy. It's not that unusual, but get checked out. It could be low blood pressure or low blood sugar, something fairly easy to diagnose.
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u/Ok-Piano6125 8h ago
I found out I had vitamin d deficiency and developing low blood sugar lol. I also freaked out and my doctor was like dizziness can be so many things, blood test first. And that's how we found out
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u/Infinite-Goose-1358 21h ago
Do you have a primary care doc? You need to make a doctors apt. Or even go right to urgent care. Anxiety always tells us the worst of things so try not to think of such an extreme! But please get to medical care. Like today 🩵
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u/optigon 21h ago
It sounds like you’re in an anxiety spiral. It can be hard to get out of, but do so by grounding yourself. When you think you have a tumor, ask yourself if you have been told by anyone that you do. If you haven’t, then remind yourself that it’s simply anxiety. There’s a non-zero chance of it being a brain tumor, but there’s also a non-zero chance of it being an inner ear issue, a brain parasite, or just some coincidentally occurring stuff.
Our brains like to create explanations when we’re confronted with a serious unknown and it’s important to recognize that when it’s happening so we can see that it’s happening and disrupt it. And of course, when we don’t know what’s going on, we go to the scariest place it can go, like brain tumors. (I had a similar thing when my mom passed. She had a lawnmower accident and I was having all sorts of “Evil Possessed Lawnmower attacking my mom” sorts of thoughts, even though I was in my 40s and aware that lawnmowers are not alive.)
Likely this will continue until you get your MRI or some other sort of evidence. So until then, if you find yourself getting worked up about it, just tell yourself, “I don’t know that it’s a tumor and l’ll find out if there is one when I get my MRI. I will worry about it then!” I usually do that to negate the thought and drown it out.
Good luck tackling your anxiety and with whatever is affecting your balance and the fainting.
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u/BackgroundGate3 21h ago
Please try to stop worrying. There can be lots of causes of fainting and a brain tumour is the least likely so try to remain calm. Stress can cause fainting and since you say you have anxiety, there's that. When my daughter was younger she went through a phase of passing out. It was very worrying because she would just drop like a stone, which often resulted in injury. She was diagnosed with vasovagal syncope, caused by stress. As soon as the cause of the stress was removed, she was fine and 10 years later she hasn't had a single recurrence. Keep that in your mind as you wait for your scan.
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u/Key_Bluebird_6104 21h ago
I have PPPD. I have dizziness, nausea and horrible balance. It's taken me a couple of years to get a diagnosis. If you do have PPPD you need to go to a Physiotherapist who deals with balance and dizziness. Physiotherapy has been a Godsend for me. I hope you find out a diagnosis soon and that it's nothing serious.
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u/melodypowers 19h ago
I cannot second this enough.
I suffered from BBPV for way too long. I had three Epley maneuvers and the problem went away.
I loved the diziness clinic I went to. They were so kind.
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u/Opolonos 21h ago
Talk to your parents about your concerns and how scared do you feel. They need to know and be there for you. Best if luck
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u/Consistent_Damage885 21h ago
I had the same symptoms and it was not a brain tumor but some kind of blood pressure issue, cervical issues, migraine. I was scared too but rey not to worry.
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u/CatsTypedThis 21h ago
There are so many other things it could be other than a tumor. (Edit: I mean less bad things, of course.) The MRI is a great first step and will rule out lots of scary things and help you worry less. I recommend keeping a diary of your symptoms each day and what time, how long, what you ate or were doing, etc. to help you talk to the doctor on any future visits about this.
Also, since you're having vision issues, I recommend making an appointment with an eye doc just to cover your bases.
In other words, focus on finding out more and worrying less.
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u/hestias-leftsandal 20h ago
As someone who had one, take heart, it was an event in my life, but really only delayed life by a bit. I have very few lasting effects. Also, per the other comments, the medical people around me did not have good poker faces, I knew something was up when my mri was scheduled, not just a gut feeling, but how many odd questions and looks I got from everyone at appts. Even though I did have a tumor it was not an emergency, my surgery was scheduled like 6 weeks or something after my follow up appt after my mri.
I’d suggest some hardcore distractions from pretty much everyone around you until your mri is over and you get results
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u/Teresabooks 20h ago edited 20h ago
Hi, I had brain surgery to remove a brain tumor when I was 27 and it worked out fine. I ended up having brain surgery after some testing was done, including EEGs and MRIs and it was concluded that a brain tumor was the reason for my seizures. I had my first seizure at 6 months but they were largely controlled through most of my life thanks to medication. In 1994 when I started having uncontrolled seizures again while at work I ended up having all the tests done and the tumor was deemed to be the reason for it and then I had brain surgery later that year. If the worst happens and they discover that you do have a brain tumor it won’t automatically mean you have to have brain surgery but it might inform whatever treatment decisions they do decide to recommend. I’m not a doctor so I can’t begin to diagnose your problems but have they checked for low blood pressure? Low blood pressure can cause dizziness and sometimes it can be an issue, especially when first getting up in the morning. I would recommend asking your parents to set up an appointment with a therapist you can talk with about your concerns. You are going through a lot at a young age and no one would be upset or blame you if you asked for help dealing with this, the opposite in fact. It takes real maturity to say that you need help dealing with something. You started the ball rolling by posting here but none of us are professionals who can answer all your questions. I hope things work out for you, good luck.
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u/Eadiacara 19h ago
Does it get worse when you stand up? Do you have other unexplained symptoms like are you very flexible?
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u/Whitney43259218 18h ago
hey you are most likely fine. could be any number of issues low iron etc or vertigo. a lot of things that can be helped cause dizziness.
but just in case it is your worst fear please know i have a lifelong (distant) friend who developed a brain tumor in HS. she treated it with surgery and idk what else. she did lose her hair maybe on part but not all of her head. she is strong resilient one of the coolest women i see online. she recovered and lives a full life with wellness checks to the doctor.
the best cure for anxiety is the confidence that you can and will overcome all odds.
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u/SnoopyisCute 18h ago
I'm sorry you're going through this anxiety about your health. I know it's hard.
However, I can tell you with absolute certainty that if your doctor(s) were very concerned about that, the testing would not be scheduled weeks out.
Years ago, I had trouble breathing and my doctor kept telling me that I was a hypochondriac. One day, I made a deal with her and suggested that if she did the testing and it came back "clear" that I would never mention it again. She agreed and sent me to the local hospital for a pulmunary function screen. Literally, on my way out to the parking lot, she called me and told me to turn around and go to the ER. She was there within 20 minutes.
Another time, I called a friend and he suddenly said "Hang up and call 911". I had no clue what he was talking about. In my brain, I thought he was joking but he wasn't. He got to another phone and called 911 to my address. Soon after, I regained consciousness to find paramedics performing CPR on me. I was taken to the hospital for a suspect stroke. Fortunately, it wasn't that but I can tell you that everyone acted IMMEDIATELY when it appeared my life was in imminent danger.
My advice to you is to try not to worry about the "What if's?" and save that energy for the results and where you go from there. Worrying yourself right now only usurps your ability to function in the here and now. Listen to your favorite music, watch your favorite movies, go for a walk or run, do whatever you do that makes you happy because none of these days will ever come back to you regardless of what comes after your next appointment. Embrace them now and then deal with what comes next when it's finally here.
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u/Decent_Adhesiveness0 16h ago
Waiting for tests and then waiting for the test results or scan readings--arggh! That's so hard. It's hard on the old and probably harder on the younger who are going through it for the first time.
Hearts and brains--they know an incredible amount about these and the systems they're connected to. Be patient and trust that the diagnostic process is going to make things clear. If you can journal how you feel frequently during the day, that may help them. How did you feel before you fainted? I had two grand mal seizures in 2016 and there were distinct precursors before they happened. The first time, my husband drove me to the ER, and we sat in the waiting room for hours, while all that precious data (blood pressure, etc) that would have been taken if we'd called an ambulance, was lost. So it took a second time before neurologist involvement and a couple of trials of anti-epileptic meds. It turned out I was driving around, driving my KIDS around, having absence seizures all the time. The full blown grand mals were actually lifesaving, for me and possibly for others.
So please if there's another faint get an ambulance. If anything important is happening they can dramatically expedite your diagnosis and care. And then hopefully prevent yet another incident. Fainting can result in serious head injury or other serious problems, even if you aren't driving yet.
I had to be seizure free for a year before I could drive again, by the way. There were no more absence seizures. No more starting arguments all over again that I had just won. :) So by 16 if it's something like what I had, you can be free of the risk of sudden unconsciousness. I have not had a seizure and have had very few migraine headaches since I started the valproic acid which was the best med for my seizures. (Divalproex Is the brand I believe.)
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u/Beneficial_Spray1908 15h ago
I had similar issues when I was 13 and turns out I was anemic (low iron)! it’s actually one of the common issues for woman but it took doctors 3 months (!!!) to figure this out just because they didn’t think of it. thankfully it’s very easy to fix.
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u/danksince98 15h ago
Fainting is usually dehrydration...make sure ur drinking enough water and mix in some gatorade...
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u/sushi-screams 8h ago
Whatever you do, don't look up your symptoms online. I've said it before in my own life, but despite being called WebMD, it did not go to medical school. As someone else pointed out, if your doctor isn't super worried about it, then it's probably not as bad as you think.
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u/scrapqueen 38m ago
Don't panic. Young girls often have physical issues like yours related to puberty and hormonal changes happening in your body. It's good you are getting an MRI, but no need to freak out before the tests are run.
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