Gonna get myself a brain scan

[Vigilante]

I just cant cope anymore, Im off to the GP 2moro to get a private scan ref

Last straw for me is this skin sensation stuff im feeling, burning, prickling, tingling, electric shock feelings and sunburn like skin from head to toe...nothing is working for it, skin creams, pain killers, amitriptyline im a mess.

I dont just think I have a brain tumor I think I have a brain stem tumor...

[hsaadh]

Good luck, I am getting a private MRI done tomorrow (created a thread recently about it)

http://www.anxietyzone.com/index.php/topic,66130.0.html

Make sure you get an MRI WITH contrast but prior to that have your creatinine levels checked (due to the contrast dye).

I hope for both our sakes that we're all right and it's just anxiety.

[sixpack]

well good luck with all that.  personally I have a friend whose daughter had a brain stem tumor.  Of course she had SCARY stuff going on with her.

and whether you get a scan with contrast or not, won't matter as tumors are picked up either way.  On the other side of the coin, I've had contrasted MRIs.  I didn't need any bloodwork to check creatine levels.... 

and btw--your last straw argument that means you must have a scan...  well I've had all that garbage and, honestly, more.  and no tumors and what not. and truthfully I don't see how those = tumor.....


again as I posted to your remarks on another's thread today....   chasing down symptoms and getting all kinds of med testing is like hiring a plumber to fix an electrical problem.

I hope I am wrong and that scan will ACTUALLY cure your anxiety and you will move on and not to just another disease fear....... it is your body; you can deal with your anxiety disorder as you see fit.  so, again, good luck with all of that.

[marc]

Back a little over 5 years ago, I was getting sensations that felt like things were crawling on top of my
head and it tingled and burned sometimes. My MRI with and without contrast was clear and I was told by my
physician that tension in your back, shoulders and neck can cause tingling, burning, crawling and other weird
sensations on your head.

[greend]

I've had MRI's on my brain and my entire spine, plus many more tests and everything came back normal.  My symptoms either are or have been the sunburned feeling, prickly tingly feelings in the skin of my legs and a hypersensitive feeling.  The symptoms are exclusively on my legs.  There are times during the day when the feelings are almost non-existent and I think, hmmm, maybe it is anxiety. But when it is really annoying and quite severe, I'm like you and think it has to be something awful.  Living with these feelings is so depressing.

I am trying to deal with my anxiety.  Recently I started on cipralex.  It seems to have helped the anxiety a bit.  But, as sixpack, floridaguy and a host of others have mentioned, dealing with your anxiety is imperative.  Reading self help books always give me a sense of hope,  maybe they will do the same for you.

I hope you feel well soon and let us know how everything goes.

[Maisie77]

All my best for you! Keep us posted!

[mollyfin]

Good luck!  I'd bet anything I have that it'll come back all clear...the symptoms you describe sound a lot like anxiety symptoms many people here have :)

I'm worried about a cerebellar tumor myself...but I'm determined not to ask for tests my doctors don't recommend on their own. 

[Vigilante]

Even this is proving difficult.....uk and nhs....call at 8:00am to see a dr, I had on speed dial for 20 mins and finally get through to the receptionist, no appointments left, oh sorry no call slots left either....told her I wanted a private mri referal and all I get is oh ill get someone to call you back.

Its like everyone is just uninterested in actually helping me.

The pain im in at the moment is crazy too, I have what feels like someone has skinned me down my legs and arms, a kind of raw pain that seems to follow the bones as well as all my skin feeling sore/tingly to the touch. anyone have any idea what I can do to try and stop this pain?

[sixpack]

The pain im in at the moment is crazy too, I have what feels like someone has skinned me down my legs and arms, a kind of raw pain that seems to follow the bones as well as all my skin feeling sore/tingly to the touch. anyone have any idea what I can do to try and stop this pain?   

work on the anxiety disorder would be a good start in getting all kinds of symptoms to go away.

I'm still wondering why you think that having burning skin down your legs and arms are congruent to brain tumor???

[Vigilante]

HA the utter cheek of the doctors im registered with...got a letter this morning moaning that I went to A+E (oh dear it cost them money)! If I was them id back the hell away from me right now. Letter went on to say if I would like to discuss further...damn right I would like to discuss further infact im going there in 1 hour and lets have it out.

Oh still didnt get a call back from them either.

six - im not sure whats going on, I just had a warm bath right now and my skin feels like prickly and almost like massive goosebumps to touch anything but its not the skin surface its almost internal, it also gives that burning type pain - im thinking its paresthesia (sp) or neuropathy related. The only other time I felt anything remotely like this was when I had a bad back for 3 months and I had the backs of legs do a burning type pain but that was one area not all over my body.

My palms started sweating a little over a week ago and havent stopped and I also get burning palms and soles of my feet that wont go away as well.

[sixpack]

I've known several peeps who have had brain tumors either directly or via family.... two of which were my dad and sister.  So I know what they experienced.  AND it isn't want you are complaining about at all.


So if you want to say anxiety can not do all of this, that is fine, I suppose....   BUT and while, I don't think you have this either, when I had all and more that you describe, I attributed it to MS.  As sensory symptoms are more congruent with MS.  Of course, I didn't have that, either, when I feared it 3 times over the years, I do know, from fam and friends, tumors really don't behave like that. 

but you do all the testing you want...  and, again, I hope the testings fix your anxiety...  It hasn't for peeps around here in the past as they either don't believe docs/tests or they just move onto the next fear.  I suppose, though, there is always the first time. 

good luck and be well.

[Vigilante]

headaches are a sign of MS too?

good god actually think id rather have ms out the two!

headache was my primary symptom not so long back, but over the past few weeks they have all but disappeared....havent felt much in the way of headache for like 3-4 days now and even then it was slight pressure around my left side of my face - but I know from the CT scan I have polyps in my maxillary sinus there.

Im pretty sure one of my eyelids droops, at least when I tilt my head back while looking in a mirror it drops down faster than the other..? Also my speech is kinda messed, if I ask other people they say I only mess up my speech the same amount as any other person but it feels like im constantly searching for words or saying wrong words?

Also had night sweating but that seems to have gone, as well as increased saliva production which also seems to have gone?

strange stuff to say the least

[sixpack]

headaches are a sign of MS too?

good god actually think id rather have ms out the two!

headache was my primary symptom not so long back, but over the past few weeks they have all but disappeared....havent felt much in the way of headache for like 3-4 days now and even then it was slight pressure around my left side of my face - but I know from the CT scan I have polyps in my maxillary sinus there.

Im pretty sure one of my eyelids droops, at least when I tilt my head back while looking in a mirror it drops down faster than the other..? Also my speech is kinda messed, if I ask other people they say I only mess up my speech the same amount as any other person but it feels like im constantly searching for words or saying wrong words?

Also had night sweating but that seems to have gone, as well as increased saliva production which also seems to have gone?

strange stuff to say the least

  I don't think you have brain tumor or MS. actually what I think is that you are an anxietal mess.  But it doesn't matter what I think

[Vigilante]

Im defo an anxietal mess that is for certain, and I do value your opinion six, more than I do my doctors to be honest. Im still sat here waiting for his call after I left not one but two messages with the receptionist.

[Vigilante]

Well he finally called me back - 7pm, and when I asked for a private referal, he asked me to come and see him on thursday and he will check me out neurologically and order more blood tests, hes still sure its not a brain tumor.

Blood tests including b12, vit d and so on.

[sixpack]

Well he finally called me back - 7pm, and when I asked for a private referal, he asked me to come and see him on thursday and he will check me out neurologically and order more blood tests, hes still sure its not a brain tumor.

Blood tests including b12, vit d and so on.

so your doc and I think alike.

btw--it is a common almost, in thing to check B12 and vit d nowadays.  my vit d was on the lower side last year.  now it is in the mid range.  i simply took supplements.  didn't feel any different either way.  my b12 is always normal.   but anxiety and stress doesn't care about that.  I just end up with aches/pains/tingles and whatnot  any ole way due to stress.

[ejmommy]

Vigilante,

I have to agree with sixpack. This does not sound symptomatic of a brain tumor. My grandfather had a brain tumor and had nothing of the sort. He randomly passed out one day, then started having seizures.

Also like sixpack, I have your symptoms and attributed it to MS (and I'm NOT saying that's what you have at all). Pretty much everything you described, including the burning hands and feet. The feet were what set me off in the first place. I even had the symptoms after a warm bath like you describe, which COMPLETELY freaked me out after I read MS symptoms are worse with heat. I got out of a hot bath and my legs were so prickly it was a bit painful. They tensed up and I had to lay down to relieve it. Does anyone know if it is usual for these type of symptoms to be caused by anxiety and to also get worse with heat??

However, several weeks after that incident, and after months of all the other stuff, my MRI came back clear. By all means, get yourself checked out to the extent your doctor sees fit, but I have definitely been there and everything came back fine.

Also, I'm not sure an MRI will help you as much as you think. I had mine in October and the relief was short lived. I still struggle every day. Not saying that will be the case with you, just saying it may not be what (or at least all) you need to get better.

Good luck with your testing Thursday!

[hsaadh]

All I can say is my MRI helped ease my mind a lot.
The symptoms are still there but it's the best 400$ I've ever spent.

[greend]

I've had neuro symptoms as well and have had many tests to rule things out, such as an MRI.  Everything came back normal.  These neuro symptoms are annoying weird things for sure.  Good luck on Thursday and let us know how everything goes.  Wishing you well.

[kjoyce]

Could some of your symptoms be a degenerative disc disease? Ive been diagnosed with cervical disc disease a year ago. My symptoms are: dizziness, headache, pressure in the head, fainting-like feeling, stiff neck, pain in the neck and shoulders, numbness in  hands. It's a serious condition but can it be managed with some physiotherapy which I am going to start soon.
Goodluck with your tests!!!

[Vigilante]

Thanks all,

Having a real bad day today, I had a hospital appointment to see how my trial of a contact lens is going for the keratoconus (eye disease) of my left eye was going, I havent been using because it makes me see multiple vision in focus. Got told there is nothing more they can do for me other than send me to a top cornea specialist, they think I have posterior keratoconus.

My panic is in overdrive right now, my left hand is burning like crazy, I was almost forgetting to breath for the past few hours had to keep telling myself breath breath breath I was starting to think again that brain tumour was causing one eye to see double vision but it cant from what I read anyway, its not a problem of muscles or movement, it can be refracted completely with a pin hole.

waiting now for the optomotrist to talk to my opthamologist about the referal, im facing a cornea transplant in reality. (if I live that long ofc)

[sixpack]

All I can say is my MRI helped ease my mind a lot.
The symptoms are still there but it's the best 400$ I've ever spent.

I hope that MRI holds up for you and staves off further worrying about x or y or z diseases.  Maybe you will be the first peep I've seen here at AZ that it has worked that way.  AND that would be wonderful.  However, the typical anxious person that goes for med testing doesn't find lasting peace.  Some just find fault in the test or doctor straight away.  Some accept the results of the test only to move onto a new disease a day or a week or a month later that wasn't covered by the most recent medical testing.   As we know reassurance be it from family, friends, repeat doc visits or med testing doesn't fix anxiety disorders.  As I said, I liken it to hiring a plumber to fix an electrical problem.

[sixpack]

Thanks all,

Having a real bad day today, I had a hospital appointment to see how my trial of a contact lens is going for the keratoconus (eye disease) of my left eye was going, I havent been using because it makes me see multiple vision in focus. Got told there is nothing more they can do for me other than send me to a top cornea specialist, they think I have posterior keratoconus.

My panic is in overdrive right now, my left hand is burning like crazy, I was almost forgetting to breath for the past few hours had to keep telling myself breath breath breath I was starting to think again that brain tumour was causing one eye to see double vision but it cant from what I read anyway, its not a problem of muscles or movement, it can be refracted completely with a pin hole.

waiting now for the optomotrist to talk to my opthamologist about the referal, im facing a cornea transplant in reality. (if I live that long ofc)

I'm sorry your obsessive worrying has caused your body to feel so badly.  Minus the issue with your cornea, the rest, imo, is all your mind throwing you around like a rag doll.  I am also sorry that you have such a tremondously hard time making the connection that your body reacts to what the brain tells it  AND if your brain is stressed, it doesn't send out calm signals.  WHich makes a body react physically. 

but, it does take time to come to a logical (easy part) and emotional (hard part) understanding of anxiety.

[Vigilante]

took myself on a history lesson just now.

Thinking when did my worry first start and how?

around 22nd September 2012 I had a 2/3 week long flu/cold virus which was pretty bad on top of allergic rhinitis that I already had, I already had the eye problems way before this having made GP appointments about this as much as 3 months before this date.

I contacted specsavers "ask the optician" via their web site regarding the eye problems on 01/10/2012, I got a reply on 02/10/2012 here is the link http://www.specsavers.co.uk/ask-the-optician/?p=37176 in that 3 paragraphs down I mention Brain Tumors/MS, the reason I did was because I was already worrying about having one just with this eye problem - this was in and around the days my headaches began THE HEADACHES DID NOT START BEFORE.

I know the eye problem is not a symptom of brain tumors because I have a real cornea problem, evidence from corneal topography and slit lamp exams, the reason I cannot correct with a lens, is because the cornea shape does not match the cornea thickness meaning I have more going on with my cornea other than "normal Keratoconus"

So what does this mean? I have somehow worried myself into this mess of symptoms without their actually being a disease, or did I have some kind of premonition?

Oh and headaches? I had them constantly for 3 months then on and off and now havent had one in 5 days???!

OK...if this appointment goes as I expect on thursday and the GP thinks its anxiety related im asking to go back on Venlafaxine - effexor.

[Vigilante]

Saw the GP earlier who did some nuero exams on me, including, reflexes, sensations, balance, coordination, muscle strength and blah blah all completely normal...she dont think for one second there is much going on, so had bloods done for liver, kidneys, CBC, Vit D, B12 and whatever else. Follow up next week.

still got these sensations, my legs being the worst pains like someone poured acid down my legs and so on, itching, tingling appears to have gone and I just have these burning style pains. Anxiety?