Eyelid twithing, possible brain tumor!

[Caribou]

Unlike most of my posts, this post if for my mother.  Today while we were sitting at the dinner table we were talking about our day, and I made a funny comment and my mother quickly turned her head and made a funny comment back to her.  I looked at her face and her right eyelid was slightly drooping.  I asked her about it and she said that she was probably going to go to the doctor about it.  I asked her how long it has been going on for and she said for a couple of days.  She said that it's just twitching, but it looked like it was drooping a little bit.  I asked her if she had any other symptoms.  Like a sever headache, nausea/vomiting, loss of balance, all of the brain tumor symptoms and she said no.
So my question is, what are the odds that this is a brain tumor or just a stress related/other benign cause.  She's 55 years old.
I'll add in more details later if anything else goes on.

[SighNoMore]

When I am stressed my eyelid twitches constantly. In fact I had eyelid twitching for about 2 weeks straight and never thought brain tumor. In the absence of other symptoms I wouldn't think this is any concern.

Lack of sleep can also cause twitching.

[NeedToChillOut]

Interesting; I have not had enough sleep lately, and I've had a twitch in my left eyelid on and off for months now.  My work involves staring at a computer screen and watching constantly changing numbers (stock trader) and of course, it's stressful, too.  The more intensely I have to watch and the more stressed-out I am, the more my eyelid twitches.  I think it has to do with not sleeping enough, too, as the above poster said. 

The twitch is so strong that it interferes with vision in that eye, but it's only for a second at a time.

[Caribou]

Sorry I should also mention, I asked her again.  She told me every now and then she gets a headache.  I'm really scared about this.  She said only if it gets worse then she will go to the doctors.  I want her to go regardless...how can I convince her?  I actually went in my room and cried because I couldn't take the thought of what could happen - I don't want to mention it.   

[SighNoMore]

Random headaches and eye twitching does not make a brain tumor. I think you are projecting your anxiety onto her. I have both of these issues and don't think I have a brain tumor.

Hope you can find some peace :)

[NeedToChillOut]

I have headaches sort of frequently and I know it's from stress.  Eye twitches are from stress, too.  I think you might be stressing your mom out even more than she already is.   Really, eyelids twitch due to fatigue and due to stress.

[Slangevar]

I wouldn't get freaked out by the headaches... most people get occasional headaches. I also wouldn't jump to brain tumor... there are many causes of a drooping eyelid.

Are you SURE it was drooping?  And are you sure it wasn't drooping before? (Look at photos... people with HA have notoriously bad memories.)  Did you give her the stroke test?  (Not that she's having one, but you should always test for it when something on someone's face starts to unnaturally droop.) 

If it was just twitching, don't worry about it. Vitamin deficiencies and fatigue are by far the biggest causes of an eye twitch. If it was drooping, though, she should probably just get it checked out. Not that there's anything wrong... it could be anything from allergies to just the way her face is aging... but any physical symptom like that should be looked at.

[Caribou]

Well when she has the headaches, they are very minor she said.  And when she takes something for them, they go away.  And with her eyelid, she said it will twitch and sag only slightly, for a split second and then it's over.  Like you really have to look a the eyelid because it happened so fast.  It occurs from what she said at the most 3 times a day.

[NeedToChillOut]

Caribou, this happens to me constantly!  Not right now, but I forgot to say yesterday that as I was typing my response, my eyelid was starting up.  It really is related to being tired and stressed.  I also get headaches fairly often but brain tumor is something I never think about.  These are just common things, and an eye twitch is as harmless as it gets.  Sort of like hiccups.

[sixpack]

Random headaches and eye twitching does not make a brain tumor. I think you are projecting your anxiety onto her. I have both of these issues and don't think I have a brain tumor.

Hope you can find some peace :)

I agree with sighnomore...

my dad and sis had brain tumors and I've known personally or through family members others with brain tumors.  You are making a HUGE leap...  an illogical one to boot.

[Twobittehz]

No worries! My eye will go months straight with twitching and then I'll have headaches too. I know I don't have a brain tumor so you mother's symptoms don't point to one either. If she's concerned, definitely get some peace of mind.

Good luck and don't worry :D

[Slangevar]

I feel like I've had that happen to me when I'm a bit tired and dehydrated. Sounds like she's okay, Caribou, but just have her let you know if she has any other symptoms that develop.

[sassparella]

I get spells when my eye twitches, it can last a week or more every day. I just put it down to tiredness or stress, it always goes eventually.

[Caribou]

Well I asked her how it was yesterday and she said the eye twitching, and dropping were better than the day before.  But this morning I asked her again and she said that she woke up with a bad headache.  Now she has woken up with a headache before, but I'm just really worried.  I have told her to go to the doctor but she just says "I'll wait and see."

I don't want it to be something serious and then have it be too late.  If she didn't have the headaches, I wouldn't be so concerned.  She said the headache went away...and she didn't have any nausea either.

[sixpack]

Well I asked her how it was yesterday and she said the eye twitching, and dropping were better than the day before.  But this morning I asked her again and she said that she woke up with a bad headache.  Now she has woken up with a headache before, but I'm just really worried.  I have told her to go to the doctor but she just says "I'll wait and see."

I don't want it to be something serious and then have it be too late.  If she didn't have the headaches, I wouldn't be so concerned.  She said the headache went away...and she didn't have any nausea either.

I get BAD headaches that DON'T go away with advil and the like.  Do I have a brain tumor?

and why are you so hyped up on nausea?  can nausea accompany a brain tumor?  sure but not everyone with a brain tumor gets nausea.  My dad and sister didn't.  Well my dad did when he was on chemo but that is another story.

again, you are projecting fears.  Your mom is a grown up.  She knows when something needs to be addressed.    Another way to look at it is this:    who in this relationship---your mom or you---- tends to jump to catastrophic health conclusions?  Which person tends to see things like headaches etc as something sinister and who thinks, "I have a headache, what of it"?   

[Caribou]

I don't know why, but I worry way more about her own health than she does.  I just wish that she would go to the doctor so that if it's nothing then I'll be able to relax...I know that sounds stupid but like I said I worry so much about her.  And if it was something then it could be caught earlier rather than later.  And it's not just her health, it's anyone in my family.  It's like I'd actually rather it be me if something was wrong, because I wouldn't want to see any of them suffer.
Is it possible to not only have health anxiety about yourself, but for other people too?  Or am I just a complete lunatic?

[sixpack]

it isn't unusual for HA to manifest the way it is in you.

but, like anyone with HA----if she just went to the doctor you wouldn't relax.  that is a lie that you and and your anxiety tell yourself.  anxiety isn't relieved by doc visits and continual reassurance.

what are you doing to address you faulty over thinking?  what is working? what isn't?  what are you willing to do?

[mollyfin]

I feel your pain.  I worry about my mom and my significant other a lot as well as myself.  It's normal for us to do that.  But as always, we can't live anyone else's lives for them. 

I'm not quite clear on whether her eyelid was drooping or twitching, but a twitch is something that happens to everyone at some point or another, and drooping eyelids are a natural part of aging.  If that's all she's got going on, I wouldn't be too worried.  (Well, I WOULD be, in your shoes, because like you, I have health anxiety and go to the worst possible scenario.  But there's probably no need to be worried, is my point.)

[Caribou]

Well then can I ask this question, if she did have a brain tumor, what would be the symptoms that would show themselves?  I know that some brain tumors don't even show symptoms, but if they did, generally what would my mom be showing?

[mollyfin]

Those sorts of questions are playing with fire...inevitably you will start asking "but what if this was really that?  What if what I thought was x was really y?" etc. 

[Caribou]

I know that's true about me.  I do say the what if and what not.  But the reason I say that is because that chance is always there.  There's always that chance that something could be seriously wrong.  I seriously wish I wasn't like this.
Is there any possible way that I could just convince her to see a doctor anyway?  She hasn't had a checkup or even seen a doctor in about 2 years.

[SighNoMore]

You can ask her to go, but she is a grown woman and makes her own decisions. You can only do so much. I know you love her and want the very best for her, but she can't be forced to go.

[Caribou]

Okay I should ask this question...what are the statistical odds of it being a brain tumor?  I mean can I at least ask that so I have some indication?

[sixpack]

Well then can I ask this question, if she did have a brain tumor, what would be the symptoms that would show themselves?  I know that some brain tumors don't even show symptoms, but if they did, generally what would my mom be showing?

instead of asking what brain tumor symptoms are and then have you start looking for them in your mother......... which, btw, is only feeding your disorder...............  why not start dealing with your anxiety disorder?

what are you doing proactively?  anything?

[sixpack]

Okay I should ask this question...what are the statistical odds of it being a brain tumor?  I mean can I at least ask that so I have some indication?

why would we know that?

why not ask yourself how you can deal with your anxiety rather than asking us to help feed your faulty thinking?  asking for stats isn't going to help you in the long run or even the short run.  you'll doubt the stats or find that there is some possiblity and it will continue your anxiety  OR you'll just move onto a new disease that your mom could have