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Brain tumour? Cancer?

For over a month now I have been dizzy. At first it was continuous, but then it slowed into episodes. However, the episodes are very frequent, and for the past three days it has returned to being continuous. I have visited my GP and they did a full blood test and everything came back normal. Doctor says it's just a virus. But does a virus honestly take this long to go?

Other symptoms include occasional ice-pick headaches, and a tight pressure, like someone has tied a band around my brain. This pressure started behind my nose and has now gone. This dizziness is all that is left and causes me to feel off-balance. It isn't vertigo, although doctor prescribed me vertigo pills and they did nothing for me. During the blood test I mentioned above, I fainted, but because it was a fasting one, and fainting during a test is common, I put it down just to that, although it did not stop me from worrying a little.

Today the dizziness has remained and I had to call in sick for work. It is affecting everything, but as I have visited A&E twice already, they see my cognitive functions are fine, and besides the dizziness, I am otherwise okay, so they don't seem concerned. It doesn't help that a friend of mine has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumour, stage three, and doesn't have long left to live, and my other friends are saying things to me like 'those are the same symptoms as what she had, and the doctors ignored her too', and so that doesn't help. I do suffer from anxiety, but I had been having an okay year before this dizziness started out of the blue. Now all I can do is think about this thing being something serious like cancer or something, and I'm trying to be calm, but doctor keeps telling me it's a virus, and no one is referring me to have a brain scan. I am deeply concerned and being exposed to the 'tumour' gossip is doing nothing to help me. Is it possible that this could just be a virus? Can I request a CT scan? Could my anxiety be the culprit for something as lengthy and severe as this?
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973741 tn?1342342773
This is unfortunate and I've been in your shoes.  As I stated above, I had inner ear issues. This can be common after a virus?  But or me, it was Eustachian tube dysfunction.  Clearing it took place by my holding my nose and blowing which pops your ears. You do it over and over.  The medication I take that helps is also ibuprofen which cuts down on inflammation there and antihistamines like OTC claritan.  Then on a really bad day, I might take a pseudoephedrine which is over the counter but you have to ask a pharmacist for it as it is not kept on the open shelf.  Those things help me tremendously.

If this has been going on for a month---  do you also have a swooshing when changing positions on a pillow laying down (like when you are in bed)? Do you have ear fullness?  Occasional ringing? And any reduction in ability to hear that is intermittent? Those too are signs.

AGain, this has been going on long enough that I really advise you to see an ENT.  Is that possible?
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Avatar universal
I feel like that often. I even have like skull ridges. Iv gone dr. Dermo, ent. Ent said I have eustation tube dysfunction which will cause alot of that. It affects sinuses. I feel like my head buzzes at times and like a weakened feel in head. My body almost feels like ya do after a bout of flu. Been Goin on a couple yrs now. I am beginning to think Mennieres disease. I kep getting debilitating  dizzy spells. So far 3x this year, yet in between those I feel as tho I'm right on the verge of another spell..look up that..who knows..just hoping to gt some answers. Tired of feeling like this.
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3 Comments
I too have had Eustachian tube dysfunction and that is truly awful.  Have you tried the clearing of your ears by reverse ear pops?  this was something that was shown to me by my ENT.  There is another kind of issue that causes the same problems and an ENT can reposition your head to clear.  It's called dizziness/vertigo due to inner ear crystals.  I was like WHATTT?  I have crystals in my inner ear?  But apparently it's a real thing.  So, an ENT is a good person to see!
Yes,  iv had the repositioning done. I also do the epley manuver at home. Reverse ear pops? Not sure but is that where ya hold yr nose an blow? My ent told me to do tht 15x daily. Needless to say I'm lucky to do it 1x a day. My dizzy spells seem to hit me a few x a yr but I always have the feeling in my head that feels like it's on the verge of hitting. When Tha do hit I am 3 days in bed not able to get up. Then weak and shake few days after that. Horrible!!!
Saw yr later text with info. Thank you for sharing. I have Tinnitis, ringing in ears 24/7 . Iv had this mess for 3 yrs..no fun!

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