Could these symptoms be a brain tumour? Or something else?

[BethLeeds]

I have had severe headaches now for about 2 years. 18 months ago I went to the doctors because they were getting worse, and was told I would just have to hope that they go away (!). I'm not one to really push things, so I went away and last December went to the opticians instead because they were still getting worse, and by now I was noticing a slight colour difference in my eyes. They said they would refer me back to the doctors for further tests. This apparently took them 4 months because I received a letter this week and had an appointment today.

The doctor said the opticians letter said I had something called 'red desaturation' in one eye. In the same eye, I have been experiencing twitching at certain points every day for probably 6 months, and it gets worse when I have a headache. Alongside the twitching, I am having headaches virtually every day, which are worse in the mornings and quite severe, sometimes making me feel sick and nauseous and becoming worse if I bend over or cough. If I shake my head even slighty more than mildly I get an intense pain in the top of my head. Painkillers don't really make a difference. The pain ranges from sharp and stabbing above my eyes to feeling like there is a huge pressure on top of my head.

I have also noticed in the past couple of weeks that the hearing in my right ear is significantly decreased, it sounds as though everything is muffled as if I am hearing things underwater. My left ear is crystal clear.

Today I had a dizzy spell whilst having a headache, this has happened a couple of times. I hope this isn't too much information but I didn't know what to include or leave out so I'm playing it safe.

Does anybody know what these symptoms could mean? I'm looking for any advice really, because my doctor didn't tell me what any of it could mean, just that she is sending me for a head and brain scan (she didn't give specifics). What could the scan be for? And does anybody have an idea about the symptoms? Thanks a lot, I'd appreciate any help anybody could give me

[Maria RN]

Hi. The brain scan will help in determining presence of brain diseases or tumors that could have been contributing to your symptoms. Ear symptoms, for example, could indicate diseases of temporal bone which is on the side of the skull.

Here's Dr. Joshua's blog entry about brain scan: http://www.drjoshua.com/2008/01/09/brain-cyst-can-they-be-diagnosed-with-ct-scan/

[Dr. Tadeo]

You have many symptoms, and doctors must find the main cause of those symptoms. That is the reason why they decided to do scan of your head. Symptoms, you have described, may be caused generally by different disorders. I don`t have oportunity to examine you so I can`t say anything for sure.
If you have problem with your sight and headaches, CT or MRI of your head often could reveal possible cause of your symptoms. One of the possibilities is head tumor, but no one can say now that you suffer from it, without proper examination.
Another options are a migraine, and retina`s disorders.

I think that more examinations should be done.