Brain Tumors

Posted on January 8, 2010 by admin

Brain Tumors:  Understanding This Condition

Brain tumors are a life threatening condition that affects many people and can even effect pets.  A tumor is a lump or mass that is found in the brain or on the outside of the brain. They start very small, but the cells that make them up multiply quickly and cause the tumor to grow.  Those cells are abnormal, which means they do not behave as other cells in your body.  Sometimes, these cells are also cancerous.  In all situations, it is important to get help for these tumors as soon as possible as this will help you to improve your survival rate and help you to get back to living life happily.

Brain Tumor Symptoms And Signs

Knowing that a brain tumor is growing is one of the most important considerations for those that have these.  To know that you have a brain tumor, you must be able to spot some changes in the day to day life and the way your body is reacting.  One of the most common brain tumor symptoms and signs is the headache.  Headache pain associated with brain tumors is unique in that it starts out very gradually and then builds up over time.  In most situations, the pain is more severe and often has a different pattern than that of a standard headache you may have had in the past.

It is also important to consider signs of brain tumor growth that are different.  For example, depending on the location of the tumor, you may have symptoms that include difficulty speaking clearly, problems with hearing, vision problems including blurry vision, double vision or the loss of peripheral vision.  You may also experience seizures, which are often caused by the location of the tumor on nerves.   In all of these situations, the location of the tumor determines the type of symptoms you will see.

As you can expect, when a tumor is found in children or pets, noticing these symptoms is difficult.  When it comes to a brain tumor children face, you may notice developmental issues or problems with things that they have already learned such as problems with speech.  Another example of how difficult it can be to notice symptoms of brain tumors is in pets.  Brain tumors in dogs are hard to spot because they can not tell you of their pain.  In dogs, look for problems walking, housebreaking accidents as well as whining and whimpering.

There is not always a clear brain tumor cause.  In some patients, the cause is evident because the cancer has spread from other cancerous areas of the body, usually already known to the doctor.  In other cases, the brain tumor may not have another source.  In these situations, most of the time there is no known cause for the tumor.  This can be very difficult to understand but most often, doctors do not know what is causing the brain tumor to happen.

When a brain tumor is found in a patient, doctors will study the tumor closely in the hopes of determining if it is cancerous or non cancerous. T hey will test it and work to reduce and swelling, inflammation or any fluid that is surrounding the brain due to the tumor.  From here, the most common treatment is removal.  Brain tumor removal is perhaps the only way to cure the patient from the condition.  In some situations it can not be done.  Whenever possible, doctors will use various treatment methods to help them get the patient over the condition.  Nevertheless, damage to the brain can happen.  Each individual case is unique though and must be treated as a unique problem.

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Early Signs

Posted on January 7, 2010 by admin

Brain Tumor Symptoms:  Early Warnings To Get Help

Brain tumor symptoms will differ from one person to the next, but they always provide a clear indication that you need to seek out medical help.There are many conditions that can be the cause of some of these symptoms and ruling out potentially fatal conditions such as tumors is what your doctor will do.  Prior to learning what the brain tumor symptoms are, you should understand what a brain tumor is and how it affects the body.

There are over 120 different types of brain tumors that you could experience.  What’s more, each of these offers various subtypes. This can make for a large and ever increasing number of problems that could be causing your condition.  Brain tumors are often graded, or assigned a specific number according to their risk potential.  The lowest grade of Grade 1 is the least malignant form of the tumor.  The highest is that of Grade IV which is the most malignant.  The process of understanding the brain tumor gets even worse: the same type of tumor can be called several things and doctors often call them by different names!  This makes for a very complicated diagnosis process for the average person without a medical degree.

Many people first want to know if the brain tumor is malignant, which means that is it cancerous.  While this is something that doctors will determine as quickly as possible, it is important to realize that even non malignant tumors are difficult to treat and to understand.

The Symptoms Of Brain Tumors

Brain tumor symptoms are varied based on what type of brain tumor it is.  As you can see, with so many different types of tumors, it can be very confusing to know what you are suffering from the symptoms alone.  For this reason, prior to working on your own diagnosis, seek out the help of your doctor who has the technology and experience to pinpoint exactly what is being the brain tumor symptoms you are experiencing.

There is another problem with these symptoms.  Many of the symptoms that are evident in your behavior and feelings are things that you are likely to face for other neurological problems, too.  They mimic various other disorders, making it hard to determine that there is the potential for a tumor rather than one of these other considerations.  On the other hand, your doctor will know exactly what type of tests need to be run to figure out what the underlying problem is.  Both CT scans and MRI’s are done to help rule out any and all possibilities.  I you feel that your doctor is misdiagnosing you, then ask about the possibility of running additional tests to determine if there is in fact a brain tumor causing this condition.

Immediate Brain Tumor Symptoms

Some symptoms are instant considerations for tests to determine if a brain tumor is behind them. If you have any of these, your doctor should be notified as soon as possible.

  • An adult that has a seizure that is new and not something they have had previously.  If it happens differently, to a different degree or if this is the first time they have had a seizure, this could be a potential symptom.
  • If the individual has a gradual loss of movement in their arm or their leg, or both, this could be a symptom.  In addition, if there is a gradual loss of sensation or the feeling of being touched in the arm or the leg, this too can be a symptom.
  • Individuals may experience a feeling of being unsteady or unable to balance themselves.  This often happens with the combination of a headache.
  • Vision loss can also be a sign of a brain tumor.  In this case, it could be partial or whole vision loss, brought on suddenly or rapidly over a period of time.  What’s more, it is especially of concern if it is peripheral vision loss specifically.
  • If the individual has had an eating disorder as a child, this could be a symptom of a brain tumor.
  • Speech difficulties can be brain tumor symptoms, but usually only when this happens as a gradual onset rather than all at once.  This could be a sign of another condition, such as a stroke, if the speech difficulties such as slurring happen suddenly.
  • A loss of hearing that is unexplainable can also be a symptom
  • Double vision is another symptom of a brain tumor.  This is especially true when double vision happens along with a headache.

Brain Tumor Symptoms That Could Be

In addition to those symptoms, there are other symptoms that can be considered a symptom of a brain tumor, but are not necessarily the case.

For example, a headache is almost always associated with a brain tumor, but only a specific type.  Some that are considered important to monitor are those that are a steady headache that is worse in the morning hours over the evening.  Or, one that is persistent and is associated with vomiting or the feeling of needing to vomit.  Headaches that accompany any of the symptoms above are also considered worrisome brain tumor symptoms.

Another condition that can by a symptom of a brain tumor is that of behavior changes.  For example, in some cases, individuals develop a negative attitude or even memory loss.  They may be unable to concentrate or may appear to be confused frequently.  Another change is amenorrhea, which is the sudden stopping of menstruation as well as infertility.  In addition, there are some cases where people will be treated for other, more common and more likely conditions with the underlying problem being the brain tumor.  For example, a stroke may appear to be a stroke on a CT scan when in fact it is a brain tumor that is causing these symptoms.

Because it is so difficult to understand what could be a brain tumor, it is very essential that anyone that thinks that they are suffering from these brain tumor symptoms get the help they need as soon as possible.

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Immediate Brain Tumor Symptoms

Posted on January 7, 2010 by admin

Some symptoms are instant considerations for tests to determine if a brain tumor is behind them. If you have any of these symptoms, your doctor should be notified as soon as possible:

  • An adult that has a seizure that is new and not something they have had previously.  If it happens differently, to a different degree or if this is the first time they have had a seizure, this could be a potential symptom.
  • If the individual has a gradual loss of movement in their arm or their leg, or both, this could be a symptom.  In addition, if there is a gradual loss of sensation or the feeling of being touched in the arm or the leg, this too can be a symptom.
  • Individuals may experience a feeling of being unsteady or unable to balance themselves.  This often happens with the combination of a headache.    
  • Vision loss can also be a sign of a brain tumor.  In this case, it could be partial or whole vision loss, brought on suddenly or rapidly over a period of time.  What’s more, it is especially of concern if it is peripheral vision loss specifically.
  • If the individual has had an eating disorder as a child, this could be a symptom of a brain tumor.
  • Speech difficulties can be brain tumor symptoms, but usually only when this happens as a gradual onset rather than all at once.  This could be a sign of another condition, such as a stroke, if the speech difficulties such as slurring happen suddenly.
  • A loss of hearing that is unexplainable can also be a symptom.
  • Double vision is another symptom of a brain tumor.  This is especially true when double vision happens along with a headache.
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