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Brain tumour
A guide for patients and carers
What are the symptoms of a brain tumour?
These can be divided into a number of broad groups, but vary greatly from person to person.
i) Headache, drowsiness, blurring of vision
ii) Memory difficulties
iii) Weakness of one or more limbs, visual and speech problems
iv) Epileptic fits
The symptoms depend a great deal on where in the brain the tumour is situated.
i) Headache, drowsiness, blurring of vision
ii) Memory difficulties
iii) Weakness of one or more limbs, visual and speech problems
iv) Epileptic fits
The symptoms depend a great deal on where in the brain the tumour is situated.
It is important to remember that the presence of one or more of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have a brain tumour, nor should the above be seen as a comprehensive list of all the possible symptoms.
However, if you have been experiencing any of these symptoms, you should tell your GP or specialist. Doctors quite often find that family or friends notice the symptoms or changes first.
Remember also that headaches are very rarely due to a tumour – tension, tiredness etc. are much more common causes. However, people who suffer with severe, repeated and worsening headaches should seek medical advice.
Some of the more common problems linked with brain tumours are described in greater detail below.
Headache
If you have previously not usually suffered from headaches but begin to develop frequent and increasingly severe headaches then this could suggest the presence of a brain tumour. Nausea and vomiting linked to the headache may also be a symptom of a brain tumour, although this most often arises in simple migraine. If the headaches are associated with any of the other symptoms outlined below they should also be taken seriously.
Trouble on one side of the body
Numbness, tingling, weakness, or lack of coordination affecting one side of the body could indicate the presence of a brain tumour. These symptoms may come and go, but should certainly be reported to your doctor.
Visual problems
If you have difficulty focusing, double vision or a tendency to knock into things on one side because you don’t seem to see them on that side, you should also go to the doctor for a check up.
Speech disturbance
People who experience speech difficulties as a symptom of a brain tumour sometimes slur their words, but more usually their words become jumbled. This word jumbling is known as dysphasia. The person knows what they want to say and usually understands what is being said to them, but when they attempt to speak, the words that come out are quite wrong. They know the words are wrong and become very frustrated and often upset. It usually begins with having difficulty finding the right word or tripping up over simple sentences. We all do this from time to time, but this symptom becomes gradually worse until speech is quite incomprehensible. Later they may have difficulty in even understanding speech.
Epilepsy
The terms ‘fit’ and ‘seizure’ mean the same. Epilepsy is when someone has more than one fit. The nerve cells function electrically and the tumour may cause a local ‘electrical storm’ in the brain. This can result in shaking of one part of the body, e.g. the arm, leg or face. This is termed a ‘focal’ or ‘partial’ seizure. If the ‘electrical storm’ spreads to involve the whole brain, the person goes on to lose consciousness and may convulse. This is called a generalised seizure.
In a typical generalised seizure the person collapses with shaking or jerking movements in one or more limbs and becomes unconscious. Normally, the fit stops after a few minutes and is followed by a period of drowsiness while the brain recovers.
A partial or a generalised seizure may be the first warning sign of a tumour. Fits may occur at any time of the day or night, and the person who has had the fit may not realise what has happened if they are alone when it occurs. Unfortunately, fits may happen without warning.
What to do if someone has a fit
If you are present when someone has a fit, move any dangerous objects away from them and place a soft object such as a cushion or rolled-up jumper under their head. If possible, once the shaking has stopped, protect the head and turn the person’s head and body to one side. Trained first aiders should use the recovery position.
Do not attempt to restrict the person’s movement during the fit.
Do not try to put your finger in their mouth or remove any false teeth. Just wait until the fit stops. If the fit has not stopped after five minutes or if it is a person’s first fit, call an ambulance. If you suffer from epilepsy, it is important that someone close to you knows what to do.
However, if you have been experiencing any of these symptoms, you should tell your GP or specialist. Doctors quite often find that family or friends notice the symptoms or changes first.
Remember also that headaches are very rarely due to a tumour – tension, tiredness etc. are much more common causes. However, people who suffer with severe, repeated and worsening headaches should seek medical advice.
Some of the more common problems linked with brain tumours are described in greater detail below.
Headache
If you have previously not usually suffered from headaches but begin to develop frequent and increasingly severe headaches then this could suggest the presence of a brain tumour. Nausea and vomiting linked to the headache may also be a symptom of a brain tumour, although this most often arises in simple migraine. If the headaches are associated with any of the other symptoms outlined below they should also be taken seriously.
Trouble on one side of the body
Numbness, tingling, weakness, or lack of coordination affecting one side of the body could indicate the presence of a brain tumour. These symptoms may come and go, but should certainly be reported to your doctor.
Visual problems
If you have difficulty focusing, double vision or a tendency to knock into things on one side because you don’t seem to see them on that side, you should also go to the doctor for a check up.
Speech disturbance
People who experience speech difficulties as a symptom of a brain tumour sometimes slur their words, but more usually their words become jumbled. This word jumbling is known as dysphasia. The person knows what they want to say and usually understands what is being said to them, but when they attempt to speak, the words that come out are quite wrong. They know the words are wrong and become very frustrated and often upset. It usually begins with having difficulty finding the right word or tripping up over simple sentences. We all do this from time to time, but this symptom becomes gradually worse until speech is quite incomprehensible. Later they may have difficulty in even understanding speech.
Epilepsy
The terms ‘fit’ and ‘seizure’ mean the same. Epilepsy is when someone has more than one fit. The nerve cells function electrically and the tumour may cause a local ‘electrical storm’ in the brain. This can result in shaking of one part of the body, e.g. the arm, leg or face. This is termed a ‘focal’ or ‘partial’ seizure. If the ‘electrical storm’ spreads to involve the whole brain, the person goes on to lose consciousness and may convulse. This is called a generalised seizure.
In a typical generalised seizure the person collapses with shaking or jerking movements in one or more limbs and becomes unconscious. Normally, the fit stops after a few minutes and is followed by a period of drowsiness while the brain recovers.
A partial or a generalised seizure may be the first warning sign of a tumour. Fits may occur at any time of the day or night, and the person who has had the fit may not realise what has happened if they are alone when it occurs. Unfortunately, fits may happen without warning.
What to do if someone has a fit
If you are present when someone has a fit, move any dangerous objects away from them and place a soft object such as a cushion or rolled-up jumper under their head. If possible, once the shaking has stopped, protect the head and turn the person’s head and body to one side. Trained first aiders should use the recovery position.
Do not attempt to restrict the person’s movement during the fit.
Do not try to put your finger in their mouth or remove any false teeth. Just wait until the fit stops. If the fit has not stopped after five minutes or if it is a person’s first fit, call an ambulance. If you suffer from epilepsy, it is important that someone close to you knows what to do.
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