Symptoms are often triggered as the tumour grows, causing the pressure to rise inside the brain (sometimes called raised intracranial pressure). This often leads to:
- Headaches - these may be most painful in the morning, along with this you may feel or be sick, and feel drowsy.
- Fits, muscle spasms and falling unconscious -These could be due to epilepsy - a fairly common symptom of brain tumours.
- Becoming irritable - or losing interest in everyday activities, such as work or studies
- Blurred vision, problems with balance and feeling confused
- Symptoms can also be related to the tumour's position inside the brain, which prevents it from working properly. These can include unsteadiness when walking, or a weakness down one side of the body, loss of smell and speech difficulties and hormonal imbalance.
If you have any of these symptoms, or are worried that you may have a brain tumour, the first thing to do is see your family doctor (GP). They'll examine you and refer you onto a hospital if they think you need to see a specialist doctor.
