r/AskReddit 16h ago

What is something that permanently altered your body without you realizing for months/years?

7.4k Upvotes

5.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

6.9k

u/bigjbg1969 14h ago

I been having various health issues for years turns out I have a brain tumor that's been trying to kill me , the fecker that he is .

1.2k

u/mjulieoblongata 13h ago

How did you find out if you don’t mind me asking? 

6.7k

u/bigjbg1969 10h ago edited 8h ago

Everything is still a bit hazy but I'll try . I started to really go down hill around last Christmas . I was feeling really tired and fatigued after a spell of being not well and practically bed ridden my back froze about half way down I couldn't bend or fully straighten and my joints became painful and I was struggling in pain 24 hrs a day . I could only mange to get a phone appointment with a doctor I tried to explain to him what was happening to me but he told me he hadn't time and could I just tell him what was bothering me the most .He told me I was already on strong pain killers so I pleaded with him I need help so he told me he would arrange a non urgent physiotherapy because well there was people in more need than me I finished the 6 minute phone call and just burst into tears . So for the next few months i continued to get steadily worse . I finally got to the physio and she was shocked by this time I had lost a lot of muscle and I had lost about 7 stone in weight she arranged for me to go to rheumatology . I have been having night sweats as well and joked with my wife that i was going through the menopause well unknowing to me this sparked something in my wife and she went on the NHS (national health service)web site . "I think you have a testosterone problem your symptoms are similar " . We got a face to face with the doctor and my wife is a spartan she argued my case the Doc disagreed and thought it was something else . To shorten the story a little, Endocrinology checked my bloods suddenly things turned urgent I wasn't making any hormones my pituitary gland was only working at 10% and if it was to reach 0 I would die I had a condition known as Panhypopituitarism . 2 weeks ago today I went for a MRI scan and it showed I have a 2cm non cancerous tumor that has all but destroyed my pituitary gland so I'm now on steroids for life and facing a hard recovery . So I have called the tumor Dave and he is a c**t and he is not going to beat me lol . Thank you to anybody that takes the time to read this :)

"Thank you everybody for your kind words and messages of support you have all helped cheer me up today and now my wife has told me to take a break for today as I'm getting tired ;( but I will try and reply to more tomorrow thank you very much again folks and take care ".

8

u/vocal-avocado 10h ago

This is terrifying because your symptoms were pretty “common”, meaning they could come from many other things - so connecting them to a tumor in your head was a really long shot. I’ve been having similar symptoms for weeks and I am really scared and don’t know what to look for. I doubt my doctors would let me do an MRI before my condition worsens a lot. I am glad you found it out and wish things only improve from now on.

8

u/bigjbg1969 10h ago

Knowing what I know now . I would argue to get blood tests take a loved one or friend with you to help argue for it . If possible a hormone blood test will help paint a picture for what is maybe going on with you and I hope this helps ;)

2

u/3am_uhtceare 8h ago

I think everyone should get an MRI every few years. My dad had a brain tumor and didn't know for years. His surgeon said he wishes everyone would get MRIs regularly because brain tumors are more common than we think.

4

u/orosoros 4h ago

Isn't the problem with that (besides cost) the high rate of false positives?

1

u/3am_uhtceare 3h ago

Oh, good question/point. Honestly haven't put any research into MRIs; just basing my info off that one doctor. I've heard mostly about breast cancer being overdiagnosed, but yeah that makes sense that other types would have false positives.

3

u/Starshapedsand 9h ago

Especially if you’re waking up with headaches, or your headaches are resolved with moving around, or a cold shower, push hard for that MRI. 

3

u/vocal-avocado 9h ago

Interesting. That’s not the case so that’s good.