Five brain tumor signs you might be overlooking

Most of us get the occasional headache, sometimes forget where we kept our keys, or have days when words just don’t come out right from our mouths. But what if these everyday annoyances are your brain trying to send you a more serious message about your health?
Brain tumours often give early warning signs and spotting them in time can make all the difference. The earlier we detect a tumor, the better the chances of treating it effectively.
Here Dr. Kunal Bahrani shares five symptoms of brain tumor one should never ignore:

Waking up with a pounding head isn’t normal, especially if it’s intense, has begun to happen often, and sometimes comes with nausea or vomiting. While migraine headaches are common, persistent morning headaches can be a sign of increased pressure in the brain by the tumor.

We all forget the occasional name or birthday. But if you find yourself regularly getting blank on recent happenings, mixing up timelines, or struggling to recall familiar details, it is time to pay attention to your brain health. Memory changes can sometimes signal a problem affecting brain function.

What if you want to say something, but the words don’t come out from your mouth or come out wrong? Have people begun telling you they are having difficult understanding what you are saying? This kind of speech difficulty can happen when areas of the brain controlling speech get affected by brain tumor.

Having a seizure for the first time in adulthood, especially if it causes you to lose consciousness, is a big red flag. Tumors can sometimes trigger these sudden electrical disturbances in the brain.

Brain tumors can sometimes exert pressure on certain parts of the brain or optic nerves, leading to blurred vision, double vision, or difficulty focusing. If these vision changes appear suddenly or keep recurring, don’t ignore them.

To be sure, these symptoms do not always mean that you have a brain tumor because many other conditions can also cause them. However, if they show up suddenly, become more and more frequent, or worsen with time, you need to see a neurologist without delay. Remember: Your brain is the control center of your body. Do not wait for a health emergency to happen to take its warnings seriously.

Dr. Kunal Bahrani is Clinical Director and HOD of the Neurology Department at Marengo Asia Hospitals, Faridabad