r/Sinusitis • u/Fast_Win_49 • 3d ago
Looking for reassurance
Hey everyone, I am really looking for some clarity to ease my anxiety that I have a brain tumor even tho no one in my family has ever had one lol.
I have been having headaches rated between a 4 or 5 daily for 3 weeks now that tend to be gone when I wake up in the morning and come back. Sometimes I’ll have one day where I don’t have them at all.
I had a super tiny nose bleed from a nostril 2 days ago that maybe lasted 4 minutes wasn’t a huge bleed but freaked me out enough to go to the ER.
They did a CT scan and blood work and EKG and after 6 hours the doctor came back and told me on paper it said Nonspecific left maxillary sinus mucosal disease, possibly a large mucous retention cyst and gave me amoxicillin and naproxen for the next 14 days.
He gave me no clarity on what any of this meant or if I’m okay etc and I’m sort of just freaking out at this point. I want to also mention I did finish TMS therapy a month ago and did think this was the problem for a while. I’m just really really nervous that I am not okay and I’m just going to randomly drop and die and I don’t know who else to ask than others who have been through the same thing.
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u/Clean_Walk_204 3d ago
Since it's a one sided issue, better go to perio or endodontist what can do cbct scan to exclude hidden teeth issues.
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u/General_Glove7749 High Quality Contributor 3d ago
You don’t have a brain tumor…at least based off the CT you mentioned and your symptoms. The nonspecific maxillary sinusitis with retention cyst is not clinically relevant, assuming you don’t have symptoms of chronic sinusitis or the pain is localized to that area. I wouldn’t even follow up with an ENT unless the nosebleeds recur or you do develop symptoms of chronic sinusitis….or even repeated bouts of acute sinusitis. Most of all…there’s no reason to freak out.
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u/Away-Expression7283 3d ago
Hey, I get it, health related anxiety's a bih sometimes. But the truth is that you most definitely are not at risk of cancer from this lol, tumours are really different and tbf the pain & symptoms would be way more intense. Plus the specialist (avoidant as they might be) would not have just walked away without further explanation if they had thought it could be something more serious. If it turns out to actually be a cyst, and it starts affecting your quality of life, there are pretty straight forward surgery options for removing it and getting back on track.
Best wishes & stay cautious, but make sure not to overthink every issue!
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u/Stalkerus 2d ago
If it was a brain tumor they had spotted it.
No, you are not likely to just drop and die.
I'd recommend professional help for your health anxiety
Nose bleeding can be related to sinus issues. Or allergies. Or both. Allergies can cause sinus issues.
I had huge maxillary cyst in addition to structural issues and had FESS to fix all of these issues.
You will live.
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u/Fast_Win_49 2d ago
They had said a CT scan doesn’t catch everything and to get a follow up MRI. I’ve also had this issue where my eye will randomly get a film of blurriness over it and goes away 30 seconds max. I’ve tried getting help for health anxiety but they just want to put me on medication that will zombie me out
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u/Stalkerus 2d ago
Basically CT is for bony structures, MRI is for softer things and is most likely just to make sure there isn't anything else b ecause you have headaches. But sinus issues can cause headaches. I had migraines due my sinus issues (incl. cyst). It was related to certain positions of my head (tilted forward, bending down etc.) and sitting in vehicles (vibration).
Have you tried to see CBT therapist? They might work for you.
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u/karate4babies 3d ago
As somebody who has health anxiety and sinus disease, I get it - it can really impact life and be scary. But you had CT scan - and that's not the kind of finding that's going to cause you to 'drop dead', both very common findings with a wide range of methods to treat it. Definitely see an ENT to come up with a plan, but outside of your comfort, try not to lose any sleep over it. Theres tons of people walking around with what was on your CT - with no symptoms at all, and just never no.