A woman was left scared for her life after she discovered two small bumps on her head that she believed were a sign of brain cancer – but the truth left her floored
When you find a new lump or mark on your body or you wake up feeling aches in strange areas, it’s natural to wonder what might be wrong with you. We’ve all done a quick Google search of our symptoms at least once, but that can often make your worries even worse, as you might end up jumping to the worst-case scenario.
If you are concerned for your health, it’s always best to seek out an appointment with a GP, as even if it turns out to be nothing to worry about, it’s better to be safe than sorry. This is the message one woman has given to her followers on TikTok after she rushed herself to her doctor because she thought she had “brain cancer”.
Jackie Mitchell, from the US, urged people not to feel “embarrassed” about going to the doctor “for something stupid”, as she had done exactly that just one month ago.
She explained that she noticed two parallel indents on the top of her head, about three inches long and about an inch apart, and a raised section between the two grooves.
The woman was “extremely concerned” about her apparent lump, and a Google search left her convinced that she had “brain cancer”. She called her dermatologist, who told her they couldn’t see her for a month, but she fought for an earlier appointment because she thought she was “going to die”.
She said: “I showed it to the dermatologist, and he was like, ‘I actually don’t know [what that is]. I haven’t seen that.’ Which is the scariest thing a dermatologist can tell you. So he was like, ‘Let’s monitor it, and if it changes at all, call me and we can run some tests.’
“I’ve been monitoring it for the past couple of weeks, and I’ve been so stressed about it. It’s been keeping me up at night because what if I’m dying?”
However, whilst driving home from work a few days ago, Jackie reached for her sunglasses that were perched on top of her head so that she could put them on to drive home – and made a hilarious realisation.
She continued: “I pulled my glasses down from my head, where they rest all day, and put them on. And then the thought occurred to me. I put them back up for a second and then put them back on. I measured it, and [the indents] were the exact size of the nose bridge of my sunglasses.
“Every day I put them on in the morning, and then when I get to work, I put them on the top of my head. And they sit there and just slowly indent my head. I Googled it, and that’s exactly what it was.
“So if you’re my dermatologist, I figured it out! I’m not dying, and I’m sorry.”
Commenters on Jackie’s video were left in stitches at her blunder, but many said she did the right thing by getting it checked out anyway, as it could have been something much worse.
Brain tumour symptoms
A brain tumour is a growth of cells in the brain that multiplies in an abnormal, uncontrollable way. Not all brain tumours are cancerous, but it’s important to understand the symptoms and know when to seek help.
Common symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Seizures (fits)
- Persistently feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and drowsiness
- Mental or behavioural changes, such as memory problems or changes in personality
- Progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- Vision or speech problems
When to see a GP
According to the NHS, you should see a GP if you have any of the above symptoms, especially if you have a headache that feels different from the type you usually get.
You may not have a brain tumour, but these types of symptoms should be checked.
For more information, visit the NHS website.