You are probably still trying to understand what the word “brain tumor” is. There’s one thing that gets in the way of concentration, your emotions or feelings.

When confronted with brain tumor, not everyone shows their emotions nor does everyone have the same kind of feelings.

There is no magic pattern for dealing with your emotions or feelings when you or a loved one has been diagnosed with brain tumor. One day you may feel great, and the next day you may be upset.

Here are some kinds of emotions or feelings that are felt with each stage of dealing with brain tumors.

Emotions shown when symptoms of brain tumors first appear.

PARENT/CAREGIVER	PATIENT	FAMILY
show of concern no realization over look symptoms	anxiety/ not capable of controlling symptoms depression fear of possible diagnosis helplessness hopelessness upset with symptoms stress/frustration with pain	no realization over look problems

* keep in mind that no two people share the same feelings with the same scale rate.

Emotions shown when patient is diagnosed with a brain tumor.

PARENT/CAREGIVER	PATIENT	FAMILY
shock depression	fear of being excluded fear of being misunderstood increased stress/tension withdrawal self blame anxiety/loss of control sadness agitated with information	shock denial wanting for the patient to not accept the diagnosis.

* keep in mind that no two people share the same feelings with the same scale rate.

Emotions shown during a transition period between diagnosis and treatment.

PARENT/CAREGIVER	PATIENT	FAMILY
feel more in control if they gather information about the process of cancer and it’s treatments wanting of second opinion	fear of asking their doctors questions because they fear the answers or worry about imposing the health care providers fear of treatment procedures/medications/side effects denial hopeless/helplessness unable to concentrate feeling like unable to complete duties	wanting of second opinion anxiety/not able to help depression stress

* keep in mind that no two people share the same feelings with the same scale rate.

Emotions shown during the treatment stage of brain tumor.

PARENT/CAREGIVER	PATIENT	FAMILY
frustration anger at self and others fatigue loss of control focused on illness and process	discomfort daily stresses increased anxiety/loss of control sadness/grief changes in roles and relationships concerning feelings focused on illness and initial treatment process difficulty concentrating different perspective on daily routines	focused on illness and treatment process wanting to know the cause of illness frustration with lack of knowledge and capability of helping stress with anticipation of outcome

* keep in mind that no two people share the same feelings with the same scale rate.

Emotions associated with recovery from brain tumor.

PARENT/CAREGIVER	PATIENT	FAMILY
still trying to make sure that the illness is under control fatigue of taking care of patient mental exhaustion with keeping patient happy need time alone for personal use	brighter outlook on life and control of illness increased energy level wanting to try new things or do things that were done in the past. (explore) no limitations of self reliance fear of recurrence (for example: the headache may be a sign of the return of the disease)	questions of the return of illness relief from stress about outcome

* keep in mind that no two people share the same feelings with the same scale rate.

Emotions associated with recurrence of brain tumor symptoms.

PARENT/CAREGIVER	PATIENT	FAMILY
stressed depression anxiety/scared of loss anger	greater emotional impact worsen the outlook for defeating the illness loss of control feeling of depression to restart the fight against illness	stress depression anxiety/scared anger

* keep in mind that no two people share the same feelings with the same scale rate.

Mental Changes: Mental changes frequently occur. These can range from problems with memory, speech, language, communication and/or concentration to severe intellectual problems and confusions. Changes in behavior, temperament and personality are other indications of mental change.

Mental changes are caused directly by the tumor, by increased pressure with in the skull or by involvement of the area of the brain that controls personality.

A young native American woman in her early twenties was diagnosed with a brain tumor and states the following story.

I never understood how serious my symptoms where until it was almost too late. I would get frustrated about having so many headaches and my vision was also making me mad because of the fact that I was young and couldn’t understand why vision was doing weird things. What I mean with weird is that, I would have dark spots or blurry things floating around in my visual spots. When I don’t understand something, I try to research about, so I can come to conclusion. There are so many things that I went through and still go through this very day, that if I where to give advice to someone about brain tumors all I would say is that, the creator through prayer has given me strength and belief.