I Have a Headache, Do I Have A Brain Tumor? (with Alyx Porter, MD)

Your Doctor Friends

It's Brain Tumor Awareness Month! Have you ever felt perhaps "too aware" - letting your imagination run amok and ponder if its reaaally just a headache, or maybe something a bit more serious?

Most folks can relate. Sometimes we jump to "worst case scenario" when appraising our symptoms, as a defense mechanism. We want to feel prepared, feel like we are one step ahead, that we can control the situation. We also love that sweet release when we realize that it WAS just a headache after all.

It can be an exhausting cycle. How do you know if you're one of the "worried well" or if there's really something there, especially when it comes to brain tumors??

Cue today's unbelievable guest, Alyx Porter, MD, FAAN!

• Dr. Porter is the Director of the NeuroOncology Section at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and is an Associate Professor of Neurology.
• Having been with Mayo for over two decades, she has worked diligently to provide care for patients with tumors and cancers involving the nervous system in addition to patients who have neurologic complications resulting from their systemic cancers.
• Her research interests are aimed at ensuring that patients with brain cancers have the best quality of life as possible.
• She is also co-author of the book, Navigating Life with a Brain Tumor, a resource for patients and families.
• She and her husband, Dr. Gregory Umphrey founded a national non-profit in 2019, ElevateMeD.
• To date, ElevateMeD has awarded over $1,000,000 in scholarships and support to medical students from underrepresented backgrounds.
• ElevateMeD is committed to elevating the field of medicine by providing financial support, mentorship and leadership training to future physicians from racial and ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in medicine.

Sometimes it's a tumor. Sometimes it's not. Either way, be informed, be prepared, keep asking questions and listen to Your Doctor Friends :)

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