Slight numbeness on right side of head above ear, please help im worried?

Question

So, so basically here is the run down. About 3 weeks ago I think i slept on my left arm and woke with it super numb. I thought I was having a stroke/seizure, so I went to the neurologist.

He told me to have an EEG done today and and MRI/MRA next week for my head, neck and shoulder.

So basically during the past 3 weeks i have been having slight shooting/pusating headaches that last a few minutes to a few hours every now and then.

Well I was also pretty preoccupied with other stuff the past 3 weeks, till yesterday night when I started thinking about all these tests and what could be wrong with me. Then I was feeling my head and noticed that above my ear on the right side its slightly bigger than on my left side. So I seriously stood there for 20 minutes trying to feel out the difference or if I was just imagining it.

Then i start thinking that while touching my right side, there is less feeling than on the left side. So i start going crazy and start feeling both side again and again to see if there is a difference in feeling. I was scratching both side, and could kind of feel no pain on the right side.

Then it started feeling like that spot, plus on and around my ear was kinda numb/warm/hot and a pulsating headache that seemed like it would originate from that spot. So i said whatever and went to sleep. I slept pretty late because I had to wake up in 2 hours. So I did, and i woke in the foggiest state EVER, but obviously its because i didn't sleep much. So i woke up with the headache still there and then I took a shower and ate some food and the pain was still there so i took some advil 4 hours ago and the numbness/hotness/pulsating headache coming from the spot have not gone away.

BUT, let me tell you i can have some pretty realistic panic attacks, where I would actually feel pain.

Now am i having a panic attack? Im scared now, and I don't want to go to the ER. I got an MRI next week, but what if something happens by then? I am going to my docs office for the EEG today, but he won't be there, just his technicians, what do i do The pain feels like it might be increasing.

Im scared it might be a tumor, but then again some of the signs of a tumor are similar to my symptoms of mania right now(i am bipolar 1).

Can someone help?

Answer 1

While the numbness you're experiencing in your arm may be a result of neurological insult (I'd be inclined to guess a minor spinal issue, but I'm not a neurologist), the issue with your ears and head sounds more like an anxiety problem than a neurological one.  Much like panic attacks, you can experience some physical symptoms from anxious cognitions.  Given that you were scratching near your ear and physically manipulating them, it's not unusual that they got warm, sensitive to the touch, and resulted in a headache.  This is your ear's normal response to strong physical stimulation, and has more to do with your body's vascular system than your nervous system.  

In the unlikely even that you have a tumor, it will be quite apparent in the MRI, if not on the EEG.  However, given that your symptoms are localized to an extracranial area, it's unlikely that's the case.

If you have further concerns, consider speaking with you Dr or his techs (they typically know a thing or two).  You might also consider seeing a psychologist to receive CBT for your anxiety disorder.