Migranes?? - Dayton,OH

My son has migraines and he started them about 2 years ago at age 8. The one thing the doctor told me was to keep a calendar of when they happen, everything that was going on, anything they ate, and any information that you could possibly think of. With it being a girl at the age of puberty, it very easily could be associated with her cycle. See if the migraines happen somewhat regularly when she would be starting different cycles. After getting this information together, you could then present it to your doctor. They will try to help you figure them out. My son is positive or negative stress that trigger his, not really something that you can remove from his life.

i also had that problem when i was 11 plus my right side hurt the doctor told my mom i was trying to start my period thats what my problem was she got upset with him but he was right i started my period when i was 12 never had anymore problems now i am 63

Go to Walmart and get some Crew conditioner. Put this on when she has a headache. If it helps, it is likely that she is having migraines or other vascular type headaches. Crew conditioner contains peppermint oil and works wonders for migraines. Just leave it on longer than you would normal conditioner.

Have your ped order a CAT scan immediately to rule out everything potentially more serious than migranes. My son was diagnosed at age six; he is now 12, and the nature of the beast is that they get worse, more intensive, and more frequent. However, there are certain foods that trigger migranes and stress adds to the factor. Just go through the scan and see from there. Good luck.

G.-

My olderest daughter, who is now 12 years , has migranes and started them when she was 10 years old. After much taking to and from Dr for them we discovered that they are directly releated to her cycle which she started at 10. My hubby also has migranes and is effected by light sound etc. I would take her in just to make sure that there isn't something else going on also there are medications that can help migranes. Hope this helps good luck!

You mentioned her ears also. I would definitely talk to a doctor. I have migraines but do not see any darkness. I am sensitive to sound, light, and smells.My migraines do not go away quickly. The environment can also trigger things. You need to rule out allergies, sinus problems, ear canal issues, menstrual issues or just tension. Talk to your doctor to rule things out.

G.,

it sounds to me that she is having issuses with her blood sugar levels.

does she feel like she gets too hot and that she will pass out? I have all those symptoms, plus this one.

when I either get too hot, dont eat soon enough, or get a headache that I dont take something for right away, I feel like I am going to throw up and pass out.

I have had tests done and the only thing they can come up with is that my blood sugar either dipped or spiked. I am not diabetic though.

they told me to just keep hard candies with me at all times and to try to keep from getting overheated, and to try to eat something every 3-5 hours.. or get a snack

I hope that this is the case with your daughter and not something more serious.

Have her blood pressure checked. I had a spell early summer and got dizzy and had headache went and layed down couldn't remember after that till was back home after going to hospital.I just wanted to sleep. Also told me might be slight stroke.I think alot is from stress.She really needs to be checked.I'm in my fourties but say things can happen at any age. Good luck!

Most of my migraines have been either hormone related, possibly weather and/or allergy related.

I usually get a near migraine about 3 days before my period. Sometimes if the pollens are really high or if a particularly strong weather front comes through, I'll get one then too.

My neighbor gets them more frequently than I do, and she has stronger symptoms than mine, but here are some things we've noticed:
* sensitivity (almost extreme sensitivity) to light and sounds
* nausea and/or upset stomach
* usually have to "sleep them off" (go to sleep for them to get better or go away).
* allergy meds (benadryl and/or sudafed) can usually help relieve some of the symptoms, but something like Exedrin Migraine or Iburprofen helps most.
* have a cool, dark room ready in case it's needed
* like others have said, have allergies tested, test for chiari, maybe take her to an Ear Nose and Throat dr., or maybe see if they can do a hormone test to see if she's about ready to start.

Just a few thoughts....Good luck!

G., she may be getting ready to start her cycles. I used to get them occassionally during my 2nd day (occassionally = once every 4 months or so). Since college, I get a migraine EVERY SINGLE MONTH on day 2! Do like the nurse said and track them along with what food you can remember her eating like 24 hrs. prior. Her symptoms are classic migraine, and laying down in a quiet, dark room is the best (with whatever pain reliever the Dr. says is OK - I take 4 Alleve every 4 hours until it reduces to a "regular" headache). Good luck to her!

Migranes tend to cause the person to have sensitivity to light and sound. They can come on sudden and very severe.

I do not recall anything about losing sight though. That could be due to low blood pressure. I have low blood pressure and this causes head aches, dizziness, loss of sight (usually temporary), sometimes after the sight goes I become so dizzy I faint. With a normal headache or migrane, the severe pain tends to make light and sound irritating.

Perhaps take her to Wal-Mart, a pharmacy or a fire station when she is having an episode and take her blood pressure. When my blood pressure falls below 100/70 I tend to experience symptoms. Increasing salt intake can raise the blood pressure in the heart. This can be done by putting more salt on food, higher sodium drinks and foods and/or taking salt tablets dissolved in water. They are very cheap and are available from behind the counter at the pharmacy. Doctors can also prescribe a med that may work as well.

For headaches and loss of sight you might consider seeing a neurologist as the family doctor may not be well versed in these symptoms.

my little sister has migranes no one else in the family does. i would get her checked out by the doctor.

i myself as well as my 9yr old get migraines. He just started getting them. You can get nausious, your eye sight can go out (it gets all fuzzy like you looked at the sun u can only see out your periferial vision, your smelling is different, your head hurts in one area. I started gettting my migraines shortly b4 I started my period. My sons been put on maxalt which works for him. usually when you get a migraine you don't have a fever. I highly recommend taking her to the dr to put her on something, dealing with them my self. sometimes certain foods or smells can trigger them. I as well wear hearing aides and dont think that I have ever experianced hearing loss out of the ordinary

I have had migraines for about the last five years. I've had headaches off and on for most of my life but these were different. When they first started my vision was definitely the symptom that made me see a doctor. I would get a sort of tunnel vision where my perifrial vision would disappear and if I tried to look to the side I would have to turn my head. Then I would get a ringing in my ears and need to sit down and close my eyes to keep from passing out. That has only happened a few times and now I get the other symptoms of nausea, light sensitivity, and dizziness. I have found that if I treat it right away it can go away fairly quickly but the longer I try to wait it out, the worse and longer it lasts. I have been on a couple different preventative medications and now have cut back so I only take them when I have an episode. Now I usually only have one once a month on the first day of my cycle. It's not fun but at least it's predictable! The first thing the doctors will usually tell you though is to chart everything. What has she done, eaten, drank, etc. in the 24 hours before the episode. That way they can find the triggers.

I have had migraines on a regular basis for years. The symptoms for a migraine are pretty clear. When I notice the migraine coming on, it starts with "flashies" in front of my eyes. It's kind of like what you see from the flash of a camera or from staring at a light. Then the nausea starts, and is followed by somewhat of tunnel vision. When my vision starts to come back is when the pain kicks in. I had never had migraines until I was pregnant with my first child. The doctor related it to hormone changes. It sounds like she could be going through migraines based on some of her symptoms, but I would err on the side of caution. What concerns me is the feeling of almost passing out. While the nausea and pain have made me feel this way at times, I have never come close to passing out. I am also not familiar with migraines in children. I do know that hormones can be a major cause of migraines which makes sense with your daughter approaching that age, but I would talk to the Dr.

I've had 2 migraines every month since I was a teenager. It's related to the hormone changes. Mine come on suddenly, my vision gets dark, I feel like I'm about to pass out so I need to lay down and I feel really sick to my stomach. I normally just sleep for a few hours and it goes away. Sleeping is the only thing that seems to make them go away. They've gotten worse as I've gotten older and have gotten worse with each pregnancy. I dont' get them while pregnant but they start again when my period starts up again a year or so after giving birth (I breastfeed my kids for at least a year).

I know there are several very effective medicines out there but I can't take them right now because I"m nursing. And normal headache/pain meds like tylonel don't help mine at all. If she has migraines you might want to just skip the normal doc and go straight to a specialist. You need to help her. I was ignored when I had bad migraines as a child and it really affected my schoolwork for those few days. It's a valid medical reason to see a doc and get help for it.

However, since money is tight and this is the first time and it seems to have ended, you might want to wait and see if it happens next month. Have her (or you) keep a log of the headaches/migraines -- date, time, foods recently eaten, amount of sleep the night before, etc. You might see a pattern. A specialist will usually ask about a pattern and one of the first things they do is ask you to just keep track of them for a month or two and then come back for treatment... you could do that now and then show it on the first visit.

Dear G.,

I am so sorry to hear about your daughter's headaches!

I've suffered from migraines all my life, and they are unimaginably terrible. There are several intensities of migraines, and they can last any amount of time. I've had short ones that were of high intensity to very long (1 week or more) that were bearable, but miserable none the less.

The only thing that has ever helped me is a diet that my Integrative M.D. put me on for chronic pain. It was hard to cut out some of the foods at first, but within a week or so I was perfectly comfortable with the diet. I've been on it since early February of this year, and I haven't had a single migraine since. Before I started this diet, I had an average of 2 migraines per week!

If you're interested in learning about what foods to avoid and what foods to focus on, please send me a private message and I'll be glad to send you the outline for the diet. I'm also available for support if you decide you want to give this a try and need some ideas for menus. It's a delicious and very healthy diet for the whole family, so this could be something that will make your whole family healthier.

I can also give you information about seeing my doctor for this problem. She's in Columbus, but once you've seen her, you can do a lot of communicating with her over the phone or through e-mail. Seeing her has really changed my life, and I widh I had done it years earlier.

When I went to the doctor for migraines they took a CT Scan because they needed to make sure there was nothing else wrong before they just handed out a diagnosis of migraine. I really think you should have her checked out and have the tests they will want to run just to make sure she is okay. Migraines are horrible and she may need prescription medicine as well.

My daughter is 10 now but began getting migraines at age 4. I have had migraines all my life. The symptoms include headache, nausea, sensitivity to light & sound, not blurry but "funny vision" (Usually a precursor to the actual pain).
My daughter gets the pain (so bad she cries), then she throws up, then I give her some caffine (Pepsi, Mountain Dew) & an adult dose of Advil. She goes to lay down in a dark room for about 30-45 minutes, then she's fine!

If you are strapped for cash, there's no need to contact a doctor now, just mention it at her next appointment. It would be a good idea to get her eyes checked.

I get my migraines right aafter I start. I was on a particular kind of birth control pills before I got pregnant the last time that really helped to cut them out.

Caffine, chocolate, & being tired are triggers for them. Watch her intake of these and watch what she does when she gets them. You'll figure what helps her soon enough.

You will want to get with her doctor to let him know what's going on. My daughter was diagnosed with migraines AFTER she went through a battery of tests, CT scans & such. Get them done to rule out other issues.

Surely they will do some basic blood tests....I am wondering about diabetes, hypoglycemia or anemia. Sometimes when I squat, then stand, or get up too quickly- my whole body will begin to shake, my sight will go black and I will pass out. Perhaps it is a blood flow thing, I don't know. But my head hurts then too. I also get migraines etc...and it is unrelated to those spells I explained. I have been diagnosed with PCOS, but I do not think it is related to any of that either- but then again, I am not a Dr. Just a little bit about my similar experiences. Oh, and I am also hard of hearing in case that has anything to do with it. (lots of ear surgeries etc....)

Good luck!
A.

Go to the EGOSCUE website (just google) and "talk" to the therapists and affiliates. They will give you some suggestions. If it IS a migraine, there are some e-cises that we do that help relieve or eliminate them altogether. I just recently helped someone via e-mail who was having them after an accident. I told him what to do and now he doesn't have them any more!

You didn't mention if she had any recent trauma...accident....cheerleading.....tumbling, etc. MANY times these types of things can trigger migraines. I would HIGHLY recommend you work at it from a "get rid of it" standpoint vs. using meds to mask the symptoms.

You might want to check out "chiari". I have two of my grandkids that were having headaches and were finally diagnosed. Please keep up posted. Hope it gets better fast.

L. C.

I have migraines. They don't go away with regular headache medicine and they most often last for at least an entire day, if not several days. I get an upset stomach, sensitivity to light and noise, and sometimes I throw up. For me, the pain is excruciating. I can't move at all. Sometimes even breathing is a chore. I don't get tunnel vision, but it is a symptom of migraines. Passing out, or almost passing out, can be caused by lots and lots of things. Is there a chance she could be dehydrated? Or have an ear infection? Could it have been anxiety? I have anxiety attacks sometimes and thats' sort of what I feel like. It could also be blood pressure, or blood sugar. Had she eaten? There really is an endless list of what it could be. I, personally, hardly ever go to the doctor, so I may be in the minority that says don't take her if you can't afford it. Keep an eye on her and make sure she's rested, hydrated and fed. Good luck! I know it's scary!