Child started having migraines - I'm so worried

[Wilburis]

Hi

My daughter, 12, has had 4 migraines with vomiting since July.

She has one yesterday and had tingling in her face which moved to her fingers too. She was sick for about 4 hours - couldn't hold even a sip of water down.

They were 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 5 weeks apart.

I have taken her to the opticians and her eye test was fine and she had an Optomap eye screen too. The optometrist was pleased her tests were all ok.

She said the back of my daughter's eye is extremely healthy.

Of course, I'm worried about a brain tumour.

I understand that not all brain tumours cause problems with the optic discs or pressure on the optic nerve.

I will take her to the GP, we have an appointment on Thursday.

What will the GP do?

I'm super worried as a couple of them have been when she has woken up and these ones are the ones that everyone says are brain tumour symptoms.

My only saving grace is that my husband and other daughter awaken with migraines too.

Can anyone advise me please?

[gailveronica]

The GP will probably run bloodwork and possibly order an MRI. It’s normal work up for migraine - I started getting them at 12 and they coincided with my period. Could hers be hormonal?

[nomorepanic]

Can I ask if there is a reason you have not taken her to the GP before now?

Have you got a carbon monoxide detector as well - just thinking why all of them would get it.

[Wilburis]

Hi, she hasn't started her periods yet.

I went countless times to the GP with my older daughter and the GP just said to take her to the opticians. Even when my older daughter's eyesight went completely during an attack and we went to A&E, she had numbness on one whole side of the her body and was being very sick, they brought the stroke team down to look at her. All they did was look in her eyes, did a quick neuro exam and said "migraine".

I then took her to the GP and asked to be referred to a neuro and he said all her symptoms are classic migraine.

Husband has suffered with migraines since he was 9.

I get them occasionally too as well as many family members on both sides. I was told they run in families.

I have tracked then on the calendar and written the symptoms down.


Nicola - another weird thing is that my 9 year old son had a couple of migraines with vomiting during the summer holiday too.

I will ask my husband if we have a carbon monoxide monitor in the morning - thank you for that interesting info xx

[Wilburis]

The first time, I thought we'd had a dodgy KFC as my tummy felt a bit delicate too.

The have all been during holiday times.

SHe also had tummy ache too.

[gailveronica]

I wonder if you may look into foods that are migraine triggers. For me, aspartame is huge. For my mom it’s MSG / any cheese. My aunt, it’s chocolate. Perhaps since it’s around the holidays new foods are being eaten?

[Wilburis]

Gailveronica

Oh yes - food!

Husband can't eat a particular brand of chocolate without getting a migraine.

I do relax eating habits during the holidays and I did write down that she had lots of extra mature cheddar and lots of dark chocolate before one migraine.

Thank you x

[Careful1]

As a mother of a child who has suffered with migraines since the age of 4 years old, I can certainly understand your fear.
My son started getting migraines when he was 4 years old. None of the doctors we saw suspected migraines because of his age but in the end that’s exactly what his diagnosis was. One day out of no where he just started screaming and holding his head. He would throw up and quiet down for about 10 or 15 minutes start screaming and throw up again, on and on for hours. He was hospitalized many times, he was even transported by ambulance to a children’s hospital 3 hours away where he had CT scans, MRIs, spinal tap, blood work, EEG, you name it, he had it. It got to the point that anytime he had an episode they would admit him to the hospital and keep him sedated. I was petrified and heart broken as I had no idea why this kept happening and It was a terrible feeling seeing my baby in so much pain and being unable to help him.
After many tests and visits to specialist they diagnosed him with migraines and because of his age there was no preventive medication they could place him on. They did give him a cocktail made up of 5 different medications that had to be given at the very first sign of headache in order to be effective and it did help if we caught an episode in time before it escalated. I can’t for the life of me remember what the medications were now though as that was 16 years ago. He still suffers migraines every now and then but is on a preventative medication that seems to help.

Your daughters doctor will probably do the normal headache work up. Blood work and a CT or MRI scan. Maybe have her keep a headache/migraine journal so you can track them to see if perhaps something is triggering them, you may find a pattern (((hugs)))

[Wilburis]

Hi

I took my daughter to the GP and she said she is suffering from migraines. She was pleased the eye exams were all normal.

She said to keep a diary to try to work out what the triggers may be.

My husband has bought a new carbon monoxide monitor and it's all OK.

Weirdly strange but eldest daughter had a migraine on Friday, husband on Saturday and daughter had one today, Sunday!

I gave her some iburofen and the headache went, so that was good.

[RadioGaGa]

I started experiencing migraines with vomiting when I was a very young child. I think about age 7?

Anyway, I became obsessed with brain tumours in 2012 and researched this condition heavily.

The reason your doctor/optician is not worried about a brain tumour causing this, is because when a brain tumour causes nausea and vomiting, it does this by increasing pressure within the skull. When this pressure increases within the skull, a sign doctors and opticians can look for is swelling of the optic disc at the back of the eye. As far as I know (and my seven years of research into this condition!) it would be very rare to have nausea and vomiting related to a brain tumour WITHOUT swelling of the optic disc.

Also, the attacks in the case of a brain tumour would not be weeks apart, with normal periods in between. Once a brain tumour is causing nausea and vomiting, it's at a critical stage. So I feel your doctor will more than likely offer reassurance - I'd be surprised if they offered much else...

Good luck :)

[Wilburis]

RadioGaGa

Hi, oh, I'm so sorry to hear you were ever so young to deal with migraines and vomiting.

Thank you for your reassuring message, I truly appreciate it.

When my daughter had the Optomap test, the optometrist enlarged it on the computer screen and showed us the different parts. I did ask her in private if she could tell things by looking at it and she said yes, and she is confident that everything is extremely healthy.

When you were young, did you take any medication to help the pain and vomiting?

I did make her take a neurofen meltlet and her pain went in about 30 minutes.

I think my main concern is headaches on waking up and then getting out of bed and being sick. I've "Googled":weep:

Did you have any tests to confirm your migraines?

xx

[RadioGaGa]

I think all I took for the migraines were paracetamol...which sort of helped. Then as an adult I take aspirin. DO NOT GIVE ASPIRIN TO UNDER 16s UNLESS ON PERMISSION OF THE DOCTOR!!

Migraines usually start at around your daughters age (hormones start changing at this age) but honestly there are no red flags at all in what you’ve described.

Despite what Google (and even some health websites) say, headaches upon wakening are NOT brain tumour specific. There is plenty of evidence of that in the medical literature. So no a morning headache isn’t always a red flag.

[Wilburis]

Hi

Thank you again.

Don't they say a morning migraine and vomiting is from intercranial pressure? I think this can be seen on an eye exam too.

My elder daughter 18, has started taking aspirin and full fat coke for her migraines - it works for her. She usually wakes with migraines as does my husband.

Isn't it weird that elder daughter had a migraine on Friday, husband Saturday and daughter Sunday?

I found some Neurofen mint flavour meltlets thankfully as she had a medicine phobia too. It seemed to work pretty quickly.

xx

[RadioGaGa]

Yes morning headaches and vomiting could be a sign of raised intracranial pressure, but the headaches aren’t usually as severe as a migraine - and the symptoms would persist until the pressure is relieved, by draining the skull. So it wouldn’t happen one day, then cease for weeks. It would be every day!

Headaches from raised ICP are also usually accompanied by other symptoms, including vision loss etc. Again, this would NOT come and go.

You’re describing text book migraines with no worrying features, which is VERY reassuring :)

Could possibly be a good related trigger - or have you installed any ‘Christmas smells’ in your house lately, like plug ins/candles etc??

[Wilburis]

Hi,

Oh, that's interesting - my elder daughter has been burning a new brand of candle since the summer - Woodwick candles with the crackling wick.

I can't bear the smell - it makes my eyes hurt xx

[RadioGaGa]

I love Woodwick candles haha. My favourite is the Evening Bonfire scent... don’t think it’s made anymore

I remember my mum used to have these scented lavender ‘things’ she left on the radiators (they were a sachet with the scent inside them) and they definitely triggered my migraines...

[Wilburis]

Hi, don't you think Woodwick have peculiar names?

Daughter's favorite is called "warm wool"! :roflmao:

That's the only coincidental thing I can think of.

xx