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Children's health

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Original poster

Could my 5yo be having migraines?

19 replies

mandbaby · 17/08/2016 11:47

Several times in the last 2 years, my little boy (who turned 5 last month) has been sick then absolutely fine soon afterwards (i.e. I don't think it was a tummy bug or something he ate). The last few times this has happened, he has also mentioned having a headache. Two days ago, he was happy as Larry and playing - just a normal day. Then all of a sudden, around teatime, he complained of having a headache, then half an hour or so later took himself off to lie down. Moments later, he went running off to be sick then returned to his bed and fell asleep and didn't get up until the morning. When he woke, he complained of still having a headache then an hour later he threw up what little breakfast he'd eaten. Soon after, he was back to his normal self. I would say this sort of thing happens every 4 or 5 months. He has regular eye tests (no problems). Has anyone else's little ones had migraines? And especially so young? Can a doctor give anything to help at such a young age?

OP posts:

DixieWishbone · 17/08/2016 18:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

mandbaby · 18/08/2016 10:24

Those are the kind of migraines I suffer from - they're horrible. They last about two hours and nothing can prevent or shorten them. Hope your little girl doesn't suffer too badly.

OP posts:

Kalispera · 18/08/2016 10:27

Sounds a bit like my son who is just about to turn 4. It has happened twice, I'm keeping a close eye and if it happens again we'll see the GP.

It's so hard to know when it's a bug/viral thing or something more isn't it?

Badders123 · 18/08/2016 17:06

My 7 year old has them - abdominal migraine - he is on meds for them

Original poster

mandbaby · 19/08/2016 15:53

Hi Badders123. Does he have to take the meds daily as a preventative thing, or just when he starts with a headache. What are his symptoms? What age did he start? Does what I described in my original post sound similar to what your little boy went through?

OP posts:

sianihedgehog · 19/08/2016 15:54

I got my first migraines at about that age. However, those symptoms are definitely something I'd speak to a doctor about. Just in case, you know?

KenDoddsDadsDog · 19/08/2016 15:54

DD has them as well . She had a period of being in and out of hospital with tummy pains .

Badders123 · 20/08/2016 09:04

He would get very hot, get severe tummy pain, say he felt sick and then vomit once.
Then he would be so tired he would fall asleep til morning (always happens at night)
He would then be fine til it happened again - usually 3 weeks each attack
He was sent to hospital with Query appendicitis and that's when he was dx.
He takes tablet each night and although he still complains of pains sometimes he hasn't been sick since
His triggers seem to be tiredness and anxiety.
Another name for it is functional abdominal pain of childhood.
It's not nice for them - or us - but the drs were thorough and he had bloods and an abdo scan so i think their dx is correct
We hope to start weaning him off the meds at some point

accidentalpirate · 20/08/2016 09:20

I got migraines very young. I ate 3 Easter eggs in one go and couldn't move off the sofa for blinding pain. I think I must have been about 7. They got gradually worse and I was prescribed meds but chocolate was definitely a trigger. I seemed to grow out of them and now get the odd one (triggers include very bright snow) but my dad still suffers badly about 3 times a month.

staghunter · 20/08/2016 09:26

My ds has that exact pattern
I have diagnosed abdominal migraines. It happens every six weeks or so, more often when hot and only on school days.

MilkyChops · 20/08/2016 10:20

Have you had his ears checked?

Original poster

mandbaby · 20/08/2016 11:57

Not recently, no. I think I will take him to the doctors next week to have him checked over. He's got an eye test next week too.

OP posts:

BlackSwan · 21/08/2016 14:29

If it were more persistent, I would be wanting to see a neurologist to rule out something sinister. It's odd that it's on and off. Frankly you might want to see a neurologist anyway just to be on the safe side.

Original poster

mandbaby · 21/08/2016 17:58

I will ask that the GP refers us to a neurologist. Thank you.

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flamingtoaster · 21/08/2016 18:11

My DD started having what turned out to be abdominal migraines when she was 3. She would be sick so often she would start bringing up blood. She ended up in hospital three times - each time on a drip for five days. They didn't know what it was and called it the periodic syndrome - i.e. it was a syndrome which happened periodically but they didn't know anything more than that (now it is recognized as abdominal migraine). I identified what her triggers were and we managed to avoid - or head off - the worst of the attacks and eventually got rid of them completely. I kept a food/activity diary and realized her triggers were low blood sugar (i.e. we would get 4 am attacks if she hadn't eaten some toast or cereal before going to bed), equally during the day she would go very pale or say her tummy hurt and if I could get her to eat something sugary soon enough we would head off the attack. Strangely her other triggers were eating chocolate after 4pm - she was fine with it at other times, and eating ham at her evening meal (again she could eat it at lunchtime). She grew out of it/we managed it completely by the time she was about eight - though she always knew that she should eat something if she started to feel "wobbly". Hope you can work out your DS's triggers and avoid the attacks.

RhinestoneCowgirl · 21/08/2016 18:19

DS is now 10, but has been having occasional migraines since around 5 yrs.

His triggers are tiredness and overexcitement, plus stress. He did go through a phase of having them more regularly, I used to mark them on the calendar so that I had it clear. Then when I took him to the GP I was able to be accurate about frequency. Of course as soon as I managed to get a GP appointment the migraines petered out again! But I'm glad I got it checked out.

I also have the odd migraine myself, but I get the aura as a warning so usually am able to head them off with some migraleve. Had my first one about 12 yrs, after eating a whole bar of dark chocolate on the way to school I've asked DS and he doesn't seem to have the aura, but he does get hot and go pale just before the migraine starts.

Badders123 · 21/08/2016 18:34

Flaming...your dd sounds like she had cvs, not abdo migraine

flamingtoaster · 21/08/2016 20:26

Badders123 We did wonder about cvs. However, DH suffers from migraine though now they are just the aura without pain or vomiting (which is now they manifested themselves when he was a child, almost to the extent that DD had). Our doctor later said he thought it was abdominal migraine.

Fuckingmoles · 21/08/2016 20:39

DD was diagnosed with migraines at 7 but had been having them from about the age of 5 . In the interim she had kidney scan and a brain scan. DD's triggers were (are) light flicker, tiredness, dehydration and anxiety - most of her attacks were at school because of strip lighting in the classroom and her anxiety about school.

We had quite a lot of bad advice from GPs and paediatricians and it wasn't until she was referred to a neurologist at GOSH who specialised in childhood migraine that we received better information about pain relief and prevention. Other than medication, things that helped were avoiding triggers but also some very sweet at the onset of an attack and sipping coke (for the caffeine).

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