Terrifying experience- Migraines in Children?

[mummybean84]

Looking for advice from anyone who has experience in childhood migraines. Two nights ago I took our 10 year old Daughter up to bed. She was absolutely fine, Had eaten all her dinner and pudding and had a story. I was just settling her she. She said she had a very mild headache. I got her some Calpol and within 5 minutes she said she felt like she was going to be sick. She was clutching her head saying it hurt. She threw up about 2/ 3 times in the space of an hour. Was crying for us to turn out the lights because it hurt her eyes. We were sat in the dark. She became very drowsy. On the phone to 111 they asked if she could put her chin on her chest and she said no she couldn’t turn her head and her neck hurt. Whilst waiting for the ambulance (dispatched for suspected meningitis) she was sick again (a lot) then immediately started to improve. By the time the ambulance arrived, 30 minutes or so, she was alert, no headache or neck pain and not feeling sick. They suggested cluster headache or migraines. Does this sound typical? It was frankly terrifying. Or maybe it was a weird bug? I’m at a loss to understand it.

That's awful. Who knows what it could have been - but if it happens again, you know it wasn't a bug. Never fun waiting for the other shoe to drop: hopefully it won't. If it does happen again, I would be asking for an MRI to be on the safe side.

I had migraines as a child, from the age of about 7. They were more frequent between the ages of 9 and about 13

Mine would start with a bad headache, I would go white and vomit repeatedly, visual distortion and shaking. They would last a day, generally. The light intolerance is definitely a sign of migraine.

I'd take your DD to the GP and tell him/her exactly what happened.

I had similar episodes age 10.
Family history of migraine.
Migraines can present a little differently in children I think. Sickness is more likely and the migraine can disappear relatively quickly after vomiting or after a sleep. With adults they may last longer and may well still be there after a sleep.
Obviously I am NOT diagnosing your dd just sharing my experiences.
There is also apparently a link with motion sickness which I also suffered with.
In my case the GP felt they were triggered by the onset of puberty even though I didn’t have periods till 2 years later.
I had several of these episodes, some at school. I remember very intense head pain and nausea with some sickness.
As I got older the hormonal link was stronger and I started to need more specialist medication.

I started with migraines like this around 10yo, as did my eldest DD at the same age. Definitely worth a chat with the GP.

Thank you. We will definitely be making a trip to the GP. It was horrible bless her. Maybe hormones are playing a part in it, I’m not quite ready to admit we are there yet but I guess 10 is about the right age.

Yes, my son had cluster headaches at around that age. They were very debilitating . He had investigations, and was put on Propanolol as a preventative for many years. He is an adult now and still gets the occasional migraine ( as I do ) and takes Sumatriptan for them. The GP can see your DD and check for migraines - it certainly sounds like she had one.

My 11 year old has been diagnosed with migraine recently but he’s had them since he was quite young. They are really horrible, he vomits and it’s just very uncomfortable for him. As a one time event your daughter must’ve been in agony absolutely get her to the gp, my son is on medication but just when he has a migraine but we’ve also been told by the consultant to give max doses - prescribed by dr of paracetamol and ibuprofen so he’s weighed and optimal doses prescribed when he’s sore then he he’s his mirgraine tablet.

Hope she doesn’t have another one, my youngest son now gets them too it’s rubbish 11 year old just goes to bed and sleeps for hours with them.

My youngest had migraines. His eye hurt and he either threw up or went to sleep with some paracetamol(or equivalent). He gets them now but not as often. He would sleep for 2 hours and wake up like nothing was wrong. We did have some very bad ones for a while, which we linked to hormones. He was on medication for them for about 3 years because he got them so often.

Hello was just about to post about child migraines - my dd (7) is getting 1-2 per week in school time (she had none in the holidays). Migraines run in one side of the family but not this severe.

My dd often does vomit with them, and it is terrifying the level of pain of some of them.

I've got a GP appt - did anyone else find anything else that worked?

She's got a recent eye test.