Long term headache - what are my next steps?

[OhBeAFineGuyKissMe]

My son is 16. He got ill (normal mild virus) in Feb half term leaving him very tired and washed out, this didn’t go away so popped to the dr. thinking glandular fever or something similar. Blood tests came back clear, except slightly low vit d (not low enough to cause symptoms). Went back 2 weeks later as no improvement. Dr. heard a slight heart murmur, which has never been heard before and son has very high heart rate (126 1st time and 105 2nd) so he has a referral for a cardiologist.

Energy levels are improving and he is not as wiped out as before but he is still complaining in a headache. Not a really bad headache but nearly always there. Ibuprofen or paracetamol does nothing.

Now he has missed a half term of school and I am very keen for him to get back but the headache is making it tricky. He is doing some catch up work over the break but has to stop as his head hurts. He has also stopped gaming as it makes his headache worse (which is a strong indicator that something is wrong as he enjoys gaming).

So what are my next steps? I will make an appointment with the gp again but what should I be asking for? We have BUPA so could go via that but again I’m not sure what to ask for.

Anyone any advice?

You say vitamin D is low, but not low enough to cause symptoms, yet plenty of people in the low end of normal for all sorts of results can be symptomatic.
What else did they test? Low iron can cause headaches yet can be marked ‘normal’ at 20, even though nice guidelines say patients should be treated under 30. I would get a printout of blood test results and check what was tested, check what his levels actually are and see where they can be improved.

Has he had a sight test recently? That would be worth checking.

He had his eyes tested last summer. His vit D was only just below the threshold. He is taking high strength vit D tablets anyway (not made much difference). Thyroid, Epstein Barr and I think iron. Nothing showing up. I can ask to see the results.

Would low vit D or iron give a 6 week headache?

Dr. doesn’t think the heart murmur is anything to worry about - cardiologist is belt and braces.

You would have symptoms until no longer low really.
Out of curiosity, did he do a covid test? Only asking because a number of people have suffered low B12 and low vitamin D after having covid. Low B12 can also cause headaches, did they test that?
Reception should be able to provide a printout of all the bloods tested, the results and the labs reference ranges so you can see how his levels compare. Normal really isn’t the same as optimal for many people.

Ask for a scan. Could be a number of things.
I had a small amount of water in my skull giving headaches but was harmless, other people who have this can get it infected. Could be a number of things bug needs investigating. Good luck.

Thanks, he took a covid test (negative). I’ve booked him an eye test next Saturday as it seems sensible to rule that out - he has had a growth spurt so it could have altered his prescription.

If nothing comes from that I will go back to gp and ask for a scan.

I really don’t want him to miss more school but trying to study with a headache isn’t ideal. He rates the headache about 4 or 5 out of 10, so does impact his ability to concentrate.

I would ask for an MRI.

When is he seeing the cardiologist? I had a heart defect (hole in my heart) which was first picked up after the GP heard a murmur... Not saying that's necessarily it with our son, but people with certain heart defects are more likely to get migraines. I used to get very frequent bad migraines (prior to closure).

Hi Op, the vitamin d spray kicks in much quicker than tablets if you think that's worth a try.
Wondering what his diet is like and if it's possible he has an allergy or strong intolerance to something he regularly eats.
Headaches are often gut/bowl related.
Wishing you/him a speedy diagnosis.

Ds had what sounds very similar when he was 8yo. He had blood tests, eye tests and an MRI. The only thing that they found was he is majorly allergic to both magic cream and dust-neither of which caused the headaches.

I wish I could say something was found, but nothing ever was despite lots of testing in all sorts of ways. The conclusion was that he had a post viral thing that took ages to clear. The headaches did improve, but he was still getting them but low key up to two years later.
He does tend to get any illness going still (7 years later) and run a temperature, but the headache has gone.

Thanks. He is seeing the cardiologist on Wednesday. He has always had a fast heart rate, normally above 100 and has several ECGs due to that. Nothing has shown up. This was the first time anyone has heard a murder though and his heart rate was 126 which is very fast. He doesn’t wear a smart watch so I don’t know how much that might be ‘white-coat’ syndrome, though he doesn’t show any dislike of doctors.

He had allergy tests when he was 5, dust and grasses (takes a regular antihistamine).

I will look into the vit D spray, diet is not great - he is fussy and eats like a sparrow. Spent most of his childhood tethering on the edge of underweight but recently was up to the 25percentile. After this illness is down to the 10percentile - he looks like a typical skinny 16 year old.

The doctor did say it was probably post viral, which I know can’t drag for ages. He doesn’t have exam this year (thank goodness) but don’t want him to miss much more, Alevels move so quickly that it becomes hard to catch up.

I will definitely ask about MRI.

I had what I now suspect to be Covid back in early 2020, and was left with a headache for weeks and weeks afterwards. Dr suspected it was post viral and didn’t really have any other suggestions or do too much else to help, I was so fed up and on the verge of going back to the dr and pushing for something else to be done when the headaches just suddenly stopped! Literally I woke up one day and just felt better. So fingers crossed it is similar for your son, and it is a post viral thing that will pass.

Take him to a cranial osteopath, growth spurts can cause mis alignment, as can sport injuries or any fall.
It really helped me at that age I had terrible headaches as a teen and it turned out to be from an old car crash injury and my neck and hips were misaligned as I grew .

Likely post-viral.

I had persistant headaches and migraines for months after COVID and was prescribed amitriptyline for the headaches and sumatriptan for the migraines which has helped me.

I also had inappropriate sinus tachycardia and have postural orthostatic tachycardia which has improved slowly over time.

I would also make sure that he is not more thirsty/drinking more than usual and passing urine more than usual because along with feeling more tired/fatigued these are symptoms of type 1 diabetes which may be triggered by a virus. You can get headaches with this due to high blood sugar.

I had Covid very badly and the dull daily headaches (and fatigue) lasted more than a year. I was recommended to take a multi-B vitamin, magnesium and vitamin D.