Worried about headaches

[Reasonswhy]

Fully disclose I have health anxiety, but sadly been in the minority % too often to be rational with health issues.

9 year old DD has been having daily headaches for
the last 3 months, they tend to happen in late afternoon, and mainly in the car or watching kindle. They pass without need for calpol but are sore when they happen and often coincide with her feeling sick (never vomits).

eye tests up to date and all fine, she eats and drinks and sleeps well.

Have seen 2 gp’s who were very dismissed and sniffy, I think my past health anxiety tends to cloud their judgement😢I was open when they askee
me what I was worried about (worse case scenario a brain tumour) and said in a bored way that the headaches would
happen first thing and be accompanied by vomiting and balance issues
and they won’t refer for a scan.

I’m worried that asking for a 3rd gp is going to have A neurotic mum star
stocker by my name for good, but every day she says her head hurts my heart sinks and I feel anxious. I lost my dad to brain cancer so it’s just triggering 😢

The red flags at "Head Smart" are useful to bear in mind. It doesn't sound as if any of these are being exhibited. There is information on the Migraine Trust website about non migraine persistent headache types as well. Suffering from headaches is actually quite common, where brain tumours in children are very rare in absolute terms (and tend to be associated with red flag symptoms, and with symptoms progressing to getting worse, not staying static as you describe). Is there a reason (except potentially your acknowledged health anxiety) you don't feel able to accept the reassurance from GPs?

Thank you for this, it’s really helpful.

i am just worried they’re missing something - my son’s autoimmune condition was missed by them and I was repeatedly told not
to worry, and my friend at the same surgery was told she was too young for a certain cancer and died 9 months later. I know for these 2 “misses” there will have been 2000 correct diagnoses but it just makes me nervous and they don’t seem at all interested in the fact a 9 year old is struggling with daily headaches and won’t consider a scan just to be safe.

Agree that you haven't mentioned any red flags. And it generally takes red flags for a scan to be authorised.

Does nausea along with persistent headaches not count as
a red flag?
I don’t want to put her through unnecessary testing, I just don’t want to miss anything 😢

One important negative consequence of scans "just to be safe" is the chance of an incidental finding - a common scenario, much more so than detecting a serious problem with the information you have given. This would likely interact very badly with your anxieties rather than providing the reassurance you're hoping for.

My son had a brain tumour a xpuolenof years ago. His balance, speech and co-ordination weren't affected because of where it was, but he started saying that he didn't want to tilt his head up, looking upwards when I washed his hair, and he wanted an extra pillow at bedtime. Then he started jumping out of bed every morning and throwing up bile, nothing else to bring up. He was off school for a while then went back, and referred for mri, blood tests and a nutrit6to check for allergies. A couple of weeks after the mri we were called into hospital and our lives were flipped upside down. Thank God they were amazing but anythingvto do with the brain comes with a lot of complications, even if its benign.
I'm sorry, I haven't read the whole thread as this topic really twists my gut, but is it her eyes? I don't mean to be flippant, but when I was little I couldn't read in the car as it made me feel sick...are there other times that it happens?

sorry I’m not sure what you mean - that they might find something on the scan? But would that not be better to know about (even if harmless?)

No, that sounds classic migraine.

Any history of migraine in the family? It has a strong familial link.

Has she had her eyes tested?

As a kid I often was the same with car journeys - any other signs of travel sickness?

How bright is her Kindle?

i am so sorry and don’t mean to trigger you, how is your son now?

she often says her eyes hurt and points to the top of her head when it’s sore. It happens in the car and watching her kindle, but also randomly at other times. At least
1-2 times daily. specsavers eye test showed no problems with her eyes.

no history that I know of but we are a tiny family. Thank you for this x

Wondering if this could be hormonal? DD had very frequent migraines just before puberty / early stages of puberty. They stopped around a year after her periods started.

I also lost my mum to a brain tumour so had that fear like you, to be told he had one too was my worst nightmare. Hes OK, he'll have annual mris to monitor but they dont expect it to come back. Its been awful and its changed us all, but we're grateful that it wasn't worse. I'd say that if she's her usual self besides these headaches, its probably nothing sinister, and I my experience if they think its a possibility theyre all over it. Children often have much more positive outcomes than adults with brain tumours.
If I were you, I'd stop giving her the kindle in the car and I'd keep a diary of her headaches and any possible triggers in diet, etc. Give it a week or two and if she's still getting them make an appointment and show them the diary, push for an mri. Try to be positive for now, it probably isn't anything too bad. I wish you and yours all the best.

I’m so sorry about your mum. Im glad your son is doing ok now and that they keep an eye on him. I can only imagine how much it has changed you all.

a headache diary is a good idea, I’ll try keeping one.

She has developed a lot of anxiety and become very clingy to me, still not sure why this is but maybe it’s causing some stress headaches. I just don’t know.

That’s interesting as she has developed breast buds so puberty definitely in its early stages….

My dc has a brain tumour. I agree with @Rasell- keep a headache diary and then make another appointment with the GP to discuss. Have a look at the link below before you go back to the GP - family history is relevant in making the decision whether to scan.

Pre-diagnosis, my dc had severe headaches in the early hours and vomited bile. This was because of hydrocephalus due to the position of the tumour. Thanks to a conscientious A&E doctor, my dc was diagnosed. No thanks at all to the GPs who repeatedly told us there were no concerns.

Ignore any worries you have about the GP thinking you’re anxious. Any parent would be concerned about their child having headaches, and taking your dc to the GP to discuss repeated headaches is not being an anxious parent, it’s exactly the right thing to do.

Having said all that, brain tumours are rare, although I know it doesn’t feel that way when you’ve seen up close how devastating they can be.

https://dontforgetthebubbles.com/headsmart/

@banabak how is your dc? And you? Sensingbhuge hugs and lots of love and stregnth xxx

Headaches and nausea in the afternoon are often related to blood sugar fluctuations. While you’re keeping the headache diary, it might be worth making sure she has enough protein at lunchtime and limiting sugar, to prevent the after lunch spike. Worth a try anyway!

I’m so sorry to hear about your DC. How are they doing now? I didn’t know they take family history into account, in fact im sure they didn’t ask me about it at all but both were really quite sniffy about it and even said “well she looks well” 😔 thank you so much for taking the time to reply

Oh I didn’t think of this, thanks. Illl keep a food diary too. She is often nauseous first thing but I’ve been putting it down to nerves really as she’s become very clingy and anxious the last couple of months too.,

I suffer with migraines, and one of the most useful pieces of advice given to me by the national migraine society was ‘keep the brain quiet’. So regular meals, snacks if necessary, and something to eat before bedtime because the nighttime is a long time for the brain to go without the glucose it needs. Lots of protein, no sugar and limited caffeine.

Maybe that can help - I remember feeling awful in the afternoons as a child and my 80s diet was probably pretty rubbish! All the best to your daughter, don’t worry about asking for another opinion if you need to.

I would go with your instincts and see another doctor. Even if it's just to put your mind at ease. It's completely normal that you are concerned, you're his mum. I would keep an eye on it at the very least, keep an eye to see if they're staying the same or getting worse and do push for a scan if you see it going on or getting worse, just so you know. Diet and not drinking enough fluids and cause headaches too, you could try also to see if antihistamine works, like zirtek. The last 3 months is hay fever season

Thank you so much, her diet is not the best as since her anxiety started she’s had some food issues too, so this is definitely something to think about, thank you

Thanks @Rasell apart from feeling about 150 years old from all the worry, I’m not too bad! My dc had a hellish 18 months following diagnosis but things have been stable for a while now. The tumour is still there, we’ve been told it will go through stages of growth and more treatment will be needed. Neurosurgical complications mean that life isn’t going to be easy for my dc but I feel like we’ve gone from living hour to hour, then day to day, and now from scan to scan.

Thank you so much. I hate that we seem to have a culture where mums who want to get help for their child’s discomfort risk being told they are over anxious. It’s all a bit “calm down dear” and makes me nervous to keep pushing. Which is absurd as a fairly confident late 40’s woman!

You sound a wonderful mum 💞