10yo boy has had 3 bad headaches over last 6 months, teacher concerned, should I be worried?

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The school called as he has a bad headache that started in assembly. I've just brought him home and given him Nurofen and am going to try to get both a drs appt (they're shut until 2pm) and an optician's appt for later on today or tomorrow but wondering how worried you would be about this? He feels slightly hot and says he feels sick too. He's had this 3 times over the last six months and otherwise is a healthy boy.

My instinct is that maybe he needs glasses but before we get to the dr I guess I'm after any reassurance anyone can give me. TIA.

Poor thing.

You don't think it could be a migraine, do you? I know they can start very young.

I hope it isn't but maybe something your GP should consider?

Needing glasses was my first guess, however I dont think 3 headaches in 6 months is a great deal

thank you both
ok will call opticians in a minute
and gp in 3 mins

I instinctively feel that this many in this many months isn;t that big a deal but the teacher saying maybe I need to take him to the dr has worried me.

I wouldn't think 3 in 6 months was that worrisome and would do exactly what you are doing just to check on stuff

does sound like migraine .. poor wee thing

could he just be overtired, or a bit under the weather, its cold time of year? I had migranes as a child and they were far worse than the ones I have had as an adult so I would think it would be obvious if it was a migraine as opposed to a headache, they knocked me for six as a child and I would usually have to have a the next day off to recover.
The other thing is does he have to carry a lot of books around? Could it be tension from that, or stress about something.

is he eating and drinking enough before he goes to school? Maybe it could be due to dehydration/hunger.

Ditto about the opticians.

1. Definitely get his eyes tested.

2. There are lots of viruses going round with these kinds of symptoms.

My ds has had really bad headaches a few times a year since he was around 6. Having had his eyes tested, we think he has suffered from migraine, although it happens far less regularly now.

Hope he feels better soon.

Thank you so much, mumsnet is just fantastic for stuff like tihs. It was his birthday party this we so lots of sugar and crap was eaten and late nights so maybe that's it.

Hope it turns out to be nothing serious, www.

(And hope I didn't scare you with migraine talk - just had a whopper myself this weekend, so they're on my mind, as it were)

My 11 yr old dd gets them sometimes and they are often the start of a virus - bit of a temperature, feeling tired and lethargic etc.

Sometimes they are due to dehydration.

I don't think that 3 in 6 months is anything to be overly alarmed about.

could be childhood migraines.

i suffered badly a sa child, my trigger was cheese.

If the eye test is clear then migraine is definitely a possibility. Ds2 had them from a very young age. Keeping a food diary can be helpful - we found ds2 craved chocolate when a migraine was in the offing. Also, ask your ds if he's had any visual disturbances such as black spots, fuzzy lines, flashing lights. This site will give you some more info. Migraine

I also started having migraines from when I about 10 years old. Mine started with the aura only and then progessed to the full-blown migraine.

And how 'bad' is bad though? If the usual paracetemol or Nurofen don't get rid of it then it could well be migraine.

It's horrible - but treatable.

I started getting headaches when I was at school - they were stress headaches. First day of term was always a killer.

sounds like a migraine, especially as u say he feels sick aswell, i suffer these and i call them "sicky headaches" but as others say it could be the beginning of a virus, 3 headaches in 6 months isnt a big deal, that is only really one every 2 months

Well we went to the opticians this afternoon and all was fine, there's nothing wrong with his eyes. We're going to see the gp tomorrow just to be on the safe side.

However, the Nurofen worked fairy quickly, he hasn't been sick and he is now VERY happily playing on the Wii so hmm. And relieved that he's ok, obviously.

that there's nothing wrong with his eyes.

Does his school use whiteboards?

Thanks very much for all these great and useful posts and links too. Fantastically helpful

Cam, just asked and he said yes.

look here

Thanks Cam and everyone who posted. Eye test was fine yesterday and dr said nothing to worry about this morning. He said maybe the headache yesterday was caused by sinus problems/a cold. So he went to school ok and feels fine today.