Any Doctors around that can advise ? TEEN WITH CONSTANT HEAD PAIN

[Seashellsandsand]

Hi I’m just looking for some advice or ideas regarding my DD age 16. For the last 18 months she has had a headache or migraine every day or at least 4 days a week. Her migraine affects her vision and sometimes she vomits. Her headache is a constant cap of pain. We have been fobbed off with tension headaches etc and been back and forth to GP. Sometimes she gets dizzy when standing up and gets pains in her legs and chest. In January they requested blood tests which kept having to be repeated due to elevated platelets. Platelets are consistently high. She has been taking Propranolol for the head pain for about 10 months which has reduced the migraine with Aura frequency v slightly. She has tested negative for Iron deficiency but the Haematology consultant requested a specific test for under lying Anemia? I think. Her score was 12 which is the top figure . If under 12 Haematology would see her.
Haematology have told the GP to treat with high doses of Iron for 3 months then they will see her if platelets not reduced.
Im really concerned and I feel we are being fobbed off.
My DD’s quality of life is affected. Every day she is taking painkillers or in bed with pain .
I would be grateful for any insights.

Why do you feel that she's being fobbed off? Looks like her levels could be slightly off but not massively. They are treating her and will be checking her levels. Hopefully this will sort the problem, and try not to worry unneccessarily.

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Apologies for the above link, I'd just finished reading the 90s reminiscing post and it was in my head.

Could it be something simple like stress, hydration, salt, lack of sleep....?

Otherwise I'd just go the multivitamin route and see if anything improves?

I realise they aren’t actually fobbing her off but it feels like it . I feel Haematology should have seen her when she was referred by GP. But instead they insist to wait. Her platelets are double what they should be. It’s not just a slight headache it’s debilitating. She’s young and it’s affecting her quality of life.
I appreciate your replies.

Has she seen a neurologist?
Is there any triggers such as lighting, food etc

Painkillers can cause headaches so maybe it’s that

NHS rations care by making people wait for ridiculous periods of time before moving onto the next step. Given that her health affects her ability to perform well at school, I would try to get her evaluated privately.

Has she ever had a CAT scan? That's how we found out our DD had chronic sinusitis and an orbital abscess which required surgery. Whilst in hospital she was on regular doses of paracetamol, ibuprofen and codeine before the pain was managed.
She hadn't had a cold and had been living with it for so long she didn't know what it was like to not have a headache but thought that was 'normal'.

She has never had a scan and I’m not aware of any potential food triggers. Sunlight can occasionally trigger it as does exercise. Even walking.

I work on a serious burns unit so not my field but that sounds neurological and she needs a scan.

@Gatehouse77 I’m pleased you discovered the cause. Such a shame that your DD considered being in pain normal. I totally relate as this is what my DD says too.

@MidnightAnnie the GP has only ever done the standard Neuro tests such as follow my finger etc

This what I was coming to say.

As in painkiller overuse headaches

My DD had high platelets when her Crohn's was first diagnosed - we were told it's a sign of autoimmune inflammatory conditions.

My daughter @ 13 had constant headaches for over a year.

Her father has died a year before of a brain tumor. The pediatrician decided that it was pyschosomatic pain and gave her low dose amitriptyline which worked marginally. She also had an MRI to rule out a brain tumor as my daughter was very anxious about it. I would only give pain relief if my daughter asked for it and so she rarely had any despite the headaches.

I decided to take to a chiropractor to see if acupuncture could work. Long story short we ended up seeing an osteopath. The osteopath immediately saw that my daughter's neck and upper spine were out of alignment. This was causing the headaches. 6 weeks of treatment later and virtually no headaches.

@butterfly990 I’m sorry to hear about your DH. Your DD must have been terrified. I’m glad the issue was resolved. I will look into an Osteopath but money is an issue for me. It still doesn’t explain the platelets though .

@MumofCrohnie The Chrohns thing is interesting as DD gets constipated.

@justabigdisco im not convinced it’s painkiller overuse as she suffered without painkillers for a longtime as she wouldn’t swallow them and even struggled with liquid paracetamol .

Bumping for your lovely daughter op

I was just coming on to suggest an osteopath too. My dd developed awful headaches when she was about 9 or 10, and I took her to see my osteopath who discovered that her head and neck were out of alignment, and sorted her out. After a couple of sessions she had no more headaches.

Has she been tested for coeliac disease? This was my teens main symptom

I was also going to suggest seeing an osteopath.

I have migraines too.
I agree she needs to see a neurologist as migraines have different causes and treatments.
As part of that, she should also get an ECG prior to seeing the neurologist as some migraines are caused by heart/cardiovascular problems. And this would explain her leg & chest pains, dizziness and fainting as these are cardiovascular symptoms.

I assume your DD has had some basic things checked?

• vision? This can cause headaches if not corrected
• When the headaches started, did she also start any new meds such as the pill or other hormonal contraception?
• Any dental issues? I know of someone who has a molar pressing on a nerve which caused dreadful headaches

After so long, I would have thought a scan would be warranted, but I assume GP's need to see other signs to refer for one (I'm not a GP BTW)

Has she ever been advised to keep a food diary, to check for any triggers?
Is it related to her menstrual cycle?

Although I'd want to get to the actual cause, I've read about daith piercing on the ear can help some migraines. I was also going to recommend an osteopath. You can unconsciously be hunching the shoulders, using a laptop at the wrong height, carry a handbag or heavy bag on 1 shoulder, which can all throw the spine and neck out.

best of luck and keep us updated OP x

Commonest cause of raised platelets is iron deficiency anaemia. Given levels sound low, totally reasonable for 3 month trial of iron and see if feels better and platelets come down. Causes of iron deficiency typically heavy periods or gut malabsorption (so either poor diet or something like coeliacs). Iron deficiency is a cause of migraine.

raised platelets also caused by other inflammatory conditions (rheumatoid arthritis etc).

if she later has normal iron stores after taking iron, and platelets still high, haem will see her to exclude a bone marrow condition such as rare condition of essential theombocytosis. It’s rarely seen in teenagers, but not impossible and would only be investigated once iron deficiency treated (far more common).