chronic headache/micraine

g8rbeckie

g8rbeckie

New member
eta: pls excuse typo in subject :(

Does anyone here have any experience dealing with this? either yourself or a child?

My 11 yo son has had a headache for almost 4 weeks now. The doctors are saying it's a migraine, and that it can last several 6-8 weeks before it starts to go away. We had him in the hospital for 3 days at the end of last week but the IV medication they tried to do made him too sick so they couldn't continue.

Then I read about something called "new daily persistent headache" and I'm terrified.

He's missing so much school, he's in a lot of pain too. i feel helpless as a parent.

appreciate any insights if anyone here has dealt with this before.

Also:
We just started with CBD oil, we have essential oil diffuser he uses at night, and we're going to start with massage as well.
 
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:( I'm so sorry to hear this. I haven't had this happen to any of my kids, but I have had chronic migraines myself. I go months without them sometimes, but then I'll get one that lasts 2 or 3 weeks and basically makes me feel like I can't do anything. I get a visual aura right before a migraine starts - I see white spots in front of my eyes, so I know it is coming. When that happens, I'll medicate up which helps some. I haven't found anything that really makes it go away though.

Major hugs to you in dealing with this with your son. That is the worst feeling, having your child in pain and not able to do anything to make it go away. :(
 
My sister in law has had migraines for years and now she is getting botox injections on the back of her head...seems to be helping.
 
Oh poor kiddo and poor momma! Have you figured out what his triggers are? Stress, foods, teeth grinding, etc?

Some years back I used to get stress-related migraines and in an effort to stop them before they were full blown I'd pop all kinds of ibuprofen, excedrin migraine, etc. I didn't know anything about migraines back then and the one thing I learned from the neurologist is that taking those medicines actually caused a rebound headache so it further perpetuated the cycle.

In the end I ended up going on a daily suppression medicine for epilepsy (which I don't have but the neurologist said something about brain synapses being similiar, blah blah blah? I don't remember much as it was 12 years ago now) and quit the headache medicines cold turkey. It took a few months to reset myself but then I only had to use Imitrex for the occasional migraine.

Anyways, not sure if any of that helps but maybe a visit to the neurologist would help your son too! I hope you find some relief quickly! Headaches are so miserable to deal with! :(
 
I know a former scrapbooker who deals with this. She's not active here anymore but is on FB. If you friend me on there, I can send you her way.
 
thank you guys! Cassie - they gave him Depakote through IV while we were there, it maybe helped lessen the pain a bit but didn't take it away.

I myself have migraines, so I am unfortunately familiar with how to manage them. This is the first time we've gotten a diagnosis of migraine for him though, as previously they kept treating it as though it was sinus. That's how the first three days of this started. Once a migraine gets going, none of hte migraine medicines work - they are only effective at preventing it from getting worse at the onset.
 
I'm so sorry, my DH and I and both my kids are migraine sufferers. It's hard because treatments for kids aren't going to be the same as adults. I'd definitely see if you can get him into a neurologist. Also start tracking those headaches. I'm so sorry, I hope he kicks this one soon, it's a misery I wouldn't wish on anyone.
 
I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. Migraines are the worst and I can't imagine having one for weeks.

I think my migraines are hormonal. There could be other triggers like stress, sugar... but I don't know for sure. When I'm pregnant and nursing I usually don't have any (except this pregnancy has been everything I wasn't used to before and I've suffered from them constantly for the first half of the pregnancy).

I'm sorry I can't help with your particular case. I hope you can find some answers.
 
I'm so sorry your son is going through this.
I've suffered from migraines since I was a kid. Back then, nobody knew what to do with me. The only thing that helped (and I think it was mostly because it helped me sleep) was Tylenol with codeine...probably not the best thing to give a kid!!
Two of my kids get migraines, but not frequently.
My best friend has suffered with migraines since she was a teen. She has tried everything, including Botox and none of it helped.
About the only thing I and my best friend have found is to figure out what the triggers are and avoid them like the plague. Once it hits, it's hard to get rid of. She has shots she can give herself when it starts and if she catches it in time, she may be able to reduce it.
My mom had really bad, constant migraines when she went through menopause. She cut out refined sugar and flour and it helped a lot.

I hope the neurologist is able to find something to help!!
 
LeeAndra said:
I know a former scrapbooker who deals with this. She's not active here anymore but is on FB. If you friend me on there, I can send you her way.
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Lee Andra - I'm Beckie Pugh Lehlbach on FB if you want to friend me! I'm not sure how to find you. Thank you!
 
thank you guys!!

I really need to find anyone who has dealt with one single migraine that doesn't end. there's a condition called "new daily persistent headache" that terrifies me. They can last MONTHS. I desperately hope this pain ends for him.

Once we can get this migraine to stop then we can get into maintenance mode, figure out how often the will happen, what triggers them, etc. I know he needs a consistent sleep schedule, plenty of fluids, and luckily since he's 11 he doesn't generally do caffeine or alcohol (lol) for triggers. The triptan drugs generally work pretty well at stopping a migraine if taken within 30 mins of initial symptoms, but they aren't effective at eliminating one that has really set in.

We met with his teachers and the principal of his school this morning, we're going to try to get him set up as a "homebound" student. His regular teachers will send work home and he'll get 4 hours of instruction from a visiting teacher each week. This will at least take the stress of school out of the equation until he's better. My husband keeps wanting to make him go to school, but I don't. this is a good compromise!
 
I’m so sorry. I and two of my sons get migraines that are more typical and respond if we take meds. One son had a concussion and had constant headaches, sometime migraines for over a year. He still has a constant headache but it’s milder now, only a 2 of 10.

We tried everything. Injections (worked once not the other times), various meds and supplements, training to reduce stress and relax before sleep. We were down to the suggestion of acupuncture, which my son declined. He missed a semester of school. He was homeschooled so we just made the classes up the next year. I know how frustrating it is. My son’s pain was never below a 4 and would go to 9 (on pain scale to 10). I’m sorry I don’t have any magic answers. I would suggest giving him the time and space he needs until he feels better though because stress definitely triggered or worsened my son’s migraines. I think it’s wise to do homebound instruction when needed.

I got my daith pierced (inner cartilage in ear) which has helped reduce my migraines, which are cyclical and hormonal. I no longer get migraines from sleep deprivation and my monthly migraines are less severe. I figured I had nothing to lose but $50 and was desperate enough to try it. A tattoo parlor did the piercing.


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I have chronic headaches / migraines and sometimes have a singular headache last for weeks and months at a time. The older I get, the less frequent that is - but even when I don't have a singular persistent headache, I have daily headaches. Mostly the medications don't help me with a persistent migraine that won't budge - but things like acupuncture, massage cupping, biofeedback therapy, etc. bring me some relief. They don't always make the headache completely subside, but they help it ease to the point where I can function more easily.
 
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I'm so sorry he's going through this and is suffering so much. Is there a way you are able to get him seen by a specialist and maybe on some prescription medication?

When I have my migraines, I'll sometimes get a rebound migraine. Those often feel worse than the initial migraine and have landed me in the ER for some heavy-duty pain killers.

Is the school offering some kind of support for your son, for missing so much school? Are they giving him ample time to make up any materials?

By any chance, did he bump his head and possibly got a concussion? I know you said he was in the ER, but honestly I'd take him to his primary and see a specialist. Because even at that age, they can prescribe something instead of saying "it can last for x-amount of weeks".
 
Sheana said:
I have chronic headaches / migraines and sometimes have a singular headache last for weeks and months at a time. The older I get, the less frequent that is - but even when I don't have a singular persistent headache, I have daily headaches. Mostly the medications don't help me with a persistent migraine that won't budge - but things like acupuncture, massage cupping, biofeedback therapy, etc. bring me some relief. They don't always make the headache completely subside, but they help it ease to the point where I can function more easily.
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I'm so sorry to hear that you deal with this. this is my worst fear for my son. This headache has lasted 4 weeks now without relief for him. I was actually thinking about acupuncture - at this point I'm willing to try anything! have you found ANY medications that help the pain? So far nothing is working for my son either.
 
Neverland Scraps said:
I'm so sorry he's going through this and is suffering so much. Is there a way you are able to get him seen by a specialist and maybe on some prescription medication?

When I have my migraines, I'll sometimes get a rebound migraine. Those often feel worse than the initial migraine and have landed me in the ER for some heavy-duty pain killers.

Is the school offering some kind of support for your son, for missing so much school? Are they giving him ample time to make up any materials?

By any chance, did he bump his head and possibly got a concussion? I know you said he was in the ER, but honestly I'd take him to his primary and see a specialist. Because even at that age, they can prescribe something instead of saying "it can last for x-amount of weeks".
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We started with primary care, they treated him as though it was sinus for the first week until I took him back and insisted it wasn't. then they x-rayed his sinuses and confirmed it wasn't sinus congestion. after a few more days pain they ordered the MRI, when MRI results came back fine they expedited an appointment with a neurologist. The neuro was first to say "migraine", he had us try migraine medication for 1-2 days and when it didn't work he said that going to the hospital for IV medication would be the only option. Unfortunately that IV medicine made him too sick and they couldn't proceed with it. So here we are, almost 4 weeks of straight migraine pain, and nothing we have can even help reduce the pain for him.

For school...
we just met yesterday, they agreed to pursue "homebound". So we're having the doctors complete the paperwork. This will put him formally into a program where schoolwork from his teachers comes home, and there will be a teacher who visits our house for 4 hrs/week to help with any instruction he requires. We should know early next week whether he's been accepted into this or not.

thank you guys so much for all the thoughts and suggestions :wub:
 
g8rbeckie said:
I'm so sorry to hear that you deal with this. this is my worst fear for my son. This headache has lasted 4 weeks now without relief for him. I was actually thinking about acupuncture - at this point I'm willing to try anything! have you found ANY medications that help the pain? So far nothing is working for my son either.
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It is really hit or miss with medications and it really depends on the timing. If I catch it super early, before it is a full blown headache, I have better luck. Maxalt is the best for me, but only eases my headaches about 60% of the time and actually ends them less than 10% of the time. I've stared Aimovig injections for preventing and I recently had my first 12 day headache stretch for the first time over a year - I've also had about a 50% reduction in headaches since starting it. For me, knowing my triggers (I use the Migraine Buddy app to journal them) and avoiding them as well as a good preventative medication helps me more than medications after the headache has started.
 
avoiding them as well as a good preventative medication helps me more than medications after the headache has started.
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I think one of the biggest things that has helped me is figuring out my triggers so that I know when they are going to hit.
 
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