14yr old w/ month long migraine

[brobson]

My daughter has been having a headache almost every day for a month.  She got about a week off but they are back. They rate a 7 out of 10.
We've seen a pediatric neurologist who ordered a ct scan and antibiotics for a possible sinus infection.  No help, the 21 day round are finished and we've no relief.   We saw a Chiropractor, physical therapist, pediatrician and ENT.
Now they suggest a specialist who cannot see her until 2 months from now.
She has tried Zomig but it isn't really helping.  OTC Excederine, etc don't help at all

[alagirl]

If it was my daughter (and I have a 20 yr old son who inherited the family migraines - though not as badly as your daughter) I would also have them run an autoimmune panel.  Check for lupus and for anticardiolipid antibodies.  Sometimes lupus gives people horrific headaches, and you can have the acl antibodies with or without lupus.  I would ask for these two tests SPECIFICALLY as well as an entire autoimmune and endocrine panel - which someone suggested above.  High blood pressure probably would have been caught upon examination, but if you have a family history of it especially, then I would check for it again.  Your doctor is going to tell you that he wants you to go to a specialist first to have them run, but try to get him/her to just RUN THE PANELS and specific tests (his office can call the lab if they need help figuring it out and he IS her doctor) and then if something turns up they may be able to turn up the heat on getting her into the specialist.  

[marileew]

If her pain gets any higher than a 7... or you are worried about her state of mind after that much time at a pain level of 7 without relief... take her to the ER, they can give her stronger pain killer. I know that it is scary to give stronger pain killer to a child, but the doctors at the ER won't give her anything dangerous. Sometimes being out of pain for a few hours can break a pain cycle. They might come back, but you can always take her to the ER again if they go on again for too long. The hospital isn't fun... but it's better than being in that much pain for that long. It isn't a long term solution but it can feel like, or literally be, a life-saver until you can get her to a specialist. Also, if you DO take her to the ER, she will get bumped up on the list to see the specialist. This was how I went from being on a year long wait list to see a neurologist to seeing a neurologist the next week after my first ER visit.

I get migraines that last for days and sometimes weeks and I know how scary it can be. And I'm 25! I can't imagine what it would be like for a 14 year old... :(

Other things you can do in the meantime are trying to find Anything that make her feel Any better at all... ice packs on head and neck, ginger gravol helps too (regular gravol helps better, but I realize that a lot of moms don't like giving their kids too much stuff that knocks their kids out). Dark quiet rooms. Running her wrists under warm water. Keeping her feet warm. "Peppermint Halo" Essential Oil blend from Saje. Any muscle rub that the smell doesn't bother her. They won't make the headache go away... but these little things can make the 7 go down to a 5... or if not that... they can reduce some of the scariness and stress that come with the pain.

I hope she feels better soon.

[DrNoopurMD]

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/763239

Hi,

It is important to know if there were any positive findings on the CT scan. This does not seem to a sinus infection because if it were there would have been some improvement after antibiotic therapy.
I would suggest you to maintain a headache diary or use the migraine tracker to identify a trigger for her headaches.
Causes like poor eyesight, high BP, dehydration, food allergies also have to be ruled out.
You can also try giving her magnesium supplements and see if they help with the headaches.
Hope this helps!

[paanda2]

all throughout high school i had headaches, but never ones lasting a full month. i would come home from school around once a week, take a long nap until dinner time, and feel better (usually).

about the triptans (zomig): there are many different kinds, and they all have different effects on people. zomig rarely works for me, but i find that treximet (naproxen, an NSAID, and imitrex combined; relatively new) worked. maxalt worked for me too. it is a lot of playing around; it's hard especially because these are expensive drugs.

what is her blood pressure? normal? i find that if mine's low, i have a throbbing headache. also, did she get blood tests? it can also be hormones; a lot of people stop getting them as they get older (women that is).

one thing that worked for me, because i, like you probably are, was getting frustrated: i went to an integrative medicine doctor and got acupuncture. it helped, a lot, but i stopped bc my insurance stopped covering it. it was there that i got a slew of blood tests (all neg). i now do yoga, which also has similar calming affects.

i'm saying a lot of things in the past tense, because i not get about 4-8 headaches a month, all at night, and all manageable with taking a naproxen (a prescription NSAID). i used to get 4-6 a week.  

headaches/migraines are treated through a lot of guess work. they are also very subjective. it's about trying many different things and having patience (which i know is so so hard; and feeling worried that you're having them exasterbates them more). i'm giving you my story just to show that it can be caused by many different things and takes time. hopefully my suggestions will her you (well, your daughter!)