Daily headaches in 5 year old.

[ros78]

Hello.
My 5 year old daughter is having daily headaches. Her headaches started approx 4-5 months ago but were only occasional. They are now daily and are always there when she wakes in the morning and at night. They occur on and off throughout the day but only last for approx 10 min. She can appear happy one minute and the next complain of a headache
She also complains of light and noise sensitivity and a very sore neck. Another recent complaint is that her legs feel sore inside; This comes and goes but has gotten to the point that at times she finds it hard to keep up with me.
She has described her feelings as her whole body feels hot inside and her head feels 'wobbly like jelly' inside.
I have taken her to the doctor a couple of times but they have not run any tests and suggested she was seeking attention. However, I can see how the headaches have intensified and how they occur both at home and at school.

I would really appreciate some help and insight as I am at a loss as to where to go from hear.

Thank you.

[Dr Santos]

Hi, It's good that there is nothing wrong with her eyes, we can rule it out from the other causes.  If you have a family history of headaches, your child will have a higher risk of getting them also. Accidental bumps and bruises can also cause headaches. Was there any trauma to her head before the headaches started? Could you elaborate also on her problems with temperature? Headache is also a frequent symptom of many common childhood illnesses such as ear infections, sinus infections, colds and flu. If not, conditions in the environment, including weather changes, odors, loud noises and bright light all can cause headaches.It is also important to note if there is high levels of stress and anxiety in your child since this too, can contribute to headaches.

If the headache persists and worsens, it is best to bring her back to her doctor for proper evaluation. A neurological exam to check for any problems with movement, coordination or sensation and some blood tests and imaging scans are occasionally needed to rule out other medical conditions that could be causing the headaches.

Take care and keep us posted.

[ros78]

Thank you for your replies.
She has had her eyes checked at school and came back fine; However I may get them checked again.
Her headaches seem worse when moving in the sense that she complains that she can't move in bed as it makes her head hurt and she is sensitive to light to the point that I have had to close the curtains etc.
She says the front of her neck really hurts and has problems with temperature. She says she feels too hot and cries that her clothes are making her too hot and giver her a headache, (it is winter here); When you touch her at these times, her skin is really hot and moist.
Is there anything related with body temperature problems?

Again, thank you.

[mrs_t76]

Have you taken her to have her eyes checked out?  My 6yr old was having much of the same issues with headaches and was getting them everyday as well.  He seemed to be able to see fine, however, when I finally took him in to have his eyes tested thoroughly (dialated and all), it was discovered that he had rather bad eyes site and a stigmatism in one eye.  Not only can poor eyesite cause headaches, but a  stimatism can cause severe headaches/migraines in a hurry.  You may want to take her in to check this out as a first stop.  If it proves that her eyes are fine, I would then take her to a neurologist as they specialize in various methods of discovering whether they are real headaches/migraines/or "attention" as some suggest with kids.  They also are more likely to do a scan as well to rule out anything major going on inside her head that could be causing them as well.

Your mention of her legs hurting could just be a coincidence with the headaches as this is the age that "growing pains" can really set in for some children.  My son had, and still has, them rather bad.  Whereas my other children have never had them much at all or even noticed them.  I had them seo bad when I was a kid, that I can still remember the pain at times.  

Whatever the issue be, I would not hold too much water to the "attention getting " theory and instead, have her eyes checked as a first step.
Good Luck~ Hope that helps.

[Dr Santos]

How are you? What kind of pain does she feel? is it one-sided or does movement increases the pain? Migraine pain is often associated with various other symptoms, the most frequent of which are nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, sensitivity to light (photophobia) or sound (phonophobia), chills, pallor and visual disturbances.

It would be good to discuss this with your doctor so proper evaluation and management can be done.

I hope this helps.  Take care and kisses to your daughter.