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16 year-old female with 14 year history .....

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Migraine Headache
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Posted 9/16/2003 4:43 PM (GMT 0)

My daughter is 16 and has had headaches since she was about 2 years old. She was the only kid in grade school that had pain meds in the school office.  She is almost 17 now and has been having a terrible time.  I wish we could isolate what starts these attacks.  I work in a doctor's office and we have tried every migraine medicine available.  She has never had a demerol injection because I see too many addicts and we just don't want to go down that path.  Currently, she is taking 400 mg of ibuprofen daily when she doesn't have a headache and 800 mg, three times daily when she does have a headache.  She is also taking 160 mg of propranolol in the morning and 80 mg at night. Her grades are good overall, but now that she is a junior in highschool, it's getting harder to make up the missed work.  I think she was only able to get through 2 half days last week.  I feel so helpless!  I think we will have to go through the board office and get her classified as a handicapped child. That way, the school will have to accomodate her absences and also offer tutoring if she gets too far behind. 


Right now, I am really wondering how she will get through college like this. She wants to go to a christian university to study youth ministry, but I'm sure they will have attendence requirements. 


Does anyone else here have a child that has migraine headaches.  How do you handle the school situation?


Thanks,


bambi

Posted 9/29/2003 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
My son started having headaches at age 6. He has mostly outgrown them but I've had them for over 40 years. I've tried everything out there, including drugs, emergency rooms, accupuncture, everything. In the last couple of months I have actually found relief through finding out what foods I my system has problems with. That doesn't mean that I'm allergic, just that my system has a problem with a particular food or chemical. What a relief!
Posted 10/7/2003 8:39 AM (GMT 0)
hi bambi, this is my 1st day here....before we go any further in my intro...this is what i have to say about your girl. Have you already done a CT scan on her? if yes, what was the Dr's feedback? cheers
Posted 12/29/2003 2:28 AM (GMT 0)

Hi-I'm a sixteen year old girl and have had migraines since I can remember, but my doctors and parents didn't believe me until I was 14.  When I complained to my doctor he dismissed me and told me to take Motrin whenever i got a headache.  Anyway, I did exactly what he told me (because he was the doctor) and because my problem was so bad I ended up taking 200mg of Motrin everyday for a year(that was always for a headache I got, never preventive).  Finally it got so bad that I would sit in a corner for hours and cry continuously.  When my doctors were twiddling their thumbs trying to figure out what was wrong, I had already known.  I had become physically dependent on Motrin (and Aleve and every other otc).  Of course no one listened to me because I'm only a child.  I quietly and gradually lessened the amount of meds I was taking (often leading to intensely severe HA), by politely refusing the meds when offered but without explanation. 

My point is that although the process was painful I'd be in even more pain now if I hadn't stopped.  More importantly, I believe I might have done permanent damage with the drugs.  Even if my head feels perfectly fine and I take Motrin for something else I lapse right back into old patterns.  Personally, and this is by no means a professional opinion I think excessive use of otc's is dangerous and although different things work for different people, everyone should be careful in monitoring doses.  Hope things work out for her!                                                                                    





Posted 12/30/2003 10:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Allison,
I'm curious and do not understand from your message. What did you feel, or do you feel is/was the danger in taking those OTC meds chronically? What was motivating you to give them up, and what do you do now, for your headaches? Thanks for clarifying this.
Posted 1/1/2004 10:03 PM (GMT 0)
Hi again- I feel that taking otc's daily created a big problem for me personally. The rebound headaches they caused were very painful and led to me needing these pills daily to suppress the pain and I believe I could have avoided much of the pain had I taken them less often. After about a year of taking them, the constant need began to take an emotional toll on me too. It was draining to be in so much pain and believe that there was nothing I could except to take pills that weren't helping. So I decided that I might as well see if taking nothing was any worse than taking otc's. I had already experienced so much pain that I realyy wasn't afraid of being in worse pain. While I didn't see a remarkable improvement in the beginning, I at least had the satisfaction of knowing that I didn't need otc's everyday and eventually I did begin to feel better. The problem is that if I take an OTC now for something completely unrelated to a migraine, I get one immediately after it wears off and often feel compelled to take more-potentially beginning the cycle again.
Posted 1/5/2004 2:55 AM (GMT 0)
I have had migraines since I was 13. I also used motrin/ibuprofen and stayed in bed when that didn't work. When I was about 18, I was prescribed Fioricet and that worked beautifully.

25 years later, I know that my migraines are triggered by allergies & hormones. The worst headaches occur in Sring & Fall and usually begin pre-menstrual. I began allergies shots to help and discovered after months of increased migraine that the shots were triggering the headaches. The doc prescribed steroids to be taken before & after the shots but I didn't want to go down that road. I quit the shots.

During that period of terrible headaches, I tried Imitrex injections. They also worked well, but I didn't like using it and cannot use the nasal spray for other reasons. I also didn't like the pill form.

I hope your daughter finds what works for her. Migraines can really be debilitating.
Keah
Posted 1/13/2004 12:54 AM (GMT 0)

hi.  i do not suffer from headaches personally .. well no more than the average mother with children...  seriously though i do have a 12 year old boy that does .. and much like your daughter has had them back as far as i can remember.  It was just the last 2 years that I was able to get a doctor to "diagnose" him with severe migrane disorders.  However, the nueroligist that we saw told me that he would put on meds but we would pretty much have to "deal" with it.  In the meantime his peds doc retired.  so I had to start all over with a new doc... she helped get him off one med ( propaninol) because he was addicted to it and it was making him bloated ... and was just not working .. we tried the imitrex shot and that did not fair over so well either .. so we ended up with him on amptitripolyn .. he was doing ok .. for about a year or so ... but recently he has been getting them about evert 4 days or so and they are lasting about 2 days each.  WE ended up at the hospital with morphine and other narcotics the other day ... i did not like that sight at all .. nor did he ... he is still active in sports because he refuses to give them up .... i changed his diet a little bit .. took out greasy foodst .. this seemed to help a little bit ..... i took it upon myself to finally get him to see an allergist... my prayers may have been answered because she is a peds. allergist and she took  a special interest in migraine headaches in youths.... i have not seen her yet .. and i know there is a battle to come .... the docs say that they may be more severe for him because he is starting to go thru puberty right now and his hormones are nuts .........as far as his schooling .. well he is doing ok this year .. but besides all the above he started middle school this year . .so big changes in school.. no help i am sure .. but anyway i have been going about once a month and getting any make up work .. some teachers are understanding and some think it is just a scam on his part to get out of school.. i know here when he misses 10 full days of school i get turned into the truency board .. they take me to court to see if i am fit mother .. and then after that they allow him back to school but if i miss more they make me take him to doc and get a note ... i am truely considering home schooling .. i was told some health ins may consider helping w the cost due to med reasons .. and the school dist may be able to pick up part of the tab as well..  I know its not an answer to college .But it may help for now ....

 

I would like to know how other parents were able to get through this not only financially but also mentally .. i am a single mother .. and no real family around to help and i have not really had a chance to make any friends becuase i usually have to run to his aide ...

 

I hope my suggestions help a little bit and if anyone has any suggestions to my issue please let me know..  

 

oh yeah ps .. i was a top speller in school and even went to school for medical assisting.. u could never tell by my terrible spelling on this .. :)

 

thanks

shewax

Posted 1/22/2004 4:07 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Bambi,
I'm new to this forum, but reading your post touched a nerve with me too. I have had migraines all my life..the first one I remember was at 6 years of age, but my mother remembers me getting them earlier than that. I was lucky on one hand, to have a very supportive Mom who understood, and also my brother suffered terribly as well so it helped to have someone commiserate! But on the other hand, the doctors were not too helpful and I didn't get a proper diagnoses until 17 or so. I am now 34 and have chronic migraines and have likely tried everything under the sun myself. Now, I'm basically using Tylenol with Codeine combined with Zomig by injection. I've also recently started a magnesium/vitamin B combination but its too new to say for sure.

Tell your daughter to try not to get too disillusioned. Having pain on a regular basis can be so frustrating! Especially when it cuts into social time, let alone school and dreams. I find for me, taking the whole 'one day at a time' thing is very helpful. When she has a bad day, take it for what it is and do best to put it behind her and start the next day new. The worst thing for us 'migrainey' folks is to get caught up in the whole 'ohno..is it going to come back today???' I also think your idea of advising the school faculty wouldn't be bad. Things tend to go in waves, but if you can take the stress off of keeping up at the same pace as those fortunate non-migrainers, I'll bet it will help her relax and focus on feeling better, and at the same time, hopefully relieve some of the more acute moments. It's awful at times, as we all know, and whatever you can do to alleviate the stress during the bad times, it can sometimes help make the good times last a bit longer.


As for demerol, I know it certainly has it's downfalls but taken in moderation, is certainly not a bad option. Like I said, I've had migraines all my life. My frequency at the best of times is about 1 every 10 days, at worst, I'm every other day and some last forever - like 10-14 days at a time. I have had to cave and take the 'D' shot only about dozen times in my life and for those times, I can only say that it was the best option and I don't regret it. Sometimes that extra 'slam' can kick me into almost a remission for a few weeks. Granted, it's not a light decision but between that and codeine for me, is what keeps me able to work a full-time job and have a life. If taken for the right reason, it's certainly a good option IMHO.

Well, I've written a book here...sorry 'bout that. Just reading your daughter's situation reminded me of my high school days and my heart goes out to her.

Sue
Vancouver, BC
Posted 2/24/2004 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
Migraines run in my family, my gran had them, my Mum and her 2 sisters get them ( mum suffers from broken glass vision and strange smell's ) I get them occasionally (last nasty one put me in hospital due to de-hidration through vomiting) and my 15 yr old daughter has had them for the last 5yrs ( stress & food related) & now my 13 yr old son has started with them *sigh* Does any one else find a family trait to migraine?
Posted 3/10/2004 6:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Bambi,
My sister had headaches for what seems like all her life including migraines for over 25 years. As a teenager she suffered from severe headaches. She tried every drug suggested by her idiot doctors (nothing worked), and, in fact, one prescription filled incorrectly nearly killed her. It wasn't until she took a nutritional approach that she got results. For over three years now she has been migraine-free, having only a couple of stress-related headaches in that time, she shared with me. If this interests you I know she will be glad to share what worked for her. My e-mail is [email protected]. God Bless.

Sharon
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