Guest Author - Joyce N. Eldridge, M.Ed.

As a parent, one of the most difficult things to endure when it comes to your children is seeing them in pain. There can be nothing more frustrating than to know that something is wrong with your child and not be able to figure out what is going on. What’s worse is when your child is too young to give an accurate description of what they are experiencing. While it is often times easy to discern when your child has a cold or flu-like symptoms what about the less obvious symptoms of a headache. Your ten-year-old may be able to say “my head hurts…this is where it hurts…and it feels like this…” Try that with a four-year-old and the entire episode can leave everyone with a headache.

When a child complains that his head hurts, his belly hurts and he just wants to lay down, a typical parent may immediately think he has a stomach virus, a “touch” of the flu or he just really doesn’t want to go to preschool that day. What is a parent to do? Take your child seriously, investigate, ask questions, and find out how your child is really feeling.

A little known fact is that the few symptoms described above—head hurting, belly ache and desire to sleep—are symptoms associated with migraine headaches in children. Some people may assume that a headache is a headache and migraine symptoms are all alike no matter the age. The truth is, migraines in children manifest themselves differently than the “classic” migraine symptoms that adults experience.

Despite what you may be thinking as a parent, medical research suggests that migraine headaches in children, even as early as age four, are common and that boys tend to get them earlier in age than do girls. So, what should parents and caregivers look for when they can’t necessarily get the most reliable information from their kids? Doctors say that looking “ill”, stomach pain or overall upset feeling, vomiting, diarrhea and a constant need to sleep are all clues that your child may be suffering from migraines. Some slightly older children may also have actual head pain, and sensitivity to lights, sounds and smells. Even signs that an average person may associate with sinus problems or infection could be attributed to a migraine headache.

As parents, it is important to know your child and be able to recognize when something just isn’t right. If your normally active, chatty, outgoing pre-schooler becomes withdrawn, irritable and as some kids might say feel “kinda icky” there may be something going on beyond the infamous 24-hour flu. Just as with many adults, there may be no rhyme or reason to what is causing the migraine, each case can be different. In most situations, childhood migraines do not last as long as the adult version and many kids grow out of it once puberty hits. It just becomes paralyzing to the parent that has to watch their child suffer if even for a few minutes.

It is always best to consult with your pediatrician about your child’s symptoms, especially when they occur frequently. Even if the doctor suspects pediatric migraines as the culprit, he or she will want to do a physical exam to rule out anything more serious. Within the physical exam, the doctor will also conduct a neurological exam (screening to ensure that the brain and nervous system are working properly). If, after the exam, there doesn’t appear to be anything abnormal occurring, the doctor will probably diagnose the migraines and not move on to further testing or specialists.

Parents should always be prepared to ask and answer questions when meeting with the doctor. While the doctor will want to hear things from the child’s perspective (provided that they are able to communicate) parents should always be able to provide a history of what the child has previously reported as well as what may or may not have been out of the ordinary around the time the headaches occurred, i.e.—what could have triggered the headache?

Together, the child’s caregiver and doctor should work to create a treatment plan to help prevent and treat future migraine episodes. The plan may include:

• avoiding known migraine/headache triggers such as foods, environmental factors, activities and emotional stress
• following routine schedules for daily events, such as mealtimes, bed times and physical activity
• logging when a migraine occurs and how long it lasts
• what medications to take/avoid
• when to call the doctor

Being aware and prepared can make all the difference to your child if they suffer migraines. Be sure to take them seriously and do not demand that they just “push through it". Migraine attacks can be devastating to adult suffers, imagine how a child must feel. Encourage them to be honest with their symptoms and to know how to react in case they are away from you (school, camp, at grandma’s house, etc.) when a migraine occurs. Alert other caregivers as to what symptoms/clues to look for as well as the treatment plan that you have implemented with your child and doctor to ensure that your child receives the help and attention they need to get through the migraine. Most importantly, encourage your child to rest. Doctors suggest that undistracted rest and sleep can be an effective tool in getting the migraine to subside.