My Daughter Lulu Is 10 Years Old And Has Constant

Posted on Sun, 2 Feb 2020

Question: My daughter Lulu is 10 years old and has constant headache since Oct 31, for about 2.5months now, for unknown reason. She can not go to school and can not do sports. MRI was done a month ago and unremarkable. Advil/Tylenol is no use. Acupuncture can provide temporary relief but not beyond a few hours. We are waiting for a paediatric neurologist appointment at the end of March. Some friends suggest it might be stress related but we don't feel that's the case. She was a competitive figure skater but she handles training and competition well. She progressed well academically and generally a very happy girl. No family stress either. However, these are only what we observed. Given she normally had a busy schedule before she got sick, i can not rule out stress was a contributing factor. But hard to communicate with kids and she said she doesn't feel stressed. I wonder if you have any suggestions, especially any signs i can watch for to detect whether her headache was stressed related. Note we stopped all her skating training right after the headache starts. Academic study continues but only when she can handle.

Follow up: Dr. salah saad shoman (0 minute later)

My daughter Lulu is 10 years old and has constant headache since Oct 31, for about 2.5months now, for unknown reason. She can not go to school and can not do sports. MRI was done a month ago and unremarkable. Advil/Tylenol is no use. Acupuncture can provide temporary relief but not beyond a few hours. We are waiting for a paediatric neurologist appointment at the end of March. Some friends suggest it might be stress related but we don't feel that's the case. She was a competitive figure skater but she handles training and competition well. She progressed well academically and generally a very happy girl. No family stress either. However, these are only what we observed. Given she normally had a busy schedule before she got sick, i can not rule out stress was a contributing factor. But hard to communicate with kids and she said she doesn't feel stressed. I wonder if you have any suggestions, especially any signs i can watch for to detect whether her headache was stressed related. Note we stopped all her skating training right after the headache starts. Academic study continues but only when she can handle.

Answered by Dr. salah saad shoman (12 hours later)

Brief Answer:
A number of causes

Detailed Answer:
Dear parent, I have gone through your question and I understand your concerns but this could be due to a number of causes. I would recommend that she gets an ophthalmological examination to exclude errors of refraction ( short or long sight) as a cause of constant headache. Also if the headache is more intense in the morning then this raises the possibility of sinusitis and requires an ENT examination. If the headache is accompanied by nausea , vomiting or sensitivity to light and sounds then this raises the possibility of migraine. I would recommend that she gets a blood test for thyroid hormonal profile and blood glucose levels both fasting and postprandial to exclude hyperthyroidism and diabetes. I hope you find this helpful.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana

Answered by Dr. salah saad shoman (0 minute later)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana

Follow up: Dr. salah saad shoman (5 hours later)

Thank you Dr. Shoman for your prompt response! We did do vision test by ophthalmologist so vision refraction issue was ruled out. Blood test was done as well so hyperthyroidism and diabetes were ruled out. The headache is indeed more intense in the morning generally. it also gets worse when she change body position from laying down to sitting up. She has not seen an ENT specialist yet but we will reach out as you recommended. it doesn't go with nausea, vomitting or sensitivity to light at all but very occasionally when it gets very bad, she is sometimes afraid of noise. There was a period of time when she felt more headache when using computer but wasn't otherwise bothered by light. Both myself and my husband don't have family history of migraine. But looks like migraine takes all shapes and forms so perhaps it is migraine? Our paediatric neurologist appointment is two months away. While waiting, we also hope to rule out if there is any psychological side of the issue. Do you have any recommendations? does she need to see a psychologist specialized for children?
Thanks again!
Helen

Follow up: Dr. salah saad shoman (0 minute later)

Answered by Dr. salah saad shoman (2 days later)

Brief Answer:
Other causes need to be rolled out

Detailed Answer:
Dear XXXXXXX hello again.

In addition to the previous tests done , I would recommend that you follow up on her blood pressure level , get a blood test for cortisol level and get scheduled for a rhinoscope. Since the most common causes of persistent headache were excluded, then other uncommon causes need to be rolled out as hypertension, adrenal gland over action and sinuses abnormalities. if all tests came back normal then you should consider migraine .

I hope you find this helpful

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj