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Headaches/Migraines


PKM

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I am just curious to know if anyone else's kids have problems with headaches and migraines? My son had an abrupt onset of migraines 2 years before his onset of diagnosed Sydenham's Chorea (which I do think might be PANDAS). I can't help but think the migraines might be related in some way. When he has problems with movements - he has no migraines - when his movements get better - the headaches come back - there certainly seems to be some sort of relationship there. I can't help but wonder if a certain amount of inflammation causes him to experience headaches/migraines but a greater degree of inflammation causes the movement disorder issues. These headaches/migraines can be very frequent at times - like 5 or 6 days a week. Anyone with any thoughts on this???

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Here is an old thread on headaches http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...mp;hl=headaches

 

Do they respond to tylenol or advil? Many PANDAS parents find that advil (but not tylenol) also helps other pandas symptoms.

 

 

Yes - Advil works for him but Tylenol does very little. We used to be unsure if he really had bad headache pain when he first started getting them - but we quickly discovered that if we did not treat him immediately he would soon be on the floor vomiting and in extreme pain. Not fun for anyone - especially a little kid!

 

Thanks for the link to the old thread.

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Pixie also complains of headaches, but they never result in vomiting, etc. I find that she will not drink unless we are really vigilant about making her, and I wondered if they could be dehydration-related. I read someplace that most headaches are from dehydration that you don't even realize.

 

Is he on any meds? The psych just ran a panel on her checking pituitary, etc to see if maybe the meds were causing a hormone (prolactin) increase and thus causing the headaches, but that was ruled out. Ped said another visit is in order at the neuro for us, but also because she is having some urinary issues that can not otherwise be explained.

 

Have you had any neuro testing done? A CT, etc? Could it be hereditary? I started having migraines at 7, but looking back I wonder if I didn't have something else going on as well since I was sick, esp with strep, quite a lot. Very strange how all the pieces of the puzzle start to fit together and yet it is all still a mystery.

 

FWIW, Pixie's tics and other PANDAS behaviors don't go away during her bouts of headaches, often it is the reverse. She also tends to complain of stomach pain and leg pain around the same time as headaches as well, so hers is obviously somehow related.

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When I read your post, I researched SC a little. It does seem like frequent headaches, even migraines w/ vomitting happens with SC. However I could not find anything about them going away. For some, they say it is a permanent headache. In one study it did say that CT and MRI's didn't find anything and they weren't much help, but if you can get one, I'd still go for it. Like you asked...why would they go away when he has a problem w/ movements....

 

Has he seen an opthamologist?

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I can't give you any insight on the migraines/Pandas connection but I can tell you what I experienced personally as a child with migraines.

 

I remember they started when I was very young and of course no one believed that I had headaches because I was so young. Each headache would last about three days and migrate from one side of my head to the other. They were always located on my temple and above my eye. Heat, humidity, light, sound and movement always made them worse. Over stimulation would lead to vomiting and vomiting would lead to more extreme headache pain. As i've gotten older the headaches have pretty much disappeared.

 

My dd7 has been experiencing migraines since getting the IVIG. I was hoping my kids would not be blessed with this gift of heredity.

 

Our Ped gave us a RX for Imitrex nasal spray. It is very expensive but the money.

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Pixie also complains of headaches, but they never result in vomiting, etc. I find that she will not drink unless we are really vigilant about making her, and I wondered if they could be dehydration-related. I read someplace that most headaches are from dehydration that you don't even realize.

 

Is he on any meds? The psych just ran a panel on her checking pituitary, etc to see if maybe the meds were causing a hormone (prolactin) increase and thus causing the headaches, but that was ruled out. Ped said another visit is in order at the neuro for us, but also because she is having some urinary issues that can not otherwise be explained.

 

Have you had any neuro testing done? A CT, etc? Could it be hereditary? I started having migraines at 7, but looking back I wonder if I didn't have something else going on as well since I was sick, esp with strep, quite a lot. Very strange how all the pieces of the puzzle start to fit together and yet it is all still a mystery.

 

FWIW, Pixie's tics and other PANDAS behaviors don't go away during her bouts of headaches, often it is the reverse. She also tends to complain of stomach pain and leg pain around the same time as headaches as well, so hers is obviously somehow related.

 

The only thing he takes is penicillin......but these headaches began 2 years before the Sydenham's diagnosis (and 2 years before any chorea or tics). I believe though that he must have had untreated strep before and perhaps the headaches were an early symptom of this - especially considering that when he has the movement issues he as very few headaches - but as soon as the movements fade - the headaches come back. I just can't help but wonder if more swelling gives him the movement issues and less swelling gives him the headaches. Neurology sure is mysterious!!

 

No one else in the family has migraines - so probably not heredity. (Never could find any patterns with food intake etc. either.) He had an MRI 2 years ago which came back fine. No other neuro testing done.

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When I read your post, I researched SC a little. It does seem like frequent headaches, even migraines w/ vomitting happens with SC. However I could not find anything about them going away. For some, they say it is a permanent headache. In one study it did say that CT and MRI's didn't find anything and they weren't much help, but if you can get one, I'd still go for it. Like you asked...why would they go away when he has a problem w/ movements....

 

Has he seen an opthamologist?

 

He has seen an opthamologist - found nothing out of the ordinary. I still suspect that these are somehow related to the problems he has encountered with strep....the pattern must indicate something.

 

Thanks for the info re SC and headaches.

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I can't give you any insight on the migraines/Pandas connection but I can tell you what I experienced personally as a child with migraines.

 

I remember they started when I was very young and of course no one believed that I had headaches because I was so young. Each headache would last about three days and migrate from one side of my head to the other. They were always located on my temple and above my eye. Heat, humidity, light, sound and movement always made them worse. Over stimulation would lead to vomiting and vomiting would lead to more extreme headache pain. As i've gotten older the headaches have pretty much disappeared.

 

My dd7 has been experiencing migraines since getting the IVIG. I was hoping my kids would not be blessed with this gift of heredity.

 

Our Ped gave us a RX for Imitrex nasal spray. It is very expensive but the money.

 

Is the Imitrex used to treat the pain once a headache begins or is it used as a preventative??

Thanks

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