Last week my son and mil had a stomach bug or something that caused them to have a fever and headache and vomiting for a couple days. His lasted a little longer with the vomiting almost 4 days total. Well ever since then he has been complaining of his forehead hurting and he looks a little under the weather. It gets worse at times but he is running and playing like usual. Except when he actually complains of the headache. He had been having some in the past but not as frequently so we made an appt to the neurologist they looked at him and said it was more than likely tension due to our daughter being being hospitalized for a while and us being away. We are very concerned because he still says forehead hurts and we can't seem to pinpoint what it causing it.
Sorry i didnt mention in question the neurologist only did a basic look over they did not do an mri or any blood work yet my son hardly drinks water even before the bug. yesterday he might jave drank 16 oz total he does not like drinking because he days it makes him pee. as mucj as we try and force him he hardly drinks much. yall think that could cause it. i checked his skin and he has tears could he still be dehydrated to the point of headaches?
I get a lot of headaches in the spring due to allergies. Doing a nasal rinse helps (like a neti pot) a lot. If he has been sick and vomiting he could still be a little dehydrated. Is he tense or tensing up unconsciously? Does he look at a screen a lot? All these things cause headaches. When my son get a headache a dose of children's ibuprofen and drinking a big glass of water always helps him.
J.,
Other than making an appointment with the neurologist, what have you done for your son?
Have you had him tested for allergies?
Have you had his eyes checked?
Has he been evaluated for dehydration?
Has he been evaluated for a sinus infection?
Is there a reason why you ran to a neurologist first instead of another doctor? Is there a past history that you aren't telling us about?
Personally? I would check his urine color. If he was sick for last long vomiting and diarrhea? Have you considered dehydration? When one is dehydrated headaches are common.
You say he doesn't drink much? Well - sorry - I'm saying the cause is dehydration. Your son needs to drink liquids.
This could absolutely be caused by dehydration. Headaches come long before dry skin and no tears (long, long, long time before).
We live in a society where caffeine is so common, and too many people don't realize that caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it draws fluids out of the body. Most of the time when we get headaches, simply drinking a glass of water will be enough to cure it.
Water would be best, but if he won't drink water, most fluids will still help - juice, kool aide, sports drinks - all of those will help with dehydration. Most of them have excess sugar and additives, but they will still help with dehydration.
In our house when we've done everything we can for a headache (tylenol, water, etc), and nothing seems to help much - we put a heating pad on low on it.
Some days - when we have wide temperature/barometric pressure swings in the spring and fall - I get horrible headaches.
I just want a heating pad over my face till it goes away.
I agree that this sounds a lot like dehydration. The headache appears before physical signs.
Try getting some unflavored, unsweetened sparkling water (not soda, just plain sparkling water) and flavoring it with natural unsweetened juice. White grape juice is usually easily available with absolutely no sugars or other flavors. Flavor the water with some juice. Or try plain unsweetened apple juice.
Your other problem, besides his being possibly dehydrated, is the fact that a 4 year old is refusing drinks because it makes him have to urinate. What is going on with that? Does peeing hurt? Is he afraid? Is he reluctant to stop playing long enough to use the bathroom? Was potty training traumatic? Is there a fear associated with peeing (some kids are just afraid of the flushing noise, or worried about being able to get their pants unsnapped, or worried about having accidents.
You may need to discuss that troubling scenario with the doctor and get some advice.
I'm on week two myself of a bug. I have had headaches daily with this one. It's been going around here - some people have gotten better for a week, then relapse because they did too much. If he's not drinking enough - that won't help. That's #1 what they recommend. Keep hydrated.
He may need to get blood work done if they persist - just to rule out anemia. That can cause headaches.
Best to your son. Keep pushing the water.
ETA: Based on your added info that he drinks virtually nothing, I'm not surprised at all that he's not getting over the bug or that he has headaches! You need to find other water-filled foods for him if he balks at water! Jello (the less dye, the better), popsicles, watermelon, berries, all-fruit juices, applesauce, clementines/mandarins, and anything else. Don't discuss it, don't nag him - just make it yummy and fun! You can get a good isotonic sports drink that has no artificial dyes and no fake sugar (just fructose) in it - that's what we all drink, and my son/husband are major runners. Find out why he doesn't want to pee - is he nursing a UTI? Does he have fears about the bathroom? Did he get upset about being in there when he was vomiting? Or is he just too busy to go to the bathroom? Sometimes 4 year olds don't want to be potty trained, and once they are potty trained, they get annoyed with having to do it all the time. The fact that he has tears means nothing.
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Original: If the neurologist has cleared him, that's great. So perhaps you should look more at the stress/tension angle. Is it possible that your son needs more reassurance after the hospitalization of the other child? Does "being sick" equal" getting attention" and make him feel more cuddled? Is his “under the weather” appearance possibly due to feeling worried? Could he benefit from some meditation (yes, they do it for little kids) and some other stress-reducing measures? There are great practitioners/teachers who work well with kids.
Have you completely ruled out an upper sinus infection? What about jaw clenching and temporo-mandibular joint pain (TMJ)? Both can cause headaches in the forehead. The first should have been eliminated by the pediatrician, but if it’s been “cooking” for a while, it might have been missed. And the jaw issues can be checked by a dentist, as well as the pediatrician.
Obviously, I'm just guessing here, and I'm not a doctor. My point is just that there are varied causes for this and a couple of simple things that can be done to see if they help.
Thank’s for your question J..
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I hate to be obvious here, but have you tried giving him OTC medicines for his headache? I would definitely start there if you haven't already. If you took him to a neurologist and he got the ok, then just treat the symptoms when he has them. It sounds like there could be stress with his sister, he could still be recovering from his illness, it could be allergy or sinus related. You can also give him some kids allergy medicine like benadryl or zyrtec at night and that might help with the headache if he's got some stuffy/runny nose/cough stuff too.
ETA: I'm not trying to diminish your concerns at all but I honestly think you are over-thinking this. That is not a ton of water, but it's not horrible. I would keep trying to get him to drink more water, but don't stress over it. If he was just sick a week ago and the headaches really only started with the sickness, I think he's fine. And sometimes kids get headaches. It could be the weather, and it could be the stress of your family too. If your daughter has had health concerns this can affect your son. Even if you are trying to stay calm in front of him or whatever, kids sense change/stress/etc.
I wondered if he might be a little dehydrated due to being sick...maybe something like Pedia lite would help....but if he was seen by a neurologist they probably checked for that right???
What did the neurologist do when he examined him? Any tests done? Any MRIs scheduled?
Is he dehydrated? After being sick for 4 days, it's possible he's dehydrated. What color is his urine? If it's bright or dark yellow? He's dehydrated. Get him to drink water and things like Gatorade.
Get his eyes tested to see if he has vision problems.
I just usually give the kids half a dose of Tylenol or Motrin for a headache then see if it goes away. If it doesn't then I give them the rest of that dose. Later on if it's still not gone and is still hurting I call and make an appointment with the pediatrician.
Usually it's a sinus infection or something like that.
He definitely needs to drink more. If he won't drink plain water, get a water enhancer to give it a little flavor or get him gatorade. Yes, he could definitely still have a dehydration headache even if he makes tears.
