Has Anyone Had a 11Yr Old Boy That Gets Headaches?

I recommend going to the eye doctor. I had this same problem when my daughter was about 8. I thought the testing they did at school was enough but it isn't. She needed glasses and hasn't had a headache since. Maybe one just because but not all the time. I recommend a pediatric eye doctor. Not just some run of the mill place.

I have an 8 year old son and he gets headaches and then he throws up at least once a month. We are gonna talk to the doctor but we have noticed it happens when he plays his video games so I am hoping that the doctor can tell me what is wrong with him. If I find anything out I can let you know.

I started getting awful sick headaches when I was that age, and they have never really gone away. It always happens to me when my protein levels drop or when the weather changed quickly. I live in Texas and Oklahoma so that happens here all the time. I would eat something really high in protein like a spoonful of peanut butter or take allergy medication and it would go away. Now that I'm older I take extra strength exedrin migrain and they're gone in an instant, but you probably don't want to give hime that at his age.

Hello S...i have an eight almost nine year old boy that has has some similar problems like yours. About six months ago he suffered the most horrendous headache of all..he lost vision and feeling in his left arm. After an ambulance ride and endless hours of drs and tests he was confirmed with a stroke. So harsh for an eight year old. He has also been diagnosed with several types of migraines. I suffer from migrains and his neurologist enformed me that if a mom suffers from migrains there is a 90% chance her children will too. And sadly my six year old daughter suffers from them too. There are several kinds and so many triggers...he also needs glasses. Some of these things might be helpful..i honestly doubt his problems are as severe as my sons but i thought the idea of a migraine or possibly needing glasses would help steer you to ask some different questions and get some help. Hope you find a resolution soon...GOOD LUCK!!!

Well, I could have been your kid about twenty years ago.

If you have any of the following, get rid of them:
Air fresheners (all types and brands)
Scented candles
Bleach
Common Household Cleaning Products and Detergents

You'll find that the first two will have a big impact but the residue of bleach, laundry detergent and common cleaning products shouldn't be dismissed. I recommend the book "Organic Housekeeping" by Ellen Sandbeck and for freshening the air in your house find some beeswax candles online. For room spray mixing some essential oils (lavender, lemon, sweet orange, tea tree, eucalyptus) with water. Lavender and tea tree are also disinfectants.

S., one thing to think about is "de-toxing" your home. So many toxic, dangerous chemicals are used in products we use daily, and some people are more sensitive than others. The combination of different things, ie: detergent, hair products, dishwashing, candles, etc., can form a "toxic cocktail" we all absorb and inhale when we use the chemicals. We don't use those harsh chemicals anymore in our home, and my son began getting headaches at school---"co-incidentally" when certain cleaning chemicals were used. It is easy to quit using the caustic stuff, and costs less than what we used before. I'm so convinced of the importance of living a greener lifestyle, I make my living now by helping people to do that.
Good luck.
____@____.com
Angela

S., have you had him checked for allergies. The reason I say that is because when I was younger and lived in Texas, I had terrible headaches. I was so weak and tired and all I wanted to do was sleep. The physicians ran many tests but, everything came back normal. They even tested me for a brain tumor.
When I married and moved to Missouri, the headaches stopped. All we can figure out is that I was no longer exposed to the triggers that were causing my headaches. When I go back to Texas for a week or longer visit, the headaches reoccur.

Because you mentioned him having tubes in his ears, that suggests that perhaps he has had some allergy problems that caused the fluid in his little ears. An allergist could run a test to determine if he is allergic to pets, mold, pollen, etc. One of these could be triggering his headaches.

Hope this helps.

R. A.

Yes I have had and it is frustrating I found out that his eyes were bad but it did not cure him of the headaches so I started watching his diet and makeing sure he was eating well and sleeping well this made a little differnce but not enough. I decided that maybe it was something in my home so I evaluated the situation and decided to start using all natural cleaning products. GET CLEAN KIT the Oprah recommends on her show all the time and I also work for the company but never used it and what do yo know things got better and I have not had anymore problems. I am not saying that this is your answer but when you are tying to find results some times it is right in front of you. I have a special right now on the kits if you just go to my website www.shaklee.net/onyourside and hit special packs you will see the kit it is 25.00 off and you receive 15% off your orders for a year this is good until the end of the month. I hope maybe you will try if not I wish you all the luck and I will pray it gets better.

Kathy

Our 5-year-old son was having headaches, not nearly as bad as you describe, but I mentioned them to our pediatrician. He said that even kids can get migraines. Maybe you want to look into that.

Have you had his eyes checked? It could be as simple as needing glasses... if I don't wear my glasses, my headaches are out of control!!!
Good luck!
B.

Hello S.,

I have been getting migraines headaches since I was 14. No cause or no cure.... until recently. It is not a cure to eliminate the headaches but it catches them before they get to the point of making one sick. It is called "Zomig" it has been a miracle for me and my daughter. It is a nose spray and the first sign of the headache coming on, one spray in the nose and within 30 to 60 minutes the headache is gone! It does make you drowsy, but after 20 or 30 minutes of sleep no headache! You might ask your doctor.
Debby - Lees Summit

Have you had a MRI done on him? That's the only way to find out if there is a real problem such as tumors in the brain or even lower area of the head around the spine.. My daugther had one & 9 out of 10 time they come back ok and there's no tumors. Kids also seem to go thru a time getting headaches but from what you've described if he has to lay down that long then I think he needs to be seen and things taken more seriously. If they do a MRI & can't find any problems then they can give him meds to help him. It's affecting his life as bad as they are I'm sure. That's what our neurologist said for us. I had to go to the neurologist on my own our Dr kept blowing things off & I wanted to make sure there wasn't a problem so you may have to do that yourself if you need a referral I'd demand to get a referal or go to a different Dr who will help you get the answers you need.

I hope you get good news & can find a way to help him with his headaches. Sounds like he'll need meds to me & I hope no other problems are found :)

L.

Hi, S.!
There are a couple of things you can try. I had this same problem as a child, and so did one of my children. First, go get his eyes checked. He may have fine vision, but have astigmatism which will cause really bad headaches.An eye doc needs to do this...not your regular doc. Another thing to do is have him allergy tested. In many cases, allergies do not cause runny noses or sneezing, but bad headaches. Finally, I would have his teeth checked. This can also be a cause of headaches, even though his teeth look fine, sometimes there are things like TMJ or teeth grinding in his sleep that will cause headaches. Hope this helps!
S.

My sister had the same thing. They were migranes. Her were brough about from drug use when she was 16. I would doubt an 11 year old would have them cause by that reason. She is on medicain for them. Hers were so bad she would go blind for a little bit from the pain. My SIL also has had really bad headeach as it turns out she had tomur in her pututiraty(SP?) glan. Have them do a MRI if they haven't already and if you don't like the anwser from the doc get a second opion.

This sounds like what i get. I'm fine one minute and then bam i have a HORRIBLE headache. Mine flip to migraines. If you catch them quick enough you can head them off.
Mine basically boiled down to allergies, that was the trigger for the headaches.

If he is fine after a long nap, maybe he isn't getting enough sleep. Could be what he is eating...white flour & sugar can cause migranes. If he isn't wanting to tell his symptoms, maybe he is also withholding an extreme amount of stress. If he won't talk to you, find someone who he does confide in. Such as a cousin around his age, aunt or uncle, neighbor, school buddy(maybe his parent could listen in to conversations when on their turf), school counselor or even a therapist. You would be surprised at the things a child will tell a therapist that you would think they would tell their parents! Good Luck!

Hello S.,

It is always wise to clue your Physician in on any new health problems experienced by your child, especially a child as tender as your dear son.

That said, many things can cause headaches from dehydration to the need for eyeglasses. It is always easiest to rule out environmental factors first like his bedroom being poorly ventilated and holding in heat; bed coverings to heavy; along with not taking in enough fluids. Does a fever ever accompany the headache? Move on to the investigation of the need for eyeglasses.

Beyond that you will always want the Doctor to begin testing to rule out Migranes and to look for physiological changes like the growth of tumors, cysts, and other things.

Just a few ideas.

Good Luck,
Angie

Check his eyes and then I have a couple of questions for you.... did he ever have car sickness as a child??? and does he by chance have allergies??? maybe sinus problems??? He could have a migraine problem or allergies?? what doctor do you see????

A CT scan is not as expensive as a MRI, but could still show if there is pressure or any abnormalities. If the doc isn't sure, I would start there. Is he in any sports where he could have had an injury?

Myu son who is now 20 has had these for several years. We finally got him in to a doc here midwest neuro they have a headache specialist after some testing he was diagnosed with cluster and migrane headaches. they have tweaked his meds a couple of times he has not thank god had one in about 3 months. I would try to find a doc who specializes in headaches good luck

Has your son had an MRI or a CT scan of his brain? If not, I would push my doctor into ordering one to rule anything out. I wouldn't take no for an answer. This is not normal for anyone, especially a child. Good Luck.

I would seriously consider his diet the source of the headaches. Americans especially fail to see the correlation between what we eat and how well our body works. We eat junk and convenient food (even food labeled as healthy ISN'T!) and then wonder why we are sick or tired. Radically change his diet. Take out all food (especially at school - he should NOT eat there) that contains MSG (monosodium glutamate - sp??), High Fructose Corn Syryp and Partially Hydrogonated Oils. Try this for two weeks and I bet his headaches will disappear.

S.,

Since I don't know the medical history for your family. I can only tell you about my headaches as a child. It wasn't until MUCH MUCH later in life that I found out what was happening.

When my blood sugar would drop I would get a very bad headache, it would start at the base of my head where the neck attaches. Then it would move up and to all over my head. It would get so bad that I would even get sick and vomit. The only way I could get it to go away was to sleep it off also. None of the Drs. could find out what caused my headaches either.
It wasn't until I started taking notice of when they happend and what I was doing at the time they happend. Then I figured out that most of the time it had been awhile since I had eaten. So I would eat something HIGH in carbs VERY slowly it would start to go away most of the time. I ate a plain peice of white bread. Once the feeling of having to vomit went away then I would eat something that had protin in it. That was the way to get them to stop. I could always tell if it was one of those migraine headache it always started at the same place.

If you know someone that is Diabetic you might be able to check his blood when he has one of the headaches. If it is low under 70 it is called Hypoglycemia. This might give you something to help find out what it is.

As it turns out I am now the other way around. I was told I have diabetis.

I would be very interested in knowing if you find anything out about his headaches.

Hope this helps, let me know
D.

Hi S.,

I have 3 children and they all get migraines. My son who is 4 gets them all the time that they had to put him a meds to prevent them. They run in the family. One thing you could do is watch what he eats. When he eats something does it give him a headache right away. Choc can give him headaches it isn't the caffeine in it. Salts can give him a headache dairy and so on.. Evey certain veggies can.. Also if his head hurts in the same spot all of the time. Maybe start logging everything he does and eats and maybe you can pin point it from there. I know as a mom we don't like our children to be on meds. But there is this med called topamax you need a prescription to take it but it helps with migraines. I hope that this helps.

C.

Not to scare you, but my niece was having frequent headaches, and then started having problems with her vision. They took her to an eye doctor, and it turns out she had a tumor in her head. She had to undergo surgery, and has since lost her vision. The tumor had grown so much that it wrapped around her optic nerves. I would suggest a trip to the eye doctor since the regular doctor can't find anything.
The other thing is caffeine. Most migraine medication is caffeine in nature. Next time he has a headache, have him drink a soda or eat chocolate, and see what happens.
Best of luck,
J.

My son went through this when he was about that age, also. We tried everything - new glasses and migraine treatment. Then after having a headache for MONTHS, we found out his problem was an ongoing sinus infection and after a few days of antibiotics he was fine. When the sinuses in the back of the head become infected it is hard to detect on x-rays and sometimes the only symptom is the headache. I'd have the doctor check for this and try a series of antibiotics just in case. Also - teach him to keep his sinuses clean with saline nasal spray to prevent future problems.

And keep us informed and let us know how he's doing.

-P.

S.,

As others have mentioned, it sounds like migraine headaches and sleep is the best thing for them. It restarts the neurological process and alieviates the pain. I have suffered them my whole life and so have many others in my family. I was shocked when my oldest son (who is now almost 16) was diagnosed with his first migraine at 2years old!!!

The trick to migraines is finding out the trigger. As others have suggested it may be vision change, hormones, stress induced, dehydration, constipation, allergies, lowbloodsugar, lack of sleep, etc. There are so many triggers that sometimes its hard to know. Neurologist treat migraines and can check if it is something more by MRI or CAT SCAN. Once you find the trigger, the information can help you avoid the trigger as much as possible. If its allergies, then an allergist can help.

My oldest son also had two sets of ear tubes and adenoids removed when he was young. He has had no vision problems but has allergies, asthma and ADHD. He also has always been very sweet and reluctant to complain. My daughter got her first migraine when she was 9 which was triggered by vision problems and now hormones. My five year old son also complains of head pain where he needs to lay down in the dark with an ice pack on his head and takes ibeprofin and sleeps. He also has autism, so I havent yet figured out what is triggering his headaches (I suspect it is lack of sleep or bloodsugar at times because I have a real difficulty getting him to eat well.)

Anyways, I hope this gives you some insight. Please feel free to contact me with any more questions. Unfortunately I have been known as the Headache Queen in my family because I have been researching and trying to figure it out for so many years because I am tired of suffering from them. Most importantly, let him sleep them off.

Best wishes,
M.

PS. Headaches can be a sign of serious problems, so it is important to get it checked out. However, dont overly worry because it could just be migraines as noted above. Good Luck!

Kids can have migraines. Is there a family history of migraines? If so, I would consider this and request to have a neurologist work him up to determine if that is what he is suffering from. If they are so severe that he has to go to bed, that can certainly be a migraine. Sinus headaches can also be severe.

Also, have you had his eyes checked? I am an optometrist and highly recommend he have an eye exam if he hasn't had a recent one. Uncorrected vision problems are a common cause of headaches. Do his headaches come on while in school or after reading or doing something visually demanding?

I would have his eyes checked, then see a neurologist. Knowing the cause of these headaches is important. I sympathize with him. I am a migraine sufferer myself.

I will admit that I am biased. I am married to a wonderful chiropractor, and I have seen miracles in people from his care. If your son has never had a chiropractic evaluation, I would highly recommend you find a good chiropractor and take him in. By the way, I met my husband because my son, then 11, would also get terrible headaches. The chiropractic adjustments my now-husband gave him were gentle, and the headaches were cured.

How to find "good" chiropractor: ask friends for referrals; ask chiropractors for referrences from patients. Watch out for high-pressure sales jobs that some chiropractors can get into. Try to find a chiropractor who really spends time with each patient--there are some offices where the doctor sees each patient for a very short time for a quick adjustment, and there are also some offices where they charge exhorbitant fees. There are also many trustworty, kind, gentle, and knowledgeable chiropractors who are getting people out of pain without drugs or invasive therapies. For the kind of headaches your son is experiencing, I would look for an upper-cervical chiropractor. My husband uses an extremely gentle and effective technique called NUCCA or Grostic technique. Good luck!
J. Wynhausen (mom to four, and wife of a chiropractor)

It sounds a litle like a migraine, does he also have sensitivy to light and sound and does the headache make him sick to his stomach? Both my hubby and my son get them. I'd ask your doctor if this is something they can test for.