Is anyone familiar with Occipital Neuralgia or Ice Pick Headaches in toddlers? My 3 year old son has had strange aches in his head which he calls headaches. No matter what he's doing or where we're at if he gets one of these headaches he drops what he's doing grabs the back of his head and screams and cries in agony saying he has a headache. It only seems to last roughly a minute most of the time sometimes not even that long. But once it has ended he goes about his business like nothing happened. I'd say he's been getting them for about a year now but very infrequently. Perhaps once every 3 or 4 weeks up until very recently they're happening every week or so. Today he had two. I've been doing some research and his symptoms sound very similar to Ice Pick headaches or Occipital Neuralgia. I'm going to call his pediatrician on Monday to make an appointment and hopefully schedule an MRI or CT scan to rule out other problems. Does anyone else have any experience in something like this? Thanks in advance!!
I would get him to a pediatric neurologist like yesterday. A year is a long,
long time for a 3 yo to have these.
I've been getting migraines since I was 4. I'm now 36 and still get them but less frequently and I've learned how to manage them as best as I can. I don't remember if I got the shooting pains that you are explaining, but I remember being very young and in horrible pain. I too would see a pediatric neurologist. as soon as possible. In the early 80's, pediatric neurologists weren't very common so my pediatrician was treating me. My mom said that she was so frustrated with my care and she wished that she would have been able to take me to a neurologist. I hope you find some answers and relief for your L. boy. Good luck.
My son suffers from severe migraines. They started when he was 3 and they started like your childs. Hes 12 now and the doctors call them adolescent migraines and say he should grow out of them. it is horrible to see him in pain I know!! When he was 6 they put him on medication for them. It works wonders!! He had the mri and cat scans and that is what they came up with. Hope this helps!!
My 4 & 1/2 year old daughter was doing the same thing as your son for months. I talked to her dr. twice (1 of the times I took her in for an exam). Some things he questions he asked were about her appetite, it the pain made her vomit, if they woke her up in the middle of the night, what she'd do before/after the pain, the time of day, how long they lasted, if her physical activity changed. He looked at a LOT ~ balance, vision, reflexes, etc. Luckily there was nothing wrong, but I wanted to make sure!! Good luck.
Call today, do not wait. It could be something serious. Don't want to scare you, but do it ASAP and make sure you're satisfied that he is getting the appropriate screening tests.
Good Luck,
LisaD
