Ok, my daughter is 16. She's complaining of a severe headache ,not relieved by Tylenol or Advil, & dizziness. Her Dr isn't any help. He has no idea. She is eating, drinking, & sleeping normally.
What do you suggest for getting rid of her headache & dizziness?
This has been going on for 3 days now.
I'm thinking migraines. This doesn't coincide with her periods. I get migraines, but never dizziness.
Thanks everyone!
She's had her thyroid checked. Its normal. She gets stress headaches, but this is different. I gave her some caffeine. Maybe that will help.
Mamalucky, she's had an mri recently. If she's not better soon, I'll be taking her to the Dr.
LittleEsmom, no swollen lymph nodes.
Her symptoms now include abdominal pain. Last 2 times she had pain like this it was constipation & mesenteric adonitis/ovarian cyst. Looks like an er visit is in our near future.....
Update: Home from the ER. They determined she has colitis. No treatment. Just Tylenol for pain & lots of fluids. Thanks for all the suggestions!
Scarlett L. She already lives gluten free. We discovered her gluten intolerance several years ago after she was constantly sick. It took 6 years & several dr's before it was diagnosed.
Nadyne I. Her iron levels are normal. She does take a multi vitamin.
I appreciate all the advice, ladies! :)
Is she menstruating?
Does the headaches coincide, with her period?
If so, it might be PMS.
Or, hypoglycemia?
Migraines?
You (and she) should read the "Gluten-Free Girl" book and/or blog (http://glutenfreegirl.com/) and see if some of the story and symptoms seem to fit. It's actually a very interesting, fun memoir-type book, but it has a lot of good info about symptoms of Celiac Disease and how to live a gluten-free life. It seems like a drastic move, but if she has Celiac Disease and is this sick at 16, it could get much, much worse without preventative treatment.
*Edit. Well, I guess you'd thought of that already! How about magnesium? Have you done any research into that? Apparently, magnesium is essential for most bodily functions and deficiency can definitely cause headaches. Accurate magnesium tests are apparently hard to do, but it's another avenue to search down. I would find a good naturopath and perhaps nutritionist (if you haven't already). With her food allergies, she could have ended up very deficient in more than one vitamin or mineral.
I second the comment about migraine or hormones. I know I used to get horrible headaches when I was much younger. Also, if she's mid cycle (14 days past her period, she could have just ovulated and the progesterone post ovulation can cause those symptoms. I would demand some testing if it isn't gone by tomorrow. Good luck, poor girl.
ETA: Colitis, really? What did he say about the headache and dizziness? You didn't mention any symptoms related to Colitis...until your update. Hmmm, let us know how she feels today :) She might just need to poop, is she constipated?
Have her iron checked. She may be low in iron. Then get on a good multivitamin with iron not the Rx because those are constipating but one natural vitamin that does not constipate.
If this is not the case then the next thing I would do it get her to a good cranial sacral massage therapist.
N.
Call her doctor & ask about a possible MRI.
Not to scare you but I know someone who had a brain aneurysm.
Just to be safe & err on the side of caution! Seems like she's had her headache for long enough & meds aren't helping. Could just be sinus pressure but....
Best of luck!
Find a new Dr. who's willing to get down to the bottom of it! Preferably a neurologist. It could be a number of things, some of which are no laughing matter.
She's right at the age of mono...often a headache is the main symptoms. Are the lymph nodes in her neck swollen at all?
try caffine, aleve, ice pack (works for me). as for the dizziness i dont know.
Updated
try caffine, aleve, ice pack (works for me). as for the dizziness i dont know.
Ear infection? Blood pressure issue?
How about her thyroid? I was having similar symptoms this Jan/Feb and my doc. checked thyroid levels and they were off (I do have a history of thyroid issues - so it made sense to check them).
sounds like a migrane to me.. if she gets them all the time id have her see another doctor to get her on medication.. if it seems she only gets them occasionally go with excedrine extra strength of the one for migrane.. those were the only ones that worked for me
Assuming no trauma / head bump
- Sinus Infection
- Ear Infection
- Tooth Infection
- Migraine (I throw up, not because of the pain, but because I'm "spinning" like when someone drinks too much)
Would be my top 4 guesses. If none of the above (and DO check for a cavity or abscess)
- Low blood sugar (I used to get the WORST headaches when I was an athlete starving myself... common in anorexics as well... but athlete anorexics -female athlete triad is the offical name- "sneak by" most people's radar because they are eating... just nowhere near enough for their output)
- Pulled muscle/ pinched nerve
- Influenza
- Mono
- Pregnancy
- Stress
- Allergy
- The list goes on to several hundred options
