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Migraines?

Does anyone's children suffer with migraines? Alex has started getting really bad migraines. .

Wondering if it is Crohn's related or more likely to be a concussion from ice hockey.

Either way I'm calling the doctor on Monday if he has another this weekend.

Thanks
 

DustyKat

Super Moderator
Hey Shell,

Where is Alex at with his Crohn's?

Sarah certainly had migraine type headaches (aura and vomiting) pre diagnosis but they have abated since she has been in remission. I think she still has the occasional headache but not of the migraine type.

I hope all is well with Alex. Keep us posted!

Dusty. xxx
 
Hey Dusty,

He's doing great! Last blood tests revealed no inflammation, protein levels were normal. His Vitamin D was low and his iron was a bit low, so we are on supplements. He's grown like crazy, we went in for a bone scan a couple of weeks ago and he had put on another 1/2 inch and another 1.5 lbs (that's close to 30 lbs since March & almost 5 inches - he's just shy of 5'6" now - yeah!!). The tech said he thought his bones looked *great*, but then the doctor came back and said, "he had low bone density" - hence more Vitamin D.

I'm thinking he might have a slight concussion. We currently have 3 other boys on the team who are out with concussions and I notice seems to hit the day after a game (going to test my theory as he's playing tonight). When it hits it really bad (it's been about a month now), he doesn't feel nauseous as much as the light becomes torture for him and sometimes he gets "black spots".

I did a search online but couldn't find any correlation, albeit one blogger who said she does get migraines. So I thought I'd check in here. I think I'll just get him into his pediatrician and check about the concussion on Monday.

Thanks!
 

DustyKat

Super Moderator
Oh wow, that is fab! :panda::panda::panda:

Many of the symptoms of migraine and concussion do crossover, including sensitivity to light, so it's a good idea to have checked out on Monday.

Good luck! and keep let us know how he gets on.

Dusty. :heart:
 

Catherine

Moderator
I am typing the following from our Parient information sheet for Crohn's

Listed under crohn's disease symptoms

Eye inflammation -inflammation of the eyes [called uveitis or scleritis] occurs in up to 5 percent of people with crohn's disease. These problems can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms of uveitis include floaters in the vision,eye pain, blurred vision, sensitivity to light. Treatment usually includes eye drops.

Hope the above is of help
 
Hey Catherine,

Alex had those symptoms about a year before he was diagnosed with Crohns. Funny thing was he didn't really have any GI issues when it started. I took him to the eye doctor twice to have his eyes checked and the doc said his eye sight was impeccable 20/15 both eyes, but he was complaining of blurry vision. I thought he just wanted designer glasses - laughs!

He's definitely having a headache and light sensitivity - he walks around with a coat on his head or with *dark* sunglasses on the light can be so bothersome.

Thanks though :)
 
Location
NY
You may want to go to a neurologist for evaluation. I think they could tell if it is from a concussion and if it is, can determine when it would be safe to play again. Did you say it has been a month straight of headache? (that is not common for migraines) My son is undiagnosed, but has had a steady headache now for over a year. We've been to the top headache specialist in NY, and tried several treatments to no avail. The headache pain has subsided a lot in the last few months so it is much more bearable.
Good luck.
(Migraines do run in our family - I suffer greatly from them - but Danny does not)
 
Hey Jeanne,

It's not an ongoing headache - but comes and goes. They tend to follow the day after a hockey game, so initially I thought it was Crohn's related and him not be hydrating enough coming off the ice (they sweat like mad dogs out there and he's not a big liquid drinker to start with - so I'm constantly pushing fluids on him). Then we had 3 other kids get concussions on the team, so I started wondering if it could be that. He's had probably 4 or 5 of them in the last few months (which happens to coincide with hockey season).

Ironically, he jumped in front of a vicious slapshot during Saturday's night game and got hit in his elbow (right where there was no pad). So, we had to go to the ER to make sure it wasn't broken - that's gotten us an appointment earlier than expected with the doctor - laughs, but has left him in a sling for a week (bench for up to 10 days if it's a hairline fracture). So hopefully we'll get more answers soon - I think a neurologist appointment is inevitable.

Thanks!
 

Catherine

Moderator
ChampsMom

Have you tried a sport's drink half an hour before game. My daughter neurologist advise for in her case for fainting just after exercising. (dehydrated,slight headache, then faint). She was doing two hour solid running. Had also the heart tests.

Catherine
 
I'll talk to him about drinking before the game - he takes G2 onto the ice with him (all the other boys drink water on the ice), but I don't know if he's drinking before he gets on (I can see it being a good idea though).

Thanks!
 
G2 is made with chemical sweeteners (sucralose/splenda/acesulfame), which can trigger migraines. Try giving him gatorade made with gatorade powder instead.

It surprises me how quickly the quality of "rehydrating" "electrolyte balancing" drinks have degraded... the chemical sweeteners aren't recognized by our body as sugar, and as the balance of electrolytes is a sugar/salt balance, that balance won't be properly restored if you don't use a real sugar. His migraines could also be triggered because his electrolyte balance isn't being properly restored with a chemical sweetener instead of real sugar. Add the migraine-triggering properties of the chemical sweetener, and it's a mess :-(

We only keep gatorade powder in our house for this very reason. Either that, or you can go to Whole Foods or other health stores and get the clear, flavorless electrolyte drops to add to regular water for him.

See if this helps his headaches.
 
My son with Crohn's gets a lot of headaches, but nothing migraine level so far. My older son has had migraines for years. Originally, he vomited with them, didn't have aura, but does have light sensitivity. My husband also gets them. We had my son checked out by a neurologist to rule out any other issues. His seem to be caused from nasal allergies, he was on a maintenance antihistamine. But dehydration will do it too. Good luck!
 
Regular Gatorade is one of the drinks his GI immediately took him off of when he was diagnosed (interesting that you recommended it...) When he's in the hospital they won't give it to him, only G2 - so we've stuck with it - said the regular Gatorade has too much sugar).

Humph - more research to be done! Thanks :eek:) The old nutritionist and I went round and round about the nutritional diet recommended, I didn't question this one.

Though -the migraines have just started and he's been on the G2 for almost 2 years. I think I'm leaning closer to the idea he might have a slight concussion.
 
Definitely could be a concussion. Maybe he shouldn't be on any sort of electrolyte drink at all (since they're all full of food coloring, additives, flavoring, etc), unless you mix it up at home with real sugar and real salt, and just use good old fashioned lemonade or something as the carrier? They all are full of chemicals anyway, and for my daughter the less fake stuff she has, the better she does in general anyway. I know my other daughter can't drink powdered gatorade either because it has yellow 5 for coloring, and she's ADD. Can't win for losing!

*if* he is prone to migraines, he will definitely need to stay away from chemical sweeteners, as they're a common trigger. I've suffered from migraines since I was about 12, and was finally diagnosed with cluster migraines about a year ago - they are the worst of the worst type of migraine you can get. *if* he has a concussion, then that just stinks!
 
Forgot to say! My daughter started getting headaches and visual symptoms - seeing colorful shapes that would get in the way of seeing what was going on in class in 3rd grade, as well. Tentatively diagnosed with pre-migraine activity back then. Still doesn't get migraines, and the visual disturbances went away. I wonder if migraines will begin with puberty, or if it's all just connected to the big ugly Crohns puzzle.
 
I get what I call my "monthly migraine" - and it's definitely hormonal! Didn't start until I was in my early 40s (or at least I didn't peg it until then). Alex is definitely going through puberty - hmmm... wonder if there is a connection??

LOVE this group!! Everyone's different ideas, experiences, thoughts, cause me to really look at every angle of a problem.

One of the issues I'm finding for him is what do I give him for his headache/migraine? I take Exedrine for Migraines when I get one, but he can't take aspirine products or ibuprofen products - and I'm SOOOOOO leary to put anything else in him.
 
I would definitely get it checked out if you think it could be a concussion. Concussions can be serious please don't wait if that is what you think it is.
 
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