Should I Be Worried?

I agree with the chiropractor, I know of a good one... I once had a headache for 10 days in a row, I got adjusted and haven't had one since. I use to get Jay adjust, started when he was a baby, actually should do it again. Tonia use to work for the dr- he's not far from my house, we can talk about it later though... I'll go with we should all get adjusted.

see you later!

Hi S., i too have migraines in my family and my son (8) does get them. If he cries about the headaches i would think it is probably real. My pedi. said the good thing about kids migraines are that the childrens Tylenol/Motrin will usually get rid of it. It does work for my son. My advice is next time he complaines try the childrens T or M and see if that helps. I also find a lot of my sons headaches are food related. Hope this helps.
K.

He may need his eyes checked. Mention it to you doctor the next time you see him. They can do a quick eye exam to let you know if he needs a more thorough eye exam by an opthamologist.

I would take him regardless. As sad as this sounds one of my daycare clients had a bad headache for 4 days and was in so much pain. tokk her in and it was - worse case a brain tumor. If the sinuses are not the issue or ear- then i would defiantely take him him in

If it's lasted for a few weeks, you need to take him in to the doctors. During the whiney stage they are not going to repeat a behavior for that long if they aren't getting what they want. They know better to try a different tactic. It could be a lot of things and it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Hi S.,
Do you put a humidifier in his room? If I don't have one during the winter I wake up every morning with a headache. Maybe he's just dehydrated from the dry winter air.

J.

S.,

My son began complaining of headaches right before he turned 4 so at his check-up I mentioned it to his ped. His ped did a thorough exam of his eyes and noticed there was an indication of astigmatism so she referred him to an opthamologist. We had his eyes checked and it turned out he needed glasses. They were able to take measurements of his eyes to determine his prescription and now he is fine with no complaints of headaches.

I would call his ped and see what they say. Just be careful not to continuously ask him because he may start to think that he should be complaining of a headache.

Take care,
T.

Small children's sinus's are not fully developed, so it a good possiablity that he has a sinus infection. Sometimes you can tell by dark circles under the eyes.

I would not rule out that the headaches are real even at his age, especially since migraines run in the family. My Mother and I both have migraines and my brother had them as a small child -as young as two. They didn't know what was going on until much later, because he coudln't articulate it. He was debilitated by them and had the classic symptoms of severe pain, throwing up, sensitivity to light, etc. Very unusual but it can happen. I'm not sure now how they would treat migraines in a child but maybe one of the new medications (like imitrex) that prevent the migraine before it fully develops would work-if that is in fact what it is. Obviously you'd need to talk to a doctor.
Also, my son has had headaches off on and since he was 7 or 8 but they are not severe and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they don't get worse. For him, I believe they are triggered by stress and too much computer time- (seriously). I have a homeopathic remedy from Whole Foods that seems to help him-the one for tension headaches.
Good luck to you...headaches stink.

Does he have a runny nose? My son started to say that when he had a sinus infection.

Might be even sinus/allergies even if he is not stuffy or what not. My oldest son has many headaches so I start with sinus medicine.
It is always good to track the time of day he tells you and if there is anything NEW he eats/drinks. One other thing to track is his sleeping patterns if indeed he is having headaches. I had to do that for my oldest too.

If all else fails, just have him checked out. Makes you feel better and sane.

This is a tough one.Have you changed his diet in anyway what so ever. My son when he was 5 would get migrains. Come to find out he was allergic to milk. Also you might want to get his eyes checked. Good Luck.

I am a massage therapist, and have talked to several moms who have had the same problem, some have tried massage and had success and others chiropractic treatment. Sometimes a simple adjustment would completely alleviate the problem of headaches. I am not sure where you live, but check out my website if you'd like www.inhometherapy.massagetherapy.com. and Good luck! S.

I agree with the others - it can be anything or nothing. Take him to the doc.

Also, consider him needing an eye exam - sometimes headaches are the only sign in kids that they need glasses.

Hi S.! I have a five year old daughter who complains of headaches way more than she should also. To be honest, I got a little worried too, and had a CT scan done on her to rule anything abnormal out. One thing I recommend is listening to him while he's sleeping and see if he grits his teeth at night. My daughter fiercely grits her teeth at night, which is now what me and her pediatrician have figured out what must be causing the headaches. Also, another thing that could be the cause is allergies. Mine has allergies and singulair has begun to work a little on the headaches.

S.,

I do not think it is normal for a 4 year old to be complaining of a headache.. I would take him to the doctor to be checked out.. At the very least call you Doctor's office and speak to a Nurse for their opinion.. It could be something that is easily remedied, or possible allergy related, but it is still worth a phone call or check-up.

I do not suffer migraines, but do have occasional headaches and usually for me this is always an indicator I am a bit dehyrated, a couple bottles of water does the trick..

Please let us know what you find out..

Best Wishes & God Bless

Smell his breath, does he smell "sick"? Have him blow his nose, is it clear or green? It is possible he has a sinus infection, which would give him a headache. Take him to the doctor. If the doctor says he is clear of a sinus infection discuss with him your family history of migraines. It is more uncommon in males but not unheard of. If he is having them daily it may be allergy related, which you need to know about so you can iliminate whatever it is from his diet. I would rather be on the safe side and rule out illness before jumping to the idea that he is attention seeking.

Your son might be having sinus headaches. The weather has been up and down for weeks now. My 5 year old has been battling sinus infections this season. You might want to take him to the doctor to see if he is suffering from a sinus problem.

Just to be on the safe side i would have him checked out. A coworker of mine told me that her cousin lost her 4yr old daughter to a tumor. The little girl would complain of headaches and they thought it was just for attention. They finally decided to get her checked and found that she had a tumor and unfortunately it was an agressive one and she passed away.
I also have a sister who had headaches and ended up having a brain aneurysm. For my peace of mind i would always have any complaint checked out. Better safe than sorry you know.

I would take him to the doctor to be safe...you never know. I dont think it woulde so consistent if he just wnated your attention. Dos he tell anyone else he has a headache? Good luck!

You know...when my daughter complains about an earache (she gets them if she eats too much dairy), I just let it go for a day. If she keeps complaining, then I'll take her in.

Is he eating anything new? Drinking/eating anything with artificial sweetners (these can cause headaches)? Just to be on the safe side, I would say take him to the doctor since it's been more than one day...and he's crying about it. If they rule out any medical conditions, you may want to re-evaluate his eating habits. Headaches can also be a sign of a food allergy.

Does he go to daycare? Are you in a new house? New daycare?

He may be having a reaction to somethihg in the school or house? Raining can cause all the tree spores/mold spores, etc. to be more prominent in the air and can cause headaches. He could have mild allergies to the spores. If he is in a new house/new school it could be caused from the carpeting (glue fumes, etc.)....

If he continues to complain, act out, etc. you might want to get him tested. We have a great place where we go. Integrative Health Specialists at 93rd and Meridian in Indy. Its a bit of a drive, but they use more natural cures/testing supplies and were able to find my son's issues when the traditional allergist could not.

Not trying to alarm you, but want you to know there are many reasons your son could truly have a headache. Watch his eyes too. Does he have any dark circles? Maybe not super dark but circles none the less will tell you he has some allergy symptoms.

My 4 1/2 yo daughter was complaining of a headache about a month ago. It turned out that she had a double ear infection but wasn't really feeling the pain "in her ears." I would go to the doctor. Good luck!

S.,

If your son is complaining of being in pain for more than a few days, then getting an independent objective diagnosis of the condition is the appropriate course of action. Worry is another word for wondering, ruminating, doubting, etc...which are all upsetting "head trips".

Your worrying will not solve the problem.

The problem is that your son is reporting to be in pain.
Go see what exactly that pain is being caused by and then go see what, if any, actions can be done to stop or eliminate that pain!

Good Luck!

Tell me how it works out!

R.