<pre> <pre>Frequent Headaches and Migraine in Children Children who get

frequent headaches and migraine attacks have

chronic illness. Such children and their parents face problem

to adjust with school and their rules.

Extra preparations and steps should be taken to cope with such

illness. Pediatric specialist in migraine and headaches exist should

be consulted for treatment and other precautionary & preventive

measures.

Also the triggers vary from child to child, which should be

recognized accurately. Firstly, it is the strict attendance rule in

most of the schools that children with chronic illness find it

difficult to deal with.

To add to it, majority of the schools have zero tolerance policy

regarding medications, even including over the counter medicines.

Reports of students getting expelled for merely carrying Advil in

school with them are common. Prior to making appointment with

the doctor, it is recommended that parents read the policy of

the school the child is attending.

It is good to ask questions before hand, than feeling sorry later.

Some of the schools asks for letter or medical record as a proof,

incase the student didn’t attend because of a health problem.

Some schools consider sick leaves as regular leaves and in this case,

the attendance gets affected greatly.

School nurses can be given the prescribed

medicine so that theycan give the medicine to the child at the

required time. If thisis the case, things such as medicine storage

location and availability of substitute should be checked. Apart from

not attending regularly, the child can sometimes be unable to take

part in co-curricular activities especially physical education

and outdoor recess.

Other possible options should be discussed

with the teacher. Usually a recommendation letter from the

physician will do the needed. In all the cases, some kind of

medical identification can be carried by the child at all times.

If the child is attending an after school babysitter or program,

directly after school, extra measures should be taken.

The babysitter or program in charge should be told about the problem

in advance. Their cooperation can be asked for timely

administration of the medicine and for taking special care of

the child. If the child himself is grown enough to understand

the matter, the child should be educated about taking

medications.

They should also be made to understand that it

is harmful to take medicines from any un-trustable source

even if their fellow students do. Budge them to ask questions

and clarify any of their fears of concerns. Most of the children lack

the ability to convey their problem properly.

The situation is further aggravated because of different kinds of

headaches.

They can be related to chronic illness, tension, sinus or fever. Only

diagnosis can bring out the correct problem. If the rate of headache

becomes more frequent, like more than twice a month, doctor’s

appointment should be taken instantly. Younger kids find it more

difficult to explain the problem.

If they become cranky, restless, irritating, tired, is having sleeping

disorders and is not eating properly, a problem surely exists.

Most of the children complain of headaches during exams because

of increased stress.

Seventy five percent of the children experience headaches

because of tension. If so, stress management education, along

with counseling, should be given to the kid. Headaches can be an

indication of other problems, too. So, thorough diagnosis is highly

recommended. The child’s previous medical history provides

important clue.

Prior to the doctor’s appointment, notes can be

made after referring the medical history. Maintaining a log about

the child’s headache frequencies, pain location, time of occurrence,

symptoms, etc. also helps.

If not due to illness, headaches can also be a

result of head injury. Sometimes, headache can be hereditary,

like in the case of migraines. Headaches can also be caused because

of infections, vision problems, odd levels of blood pressure,

neurological problems, muscle weakness, improper ear balance or

serious problems such as tumor, blood clots, etc. If the doctor is

not able to diagnose the problem, he/she can refer the child to

a headache specialist or neurologist.

Test such as CT scan or MRI are done if there is a serious problem.

After the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes medication or will ask to

take over the counter medicines. According to a study, children who

face headaches and migraine take overdose of over the counter

medicines for immediate pain reliving. In some of the cases,

the parents are clueless about this situation. This practice

is risky and mostly children above six years are involved in

such cases.