Young Migraineur

Not long ago, I babysat for four of my nieces - one of my brothers has four daughters. We really had a blast and luckily their house has dimmers on most of their lights. Those lights that didn't, went off.

One of these girls has a Migraine a few times a week. She is the second oldest daughter who is almost ten years old. While babysitting, I was able to spend a little time with her and we talked about her Migraines.

She was diagnosed with Migraines a couple of years ago and just recently went to a new pediatric neurologist. Like many of us Migraineurs, she has already been through her list of doctors who really should have referred her to a Migraine specialist. I try not to be too overbearing to my SIL, but will give some education tidbits or my opinion whenever I feel it is in my niece's best interest.

I needed to give my view with one of her prior neurologists on what they prescribed her to take. In the end, everyone seemed appreciative that she didn't take the Topamax at her young age after they researched more about the medication and received other opinions. Please note that at the time, I was on Topamax and really liked it, but I felt this doctor wanted to put her on Topamax too soon without trying anything else first. Luckily, this new pediatric neurologist seems to be much more knowledgeable around Migraines and is taking a more cautious approach for her.

What really scares me the most about this niece is that she reminds me too much of me when I was her age. She also has these Migraines almost everyday yet she is still running all around and acting like nothing is wrong. I am relieved that my niece was diagnosed correctly from the start and they are trying to get the help she needs early. I know my SIL was having difficulty with this diagnosis in the beginning, but there were just too many symptoms for her not to have Migraines.

When I was talking with my niece, we talked about a few items. One of the things I asked her was if she ever noticed what she was doing prior to her headaches getting worse. She said after she goes swimming or plays ball they are much worse. Her parents know all about my food triggers and say they are constantly trying to figure out if it could be something she is eating.

There could be so many different things that could trigger a child. After her last doctor's visit, the neurologist finally got them to keep a written diary around everything she does and eats. I think one big Migraine trigger for her is exertion and that is one of the items her current doctor wants to look into as well. That would be a tough trigger for an active kid.

One more thing about this babysitting gig. My brother was there when the girls were eating. He brought them some french fries to go with their other food. I have to avoid fries because of the oils they are cooked in. Two of the girls were trying to be overly kind and wanted to share their fries with me. My brother actually stepped in and said something to the effect that I am sensitive to many different foods. Now mind you, this is coming from someone who I needed to sit down and talk to after he was making fun of me in a restaurant while I was working through my food triggers and eating out.

We can make progress with the education of this disease!

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