Ways to Help Regarding Frequent Headaches And Migraines In Children
- By Cedric Hitchens
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- 28 Nov, 2019
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Frequent headaches, some as severe as migraines. These children, as well as their parents, may experience difficulty adjusting to school and rules. When working or coping with this type of illness, one must take added steps and be prepared. Consulting with a pediatric specialist, that specializes in migraine and headaches, will help your child and you find proper treatments and help you take preventive measures. With each child there are specific triggers, these should be recognized and noted correctly.
Each school has a basic set of rules, it is extremely important for both parent and child be informed. Some schools have zero tolerance policies involving medicines, and will require medical records for proof of illness; even to administer over the counter medicines. One rule, children who suffer from chronic illness, have a hard time dealing with is attendance. With chronic illness it is hard to keep up a good attendance record, schools may group sick leave with other attendance absences; this could cause distress with both child and parents. Schools may require a doctors slip for the absences to be excused. Be sure to read all the information and policies given you for school. Ask directed questions as well, to ensure proper care for your child while he or she attends school.
Most schools have a policy allowing certain medications to be stored, for the school year, in a locked cabinet in the office. When needed the school nurse can be administrator or medication. Some students may not be allowed to participate in physical education or outside recess because of their condition. With this occurrence, other optional activities should be planned out with the teacher and school officials. In most cases a letter of recommendation from the family doctor will be required. A very good practice is to equip your child with a medical identification pendant of some kind.
If your child attends after school programs, or is enrolled in a daycare or babysitting program, when not attending school, planned measures should be executed. These care programs and people in charge of after school programs need to be informed, both verbally and in writing. Their assistance in overseeing or administering medicine on a timely basis will ensure your child is being cared for properly.
According to Helene Goldnadel when your child has grown enough to comprehend the seriousness of his or her situation and need for medication; it is a good idea to teach them the importance of taking his or her medicine on a regular schedule and by the instructions directed by the doctor. Your child should also be informed and educated on improper use of medicine, as well as illegal drugs. Encourage your child to ask questions and ease their fears.
When Children experience a headache, it is hard for many of them to express what is happening properly. Because of the different types of headaches that can occur, this can be aggravating to both child and parents. Headaches can be connected to chronic illness, stress, tension, sinus, cold or fever. Proper diagnosis is the best way to handle the problem correctly. If your child experiences more frequent headaches, such as over twice in a month, make a doctor appointment immediately.
The younger the child, the harder it is for the problem to be expressed. If he or she becomes cranky, restless, tired, irritate easily, disrupted sleep and eat habits change severely; your child has some type of problem that needs to be taken care of.
About seventy percent of children will complain about or experience headaches during times of tension or stress. Stress management education, and counseling will help the child through this time.
Proper diagnosis is highly advised, because headaches could be an indication of other problems. Previous medical records will assist the doctor with discovering the problem. Keeping a note book or log of occurrences, location and severity of pain on a scale of one to ten, etc. will also assist in the diagnosis. Headaches may not be connected to illness they could be due to a head injury. Certain headaches may also be genetically hereditary, such as migraines.
Infection, vision problems, blood pressure, colds, ear infections can be the cause of headaches in children. Something more serious could be the cause, such as tumor or blood clots.
When the problem can't be diagnosed simply through your family doctor, you may need to get a referral to a headache specialist or neurologist. CT scans and MRI's may be requested to assist in diagnosis. Once the problem has a diagnose, your doctor can then recommend over the counter medicine or prescribe medicine to help with the pain and maybe prevent recurring headaches. There are some cases where the parents are unaware of these problems. This can be risky and usually occurs with children over six years.
