Medical Advice - And request for good wishes/prayers - UPDATE!!

[CU Tiger]

Guys,
I rarely post non sports related stuff here, but Im a nervous emotional wreck and don't know what to do. This is so out of character for me as I am markedly stoic and strong for my family, but right now I am honestly scared.

My daughter is 4 years old. (actually will be 4 9/24)
3 times in the past month she has complained of serious headaches. And has been in tremendous pain from these headaches. Each time she has said it hurt in the exact same spot. Her left temple and inwards towards her forehead area. Each of the first 2 times we gave her kids tylenol and my wife held her and she went to sleep and woke up fine. Then Monday night it started again, same routing Tylenol, sleep and all seemed well. 3 times in 4-6 weeks just seemed odd to me so I asked my wife to schedule a Dr. visit which was yesterday. The doc checked all the normal stuff and scheduleed a CT scan. For next Thursday 9/20.

All occurences have happened at night near bedtime.
No marked variations in diet, activity, caffeine etc.
And no discernable vision problems that could result in a headache from poor vision.

Now here is where I am going to venture off fact and explain my fears and thoughts a bit. #1 The most likely diagnosis at this point seems to be migraines. Which my wife, her mother and her grandmother all suffer through. So undoubtedly there is a hereditary element there, though I didnt think migraines effected children that young. Subsequent research has revealed that children as young as 2 have been diagnosed with migraines so it is a possibility.

My fear I suppose is rooted on some level from the fact that my wife's brother (and my best friend) just passed away in Januray at 27 from cancer that started in his face/skull region. Certainly the doctor thinks it is a possibility or he would not be doing a CT scan, to the best of my knowledge. There are a number of weird factors at play here. Namely that in his last few years before being diagnosed with cancer he had a number of dental problems and had several teeth simply break off. Now I know this seems totally unrelated but my daughter has recently has a number of dental issues and both her eye teeth have simply snapped off while eating and had to be capped. Further my BIL diagnosis was within 1 or 2 days of her visit/test. (I simply remember that he came to her birthday party the year he was diagnosed and we were all worried for him as he had just beeen diagnosed that week) I know this is simply a numerical coincidence but it sure seems odd. Finally, I know this may sound strange to some, but the first 2 headaches didnt bother me. Ever since te 3rd I have been in a state of near depression and just had an ominous feeling that something bad is on the horizon. I cant sleep. I am ineffective at best at work. And it just isnt like my personality.

My mind wanders. Ive alreayd played the what ifs game. I mean I cant help but think this could turn for the worse, I hope and pray it doesnt. I am honestly not sure how I could get up and continue if something happened to one of my kids. I'd lay down my life to protect them without thought (as Im sure many parents here would). My son (my oldest he is almost 7 she is about to turn 4) was sick at birth and had a close call and it nearly devestated me, but that was when he was 2 days old and there wasnt the bond that exists now.

Im blabbering and I apologize but this is strangely theraputic talking (typing?) about, especially from someone who has always prided himself on not talking about feelings or emotions.

To prevent any more rambling, all thoughts, prayers, well wishes, karma, etc are greatly appreciated.


And if EF27 or anyone else with a med bakground on the board would be so kind as to chime in. Given the symptoms of a repeat static location headache doe sthat immediately send up any red flags? Is child hood migraines a likely diagnosis? Or would you be more concerned of something worse?

Gusy thanks for reading my rambling, and thansk for your thoughts and prayers.

[Lorena]

I understand what you mean about not talking about emotions... been there many times.

Please know that your little girl will be in my prayers... hoping for the absolute best... gluck.

[oliegirl]

You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

[Eaglesfan27]

My standard disclaimer: These are all hypothetical thoughts as I'm not licensed to practice in any state other than Louisiana and NJ, nor would I ever practice medicine over the internet.

I think if the doctor was highly suspicious of something real bad such as a brain tumor, that he would have ordered a stat CT scan or gone straight to a MRI with contrast. The fact that he only ordered a routine CT scan, I would find somewhat comforting as a parent. Did s/he even order contrast with it? If not, I would find that very reassuring that he isn't very concerned about brain tumors. Also, if there are no other focal neurological signs (such as muscle weakness, tingling, odd appearance of the face, changes in smell, irregular eye movements, etc), I would find all of these facts reassuring.

On the other hand, the repeated static location of the headache does worry me. Childhood migraines are a possibility and I've seen patients that have them as young as 3, so it is not rare, but I'd certainly want to rule out everything else. I would definitely be following up if this was my child and I'm sure I'd be worried too. I'd just try to manage my fear as much as possible. I'm sure there will be plenty of people on here who are praying for your family and I hope that this is "just" a case of migraines which does seem a good possibility to me.

If this was my child and I started seeing any signs of the other symptoms that I mentioned as focal neurological signs, I would push for a CT scan or preferably a MRI with contrast ASAP. Again, good luck and know that you will have plenty of good vibes/prayers coming your way.

[Warhammer]

Prayers on the way.

[Flasch186]

thoughts are with you

[stevew]

Good thoughts from another person born on 9/24

[johnnyshaka]

You and your family will be in my prayers and thoughts and if I were you, I'd try and blow off some steam by playing a round of golf or hitting the gym...something to try and get your mind of things a little bit.

[lordscarlet]

Going off of what EF27 said: I have gone to the doctor for two problems that required scans:

1) Migraines
2) Hearing loss

In case 1 I got a CT scan and they didn't really see much
In case 2 I got an MRI with contrast and they found a brain tumor.

Just food for thought and an attempt to ease the nerves.

[JetsIn06]

I send my best wishes

[Logan]

Absolutely all the best...

[StarBuck]

Prayers and good vibes to your little girl!

First thing I thought of was perhaps she has allergies? I find it odd it happens at night. Could it be dinner or something in a room?

[CU Tiger]

Guys thank you so much for the kind thoughts and words.
And EF thank you for taking the time to reply in your busy schedule.
I just re read my post and its difficult to follow, for that I apologize.

I guess if nothing else this is going to force me to severely analyze mortality issues that I have neglected or avoided.

Its so strange to "hope" its "only" migraines as I have seen the devastatng effects these can have on my wife, but at this point that would be a blessing, I feel.

Now a question about CT scans. How would I know if it was ordered with contrast? Simply call the doctor or imaging center and ask? I don't want to sound stupid here but I didn't realize there were different types of CT scans.

I know he said to my wife, "We could either do a CT scan or an MRI, but the MRI would require sedating your daughter. We feel like the CT scan will be less intrusive into her life and show us exactly what we need to see"

Does that phrasing key anything?

Again thank you so much for the time, it means a bunch guys.

[lordscarlet]

Guys thank you so much for the kind thoughts and words.
And EF thank you for taking the time to reply in your busy schedule.
I just re read my post and its difficult to follow, for that I apologize.

I guess if nothing else this is going to force me to severely analyze mortality issues that I have neglected or avoided.

Its so strange to "hope" its "only" migraines as I have seen the devastatng effects these can have on my wife, but at this point that would be a blessing, I feel.

Now a question about CT scans. How would I know if it was ordered with contrast? Simply call the doctor or imaging center and ask? I don't want to sound stupid here but I didn't realize there were different types of CT scans.

I know he said to my wife, "We could either do a CT scan or an MRI, but the MRI would require sedating your daughter. We feel like the CT scan will be less intrusive into her life and show us exactly what we need to see"

Does that phrasing key anything?

Again thank you so much for the time, it means a bunch guys.

Someone more knowledgeable should answer, but I don't believe there is such a thing as a CT with contrast. I believe that only applies to MRIs.

[Eaglesfan27]

Someone more knowledgeable should answer, but I don't believe there is such a thing as a CT with contrast. I believe that only applies to MRIs.

Yeah, I know nothing about that ;)


Trust me, there are contrast dyes for CT scans.

[Eaglesfan27]

Guys thank you so much for the kind thoughts and words.
And EF thank you for taking the time to reply in your busy schedule.
I just re read my post and its difficult to follow, for that I apologize.

I guess if nothing else this is going to force me to severely analyze mortality issues that I have neglected or avoided.

Its so strange to "hope" its "only" migraines as I have seen the devastatng effects these can have on my wife, but at this point that would be a blessing, I feel.

Now a question about CT scans. How would I know if it was ordered with contrast? Simply call the doctor or imaging center and ask? I don't want to sound stupid here but I didn't realize there were different types of CT scans.

I know he said to my wife, "We could either do a CT scan or an MRI, but the MRI would require sedating your daughter. We feel like the CT scan will be less intrusive into her life and show us exactly what we need to see"

Does that phrasing key anything?

Again thank you so much for the time, it means a bunch guys.

I'd just call the imaging center and ask if the doctor ordered an IV contrast agent. If he wasn't too concerned and wanted to minimize the intrusion to your daughter, then he probably ordered it without the contrast dye (not to mention there is a small risk with contrast.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Double Dola -

By the way, the reason he'd probably want to sedate her at that age if they did an MRI is because MRI's are very sensistive to patient movement. CT scans are less sensitive to movement.

Edit to add: Hopefully, she is getting a scan from one of the newer machines. Some of the newer types out are incredibly fast compared to even 10 years ago.

[JPhillips]

Good luck. I'd be pulling my hair out if this was happening to my daughter. All I can tell you is to remember that most doctors are very skilled and well trained. As tough as it is, you're likely to have a very competent doctor helping your child get better.

[Icy]

As somebody who lost his daughter a year ago (not related at all, mine was only a week old), i can fully imagine what you are suffering right now.

Stay strong for you, your wife and daughter. Probably it will end being nothing so you must try to stay calm, the doctors really try to do all that they can do and even more. Your daughter will be in good hands for sure, as i saw all that the doctors did to my little daughter, and I can assure you that they never give up, specially with kids.

You and your family are in my thoughts, good luck with everything and I hope soon this will be just a bad nightmare with a happy ending.

[BigDPW]

As a physician I have to agree with much of what EF27 has said. I also need to state that I am not licensed in SC and that I am speaking only in general here. I would never practice medicine over the internet so this advice/conversation should not be treated as though I was your daughter's doctor.

The fact that the doc ordered a CT scan is comforting. I suspect that this is a precaution and that it is a low probability that anything that can explain you daughters headaches will be found. That being said, you or your MD would not want to miss something that could be picked up with a CT scan and would be problematic if diagnosis was delayed (tumor, aneurysm, etc).

While I understand the fear your brother-in-laws experience has left you with regarding your daughter I would be surprised if the two situation were at all related.

If your daughter were to start experiencing any related symptoms such as weakness, numbness, clumsiness, facial drooping, hearing loss, seizure like activity, sudden weight loss, excessive sleepiness, new difficulty swallowing, or difficulty breathing I would go directly to the emergency room. The absence of these signs to this point are in fact encouraging and would make the potentially bad problems mentioned above relatively unlikely.

As a relatively new father (I have a 9 month old) I can certainly understand your fears and the difficulty you are having facing this uncertainty. Heck I still have persistent fears that something is wrong with my son due to him always scoring in the 3rd percentile on height and weight even though I know better. It is okay to be scared and you don't have to be the stoic person you have always been. Being scared for your child and wanting the best for them is what makes you a great dad. Just realize that in most cases as a parent your fears about medical stuff will end up with a happy resolution.

I will pray for your family and be wishing the best for you. Keep your head up for your daughter but it is okay to be honest with yourself about what you are feeling.

[CU Tiger]

UPDATE
SO last Thursday we went for the CT scan. My daughter did very well with it and the tech took a look at everything and said he saw nothing to be concerned about, but we would need to wait until the doctor could review them and schedule an appointment. After some prodding he insisted that the images were very clear and looked "normal" but was insistent that I understand he was not a doc, but that he had been an imaging tech for ~20 years. This made me "Feel" much better though still concerned.

So today was meeting with the doc (no less on her 4th birthday), he confirmed that all is well in the noodle and that my lil princess is in fact suffering from "infant onset repetitive migraines". Not an attractive diagnosis, but given the options we will gladly take it.

So we should have a nice night's sleep, and have a neat little journal to trrack everything from diet to eating times to clothes and schedule to try and track any patterns.

So thanks for all the well wishes and prayers they really mean a ton.

[CraigSca]

That's great news! While migraines are absolutely awful, I'm sure it's a tremendous relief.

[saldana]

awesome news!!! very happy to hear that is all it is.

[johnnyshaka]

Glad to hear the good news and I hope you guys can find the reason behind these migranes sooner, rather than later.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Very happy to hear this.

[stevew]

Good news.

Did she have a good birthday today?

[Logan]

Awesome, and best of luck with the migraines.

[sachmo71]

thank goodness.

[StarBuck]

This is wonderful news. I know you must be so relieved! Food allergies were a cause of my migraines. Well sinus problems with the food allergy. Might be something to consider.

[Eaglesfan27]

That is great news. :)

[albionmoonlight]

I am very happy for you and your family.

[Icy]

Awesome news! i'm so happy for you and your familly.

[Lorena]

What a relief... thank goodness!!!!

[Warhammer]

Great news! I'll send up a strobe light to celebrate!

[Kodos]

Glad it turned out fairly well. I get migraines a lot myself, and it's annoying but not a huge problem.

[CamEdwards]

very good news! I completely missed this thread first time around. I'm so relieved for you!

[CamEdwards]

very good news! I completely missed this thread first time around. I'm so relieved for you!