STOMACH MIGRAINES

[kirstie]

Hi Guys,

I have just been to picjk Lewis up from school following a phonecall from his teacher saying he was ill. we are now back home and i'm thinking he has had a stomach migraine. This isn't the first time he's had these symptoms and they usually follow a period of extreme stress for him, or in this case loud, hyper and aggressive behaviour, more so than usual. it has been horrendous over the half term break and he returned to school yesterday.

He was apparently complaining of a sore tummy, he went very pale and had terrible shakes then he fell asleep on the classroom floor (DEFINATLY not like him!!) usually before he falls asleep he is sick, but he fought it today (he said he did want to be ) anyway he is now bright as abutton and he seems much calmer and less aggressive. Like a something has released the pressure in his brain IYKWIM?

He used to get bouts of just throwing up, like on a bus occasionally or if he woke up and was 'strange' he'd puke. I wonder if it could be that, i think i'll mention it to his Consultant see what she says.

I just wondered if any of it sounded familiar to anyone.

Thanks.

Take care,

Kirstie.

[stressed out mum]

Yes Kirstie

 

My 14 year old daughter (NT) used to get this all the time before school usually, although it was minus the shakes.

She still gets stomach ache if she is nervous about something like an exam.

 

I thought it was really strange when the doctor said this, I think she was about six but not really sure.

 

She doesn't travel well either and also will go all day without eating if she has something on her mind

[oracle]

My son has Cyclical Vomiting Symdrome which can be - and was in his case - stress induced. What is happening to your son sounds very much like CVS - although Matthew also gets a low grade temp to. This is condition appears to be quite common in our children - here is a link to the CVS site http://www.cvsa.org.uk/

 

Carole

[call me jaded]

Have you ever had any tests done on his fecal stools? If he vomits are there any white bits? Has he been on antibiotics?

 

It could possibly be a fungal growth in the intestine and the amount of toxin produced by the fungus makes him ill and appear stressed. Look up Dr Shaw at the Great Plains Laboratory.

Edited February 21, 2006 by call me jaded

[cmuir]

Hi

 

Poor Lewis.

 

I'm no doctor, but am aware that migraines can come in all shapes and forms and can be caused by stress as well as other triggers (eg eating chocolate, caffeine, etc). I visited a specialist a number of years ago, as I occasionally suffer from visual disturbances. I was advised by the specialist that I was having migraines. I was puzzled because I assumed I would have had a sore head and would know about it! I was advised that sufferers can have all sorts of symptoms that you wouldn't normally expect. Visual disturbances, omitting, temporary paralysis, dizziness, etc (don't have to have a sore head).

 

Could also be stress which can also cause sore stomachs, vomitting, headaches, etc.

 

Caroline.

[call me jaded]

Actually that reminds me. I heard Len McEwan speak at the ARU conference in Newcastle one year and he made a very convincing argument for a condition he called PIMS (because he liked the drink - he really did say that!), which was Pre-menstrual/Irritable bowel/Migraine Syndrome. He's an allergy specialist and was instrumental in developing Enzyme potentiated de-sensitisation (EPD) which is an injection of tiny amounts of allergens to produce the correct immune response. He seemed fairly convinced that migraine/bowel conditions were connected to allergies. That's all I recall from his lecture, but he was very interesting.

Edited February 21, 2006 by call me jaded

[justamom]

Keegan suffers from Inflammatory Bowel Disease and he also has bouts of stomach pain when stressed, we could not rule out his IBD but I at times we think that its stress related (because its not usually followed by having to go to the loo).

 

I have had to fetch him a few times from school because of his stomach ache, pale, with temp, we automatically think its a flare up but when he check if anything was different at school its usually a supply teacher that has been in or something has upset him...

 

Carole i never even knew there was something called CVS - we learn something new every day!!!!

[kirstie]

Hi All,

Thanks for your replies.

carol, thanks for the link. When Lewis throws up it tends to be the once either before or after a sleep and then he's fine, so i'm not sure if it could be CVS. However i'm no Doctor so i shall investigate things further.

Jaded, Hi!! Are you talking about something called H pylori? I don't know if Lewis has this but i certainley know his Dad did years ago. I haven't had any samples analysed nor has he been on Anti-biotics for a long time. What are the white bits you mention in the vomit? He wasn't sick today and i can't remember from previous incidents (other than curdled milk on the bus, but then that was first thing in the morning and he doesn't do breakfast! )

And finally, i'm sorry if any of you were about to eat your Tea- you probably won't be now!!

[LKS]

Hi kirstie my AS ds has suffered from migraines for many years he is 11. It usually starts off with a really bad headache he then starts to feel sick. He usually throws up, feels a bit better and sleeps for hours. They have become less frequent as he's got older but seem to be stress related. He looks absolutely yellow when he feels poorly and I carry medication with me when we go out as long journeys affect him as well. He is under the care of GP for this and has had blood tests to rule out any other problems.

[call me jaded]

The white lumps would be candida albicans. It is like curdled milk. Probiotics really help.

 

Use of antibiotics could cause clostridium difficile overgrowth. Grapefruit seed extract is good (be careful it's not the same as grape seed extract).

 

If you can't get your GP or paed to refer or do some tests, these are simple to try.

[oracle]

Jaded do you know of - and can you point me in the direction of - any probiotics that do not come in a milk or yoghurt drink. I ask because I would really like to try them on Matthew but he does not like milk products at all.

 

Thanks

 

Carole

[call me jaded]

Quite a few of the capsules are dairy free. I've used Biocare a lot. My son doesn't do capsules, so we use Sojasun on him which is soya-based, which my local health food shop stocks. I tend to add it to rice milk.

 

Here's a website so you know what you're looking for. http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/...ail/414113.html

 

Acidophilus and bifidus are the two cultures to be looking out for if you're going to look for tablet or non soya form.

 

You can carry out ATEC scores before you start (baseline) and then after a period of time. It helps to work out what's useful and what's not. It's the only test I've found that measures over time.

[oracle]

You can carry out ATEC scores before you start (baseline) and then after a period of time. It helps to work out what's useful and what's not. It's the only test I've found that measures over time.

 

For those of us who don't speak the language what prey tell is ATEC scores - you knew that I would ask

 

Carole

[call me jaded]

http://www.autismeval.com/ari-atec/

[kirstie]

Hello all,

The latest on \lewis and his stomach migraines.

Yesterday he was absoloutley fine bouncing around as usual, that was fine, we went to the Dentist- fine no problems. sent him to school this morning and the taxi driver phoned me and said Lewis went very quiet and was a bit tearful. Then the school phoned could i pick him up again as he was asleep on the classroom floor again after going very quiet and refusing to eat anything and complaining of a headache! When i got there he had woken up and was a lot better. So for the whole afternoon he's been totally fine. I have asked his teacher if anything different has happened or if he's had a falling out with anyone and she said no. Nothing has changed at home either so i am struggleing to understand what is going on. it seems to be starting in the taxi on the way to school but he's never been travel sick before so i am at a loss.....and still waiting for his paed to phone me back.

[oracle]

My 18 year old managed to sleep through the house being modernised for five weeks because he could not cope with the stress and anxiety of the workmen being in our home. He slept through drilling, sawing, hammering the whole works. I found it totally unbelievable but he did actually sleep

 

Could something at school be so stressing your son out that his way of coping is to sleep though it? I know that this sounds totally ridiculous but it might just be an explanation. It may well be that the whole idea of school is now overloading him - again sounds daft - but it is possible.

 

I suppose you could play this two ways. One being that you could ask the school if they could get past this point with your son before ringing for you. I say this because if he has realised that this results in him being sent home then maybe that is adding to it. Second would be to get this checked out medically.

 

I personally would get it checked out but then I hated the thought of my son being so stressed out that school was making him physically ill - but I do know parents who have insisted that the school cope.

 

Carole

[kirstie]

Carol,

No, you're post doesn't sound ridiculous. I wondered myself if there was anything different happening at school, and his teacher said nothing atall. I was even asking her if there were different lights in the ro0om or anything that could be triggering the migraines. I even phoned his taxi driver if there was anything different in the taxi again nothing. I do know that the only time he can sleep where he stands is when he's had one of these episodes following him being exttemely hyper and aggressive. the last time this was happening we had been to see the singing kettle. Never again, it was so loud with bright lighting that he ran out of the theatre. a few days later he was at playscheme (relativley new place for him to be) and he went white and quiet and fell asleep. When i picked him up he puked in the playground but was so much better afterwards. I know over the half term he was hyper and very aggressive but he is always so keen to go to school so i don't think ( i hope) he's having a hard time coping there.

I totally agree though this could become an issue if the School keep phoning me to pick him up, he'll get wise to it.

I am going to see his Paed and see what she thinks, then if it is migraines i'll have to ask them at school to let him sleep for a bit and then phone me when he wakes if hes no better. i'm just worried, twice in one week is kind of strange.

[kirstie]

oh yes, i forgot to say, his AS seems to be really prominent right now........his imaginary friends are back, he is sniffing his fingers whenever he touches anything and he is bouncing off the walls right now, to name a few things. this does sound like stress i know.

it could be that usually his Dad comes up in the holidays and they go to a hotel or away in the campervan but not this holiday. Lewis hasn't mentioned it but maybe i have answered my own questions?