Symptoms of Abdominal Migraines
Abdominal migraines are most often seen in children ages 5 to 10 years old, but people of all ages are thought to suffer with it. Many children who have abdominal migraines grow up to have classic migraines, where the pain is centered on one side of the head. In abdominal migraines, the pain is centered in the abdomen (between the breast and the pubic bones).
Features
Symptoms begin with the face becoming very, very pale (pallor) or becoming flushed red as if with a fever. Cramping, nausea, dizziness, irritability, loss of appetite and vomiting then occur. Other symptoms include diarrhea, a sudden intolerance to light or sound or dark shadows under the eyes. An attack can last as long as 72 hours or as little as one hour. Very rarely is any head pain reported.
Prevention/Solution
It is unknown prevent abdominal migraines. Some people have benefited from going on a daily beta blocker blood pressure medication. It's taken every day in the hopes of preventing an attack but is useless once the attack already begins. Getting treatment generally includes the use of anti-nausea medications and painkillers. Some painkillers like triptans are considered far too strong for a child.
Considerations
It is very hard to get a diagnosis for abdominal migraines, as the symptoms mimic other problems like Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome or even a stroke. There are those in the medical community who even debate that abdominal migraines even exist, preferring to treat it as cyclic vomiting syndrome. However, there are other kinds of migraines that include vomiting and abdominal pain but not head pain. They are called "silent migraines" or acephalgic migraines.
Expert Insight
Home remedies that can help ease a child or adult through an attack include lying down in a dark room, ice packs if the head hurts, hot water bottles to ease cramping and sipping sports drinks thinned with water. Some people find peppermint tea helpful in easing nausea while others like candied ginger. Other alternative methods that can help include mediation, biofeedback and listening to a white noise machine if normal sounds are too painful to bear.
Warning
Although abdominal migraine attacks go away by themselves, you still need to see a doctor in order to get diagnosis, painkillers and treatment. These attacks come periodically throughout childhood, although some keep coming through adulthood. Also, never give adult medications to a child. If you have sudden extreme nausea, numbness in a part of your body, sudden headache or trouble controlling a limb, please call an ambulance, as this could be a stroke.
Tags: abdominal migraines, abdominal migraines, head pain, pain centered, Some people, Symptoms Abdominal, Symptoms Abdominal Migraines
