Thanks all. DD is getting headaches just about every day in school and this new nurse keeps insisting on giving her Tylenol instead of ibuprofen because she is also complaining that her stomach is bothering her. In my world headache and stomach problems go together in migraines - not exactly sure why she won't give the ibuprofen which the docs are saying will work better than Tylenol. We have given her ibuprofen the last 2 days and her headache has cleared in about 30-45 minutes. No headaches (or very, very few) on days she is not in school. I have a call in to the big name neurologist who prescribed the Elavil. Hoping I can get a letter that will clarify things for the nurse. (I will also ask them to include the hat request just to be a good sport. The original suggestion came from an out of state neuropsych we did a phone consult with – not someone I can easily ask for a letter unless I am willing to pay again.)

In any case they are saying that a) if she has 3 or more headaches a month we have a serious problem to address. (Our response - 3 headaches a week would be an improvement) b) She can't take Tylenol or ibuprofen so often or she will get bounce back headaches.

Excedrin usually works for me - nothing is really helping dh these days.

Lori - what dose did your ds use? We are going to start at 5 mg. I have really wanted to avoid this but seriously - a first grader with a daily headache/migraine? As if the ld's, fine motor deficit, anxiety and possible seizure disorder wasn't enough right?

Laurel - I have never really been a big fan of homeschooling but I have seriously considered it with what we have been experiencing. It wouldn't work, though, because dd has so much special ed now. Take out for reading, OT, speech therapy and anxiety along with push in for math. She is also very, very social and would be miserable without the social aspect of school. If the light situation gets totally unbearable I can see a possibility of battling down the road to have some of these services provided at home but right now it's not really an option.

The school has offered to revise the IEP to include that she can wear a hat/sunglasses if needed. I just can't believe such a simple thing became so contentious. I do think I will be hiring an advocate after this experience. I think this has opened the door...