I was first diagnosed with migraines when I was 6 and had the classic symptoms of nausea and severe pounding head pain, usually behind one of my eyes, sometimes also accompanied by some pain at the base of my skull. I have only had visual auras once, but light usually bothers me, as does movement (like people talking with their hands) and loud noises, sometimes hours before I actually get the migraine.
My DS14 had his first migraine just before he was 2 when we were at an outdoor concert in warm, humid air and eating strawberries and grapes and cheese, which are all stereotypical triggers. I didn't put it together at the time that it was a migraine, but when he was 4 we were traveling and he started crying in pain and he said it felt like he had "bugs running around inside his brain" and then he threw up. He has had them off and on ever since and we now keep acetaminophen in the school nurse's office so that, even if they have to call us to come get him, he can start to get some relief as soon as possible.
What we have found works for us is hitting it hard with both acetaminophen and ibuprofin at the same time, sleeping in a dark room, and placing a warm moist compress (we use a Bed Buddy heated in the microwave) over our eyes and the bridge of our nose. [BTW: it says on the Bed Buddy packaging not to use it on the eyes, but it works best this way for us so we take our chances. It also helps just to use it on the forehead or on the back of the neck.]
We have found that the best way to avoid migraines is to keep our routine as regular as possible: not too much or too little sleep, not too much or too little exercise, not too much or too little food, etc. Our triggers, other than change in routine and sleep habits, seem to be humidity, barometric changes, and higher-intensity exercise. Also, we tend to get them at special occasions such as weddings and fieldtrips, even when the events themselves are in no way stressful.
I am one of those people who hates to take medicine very often, but migraines are something you have to hit early and hard. So, needless to say, we have medicine with us at all times.
Also, for what it's worth, I've tried Imitrix, and it did not work at all for me.
Last edited by mnmom23; 01/25/13 09:22 AM. Reason: Add Info
