I am the mother of an 18-year-old daughter(Allie) whose headaches have impacted her life for the last 5 years. I am writing because I feel helpless and hopeless.
Let me rewind a bit. There is a history of migraines on my side of the family. I had migraines, along with my mother and my grandmother. However, the migraines were linked to our cycles, migraines 3-4 days a month. Allie’s headaches certainly get worse around her period. Allie has a headache every day.
Allie has experienced several sports-related concussions over the years. The last concussion was in September 2018 and Allie’s headaches got much worse. Over the last 5 years, we’ve tried various gluten-free, low sugar diets, countless appointments for acupuncture, cupping, chiropractors, osteopath, massage therapy, ophthalmologist, and pediatrician. Allie is on 30mg of Amitriptyline every day for the last 9 months. This medication cuts pain a bit but nothing dramatic. The last few months Allie has had two occipital nerve blocks and three weeks ago had Botox injections administered in the Boston Children’s Hospital OR. The nerve blocks and Botox have not helped her headaches.
Allie will be starting her freshman year in college next week, and as her mother, I have let her down. She feels there is no solution or help for daily headaches so she grins and bears it. Allie is otherwise a very happy, social, smart, and loving young lady.
Could you please post this to your readers? Perhaps you or a colleague or someone who has a child who has been through a similar situation could shed some light.
