Different Children, Different Symptoms

I know 5 children including my son who all experience migraine headaches, and all have different symptoms. It's important to understand, as a parent, that a migraine may occur without vision problems (visual aura), without vomiting, and without a long period of pain. There are many types of symptoms and many types of migraines.

My son began telling me that his head hurt when he was in kindergarten. In fact, he had a migraine every day in school. When I picked him up at the end of the day, he was a bear! He was extremely irritable and wanted to get home immediately.

His symptoms included irritability, heightened sensitivity to sounds, and pain in his forehead. If the migraine was severe, he would experience pain in his temples as well as the top of his head. Unlike many adult migraines, his pain was not limited to one side of the head.

Many of my son's friends experience episodes of vomiting and extreme pain. But not everyone experiences migraines in this fashion. In fact, many children have very quick migraines that last less than 30 minutes.

So, if your child is uncomfortable, and you know that he or she is in pain, it's helpful to learn about the many symptoms and types of migraines.

Learn about migraines during childhood.