Migraine Pain: It's Different for Kids

Migraine Headaches Force Teen to Miss Half of Freshman Year

IRVING, TEXAS— Rudy Gomez is 15 years old and recalls her first migraine like it was yesterday.

"I remember my head was throbbing, it felt like someone was pounding on my head," Rudy said. "I just broke down and started crying."

That happened when she was 6 years old and the migraines have never stopped--in fact they've gotten worse.

Sometimes she has three or four episodes a week.

"It gets so bad that it makes me sick and I miss a lot of school," Rudy said. "I have a lot of school problems."

Rudy said she missed at least half of her freshman year.

Scientists recently linked three genes to migraine headaches--including one exclusive to women.

Doctor Tammi Williams is a pediatrician at Baylor-Irving where she sees other patients like Rudy.

"We see a big increase in diagnosis at that age and a lot of that can be hormone influenced as kids go through puberty and their hormone levels begin to change and adapt," Dr. Williams said. "Many times that is when migraines will begin with them."

But Dr. Williams said diagnosing migraines can be difficult because kids have a hard time explaining their pain.

"Does it feel like it's about to explode? Does it feel sharp like a knife? Does it feel like it's pulsating like boom, boom," Dr. Williams said. "When I put that out there then they can pick one of those and tell me."

Rudy thinks her migraines pop because of stress and lack of sleep--which go hand in hand.

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