Last year at Jory’s six year check-up, I mentioned to his wonderful doctor that he was having headaches occasionally. She told me that sometimes kids get headaches before they become ill so look for that. The past year, I watched and for us that wasn’t the correlation. Over the year, he’d have one headache every two weeks or so. Then a week in October, he had one for three days in a row. I called the doctor to talk to her and was advised to make an appointment. I decided since they stopped and we were going to the doctor soon, I’d talk to her then.
On the 19th, Jory was playing then he came into the room and said he had a headache and he was going to go to bed. He climbed on the bed and within minutes he was asleep. At around 1AM, he woke up crying said his head hurt. He’s never awakened in the middle of the night saying his head hurt. And for the pain to wake him up, yikes! I gave him the only thing we had ibuprofen, put some of that stuff I bought in Vietnam on his forehead, and cradled my baby and comforted him through his tears. There was some fear that ran through me. This kid can’t have a brain tumor or be sick. And he most definitely can’t die on me, does he know how much work I put into him? How much work it took to get him home? How I had to battle a crazy system to make him mine? How I need a return on my investment? I knew our morning would be spent in his doctor’s office.
We took the girls to school and walked into his doctor’s office. Sadly, his doctor was booked so we had to see the one with the bedside manner of a ganat. I’ve been told he’s a top pedititrican but ugh that personality kills me, but for my baby boy I’ll put up with it.
Hours upon hours of waiting, though we did get some schooling done while we waited, SCORE one for homeschooling, he checked Jory out and said it was a neurological problem. PRAISE GOD!!! He told me that it was a very good sign that ibuprofen did away with the pain and to bring Jory back in a week. Jory had his seven year check up the following week, so I would be bringing him back but not to see this doctor for sure.
When we came for Jory’s yearly check-up his doctor and I talked and she referred him to a pediatric neurologist just to be on the safe side and because we don’t his medical history.
So today that’s where we went. The neurologist was very nice. Her office was kid friendly. She asked him questions while he stared down at the street nine floors below. She asked me questions. It wasn’t until she started asking me about my history with headaches that I told her he was adopted. There’s been discussion about that on adoption groups. People think it’s good for the doctor to know, yet there is a chance that it could prejudice the doctor’s opinion. Doctors are human after all and could have pre-conceived notions on adoption and the type of people who place their children for adoption.
She did some exercises with him, explained to me what causes headaches, which was very interesting. Stress which causes blood vessels to tighten which causes pain or the blood vessels being flooded with blood causing them to expand and becoming inflamed which is why, she said, ibuprofen works better for headaches then Tylenol because ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory. She told me praise God, that it wasn’t neurological. She didn’t think it was serious because they didn’t happen frequently.
The doctor said it could be caused by not enough sleep. This could be true with the ongoing construction interrupting our normal routines. She said certain types of foods like chocolates, Chinese food, processed meats like hot dogs, can also cause them. Those are the causes of Mijo’s headaches. She felt Jory’s headaches could be genetic. She said some families are more prone to headaches than others. She wasn’t worried and said we’d be fine.
Thank you, Jesus. Her words were music to me ears and an answer to my prayers. My baby boy is a-okay. No we don’t know what triggers them, but they go away on their own, they don’t interfere with his sight or make him incapable of doing things. I don’t think they are triggered by certain foods because he gets headaches at night or in the morning, no rhyme or reason.
My Jory is okay and will just have to live with the headaches. We’ll talk to his doctor about this diagnosis or non-diagnosis for a follow-up and second opinion.
God is good!
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