A Kid With Symptoms Becomes A Neurologist With Answers
by Dr. Zev Stomel
As a kid I would have strange symptoms I couldn’t understand. An ear that would turn red after I ate, sensitivity to noise and light and certain smells. I would frequently get carsick and often feel lightheaded or a little dizzy. When I was 10 years old, the horrible headaches started, so awful that I couldn’t function, and I was having trouble staying in school. These symptoms continued until I was no longer a carefree (though usually shy and conscientious) kid – I was someone who had to stop playing or studying and lie down in a dark room in the middle of the day.
One day my parents brought me to a neurologist.
The neurologist gave me an injection of medication and I felt immediate relief – it was like a dark angry cloud lifted from my brain and suddenly I could think again. I could enjoy the activities I loved, even enjoy the breeze brushing my face.
It was at that point that I found out that I had migraines, and that all of my symptoms could be improved if I understood how to avoid the triggers of my migraines, the triggers of my red ears and my irritation at light and noise and smells. I learned that certain foods I ate often triggered my symptoms and that I needed to sit in the front of the bus and look out the front window and that I needed to avoid flashing lights.
At the time I had no idea that one day I would become a neurologist too and train for years to gain the experience needed to help others in the same way that my neurologist helped me as a kid.
People are often surprised to find out that kids can have migraines too – in fact the numbers show around 1 out of every 10 kids/adolescents suffer from migraine. Before puberty boys and girls seem to be equally affected, but after puberty hits women are three times as likely to be affected compared to men. Many will continue to have migraines throughout adulthood. Left unaddressed, these migraines can totally upset a person’s life and can be very debilitating. There can be symptoms during, before and even after a migraine and some people have “brain fog” or dizziness that can be very disruptive.
Nowadays there are so many treatments available for migraines, ranging from preventive pills to Botox injections to electrical devices placed on the arm that change pain perception. And that is in addition avoiding the major culprits in triggering a migraine – lack of sleep, dehydration, and just not eating enough!
Still, headaches can be very complicated and have many causes – and not every headache is a migraine. I very much benefited from the expertise of a neurologist and I am happy now to be able to help both kids and adults overcome the struggle of suffering from headaches and migraines.
