My brother's dealing with constant headaches—any advice?

Over the past week, my 15-year-old brother has woken up several times gripped by a headache. It isn't just a dull ache; it's actually waking him up from sleep. The pain was so intense he was literally crying. It’s always localized on the right side of his head.

He hasn't dealt with any nausea or dizziness, thankfully. To manage the pain, he's been taking Tylenol and Advil, though honestly, they haven't provided much relief.

He saw a pediatric neurologist yesterday, and they've ordered a battery of tests to get to the bottom of this:
CBC, CMP, lipid panel, liver enzymes (AST, ALT, GGT), BUN, creatinine, uric acid, iron levels, plus an ENT and ophthalmology consult.

If things don't improve, it looks like he'll likely be hospitalized, and in the meantime, he has to keep a detailed headache diary.

Has anyone else here dealt with similar issues? And does anyone actually know what all these specific lab tests are looking for? 😕

Thanks so much. 🙂

Brian Mitchell44 said:Over the past week, my 15-year-old brother has woken up several times gripped by a headache. It isn't just a dull ache; it's actually waking him up from sleep. The pain was so intense he was literally crying. It’s always localized on the right side of his head.

He hasn't dealt with any nausea or dizziness, thankfully. To manage the pain, he's been taking Tylenol and Advil, though honestly, they haven't provided much relief.

He saw a pediatric neurologist yesterday, and they've ordered a battery of tests to get to the bottom of this:
CBC, CMP, lipid panel, liver enzymes (AST, ALT, GGT), BUN, creatinine, uric acid, iron levels, plus an ENT and ophthalmology consult.

If things don't improve, it looks like he'll likely be hospitalized, and in the meantime, he has to keep a detailed headache diary.

Has anyone else here dealt with similar issues? And does anyone actually know what all these specific lab tests are looking for? 😕

Thanks so much. 🙂

ESR is erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CBC is a complete blood count, and AST, ALT, and GGT are liver enzymes used to check liver function. BUN and creatinine check for kidney damage. Then there's blood sugar, serum iron, an ENT exam, and an eye exam. As for why they sent him to the ENT and ophthalmologist specifically, the doctors on this forum can explain that better than I can.
Regardless, this doesn't sound like a standard headache. That kind of pain is common with migraines or cluster headaches. He will probably need more testing beyond just these.

Zachary Castillo7 said:ESR is erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CBC is a complete blood count, and AST, ALT, and GGT are liver enzymes used to check liver function. BUN and creatinine check for kidney damage. Then there's blood sugar, serum iron, an ENT exam, and an eye exam. As for why they sent him to the ENT and ophthalmologist specifically, the doctors on this forum can explain that better than I can.
Regardless, this doesn't sound like a standard headache. That kind of pain is common with migraines or cluster headaches. He will probably need more testing beyond just these.

Thanks so much. 🙂

It doesn't feel like a normal headache to me either. We'll just have to wait and see once the testing begins.

Based on my own terrible experience, my advice is simple: if this headache keeps up, he needs to head straight to the ER at a major hospital like Mayo Clinic. It’s just not right for this to drag on like this while medication fails to touch it. They can run a CT scan immediately to figure out what's actually going on. These kinds of headaches aren't something you joke about, and honestly, I think this whole idea of keeping a symptom diary is nothing more than absolute, utter nonsense.🙄

Angela Wright said:Based on my own terrible experience, my advice is simple: if this headache keeps up, he needs to head straight to the ER at a major hospital like Mayo Clinic. It’s just not right for this to drag on like this while medication fails to touch it. They can run a CT scan immediately to figure out what's actually going on. These kinds of headaches aren't something you joke about, and honestly, I think this whole idea of keeping a symptom diary is nothing more than absolute, utter nonsense.🙄

Look, if things don't improve, they will definitely admit him—likely as early as next week—because, unfortunately, the wait for the necessary diagnostic tests has already dragged on far too long. 🙂

Thanks, 🙂

Any updates on your end? Is your brother doing any better, or is he still stuck in the hospital? I’m hoping for some good news. 👍

Angela Wright said:Based on my own terrible experience, my advice is simple: if this headache keeps up, he needs to head straight to the ER at a major hospital like Mayo Clinic. It’s just not right for this to drag on like this while medication fails to touch it. They can run a CT scan immediately to figure out what's actually going on. These kinds of headaches aren't something you joke about, and honestly, I think this whole idea of keeping a symptom diary is nothing more than absolute, utter nonsense.🙄

I am 100% with you on this.
Don't waste a single second.

Maria Gomez6 said:Any updates on your end? Is your brother doing any better, or is he still stuck in the hospital? I’m hoping for some good news. 👍

We ended up rushing him to the hospital today after he came home from school complaining of a massive headache. 😢

I just hope everything works out okay. We'll have to wait and see how the next few days unfold...

With all those tests being ordered, I believe the neuroimaging and the EEG will provide far more insight... If his consciousness remains stable, then the basic metabolic panels and liver function tests don't offer much, let alone the blood work.

Well, he was at the hospital, and they ran him through every single test imaginable, and apparently, everything came back fine. We’re heading back in tomorrow for more, though I honestly can't say for certain what the exact reason is yet.

Basically, the doctor thinks it’s all due to this sudden growth spurt: we're talking an 11cm jump in one year and then another 13cm the year before. 😲

Brian Mitchell44 said:Well, he was at the hospital, and they ran him through every single test imaginable, and apparently, everything came back fine. We’re heading back in tomorrow for more, though I honestly can't say for certain what the exact reason is yet.

Basically, the doctor thinks it’s all due to this sudden growth spurt: we're talking an 11cm jump in one year and then another 13cm the year before. 😲

Phew, I was actually starting to panic a little when I realized you hadn't posted until today... glad to hear it's nothing serious.🙂

I experienced similar headaches during that same age group. It was exactly the same for me. One morning, I woke up with an excruciating pain, and I frequently found myself being sent home from school due to the discomfort. It eventually turned out to be the onset of severe migraines, which have persisted to this day.

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