# Michael's Tests Are In!



## JerseyGirl86 (Mar 30, 2009)

If you remember, I asked you all for help with my 15 yr. old, who would get awful headaches and then throw up every 5 minutes until I saw blood and coffee grounds, and we'd then spend 4 hours in the ER with an IV of fluids and phenergan. He'd usually be out of commission for 3 days, and yes, then so would I!









So Monday at 12:30am he starts throwing up again! All weekend he had a runny nose, sore throat, and sinus headache. He NEVER takes meds but did all weekend and threw up anyway. The last time he was in the Er the dr. gave us Phenergan suppositories and THEY WORKED!! Not at first, but after the second dose.

We saw the neurologist, who I think is a jerk BTW, and the diagnosis is CVS (cyclic vomiting syndrome, abdominal migraines, and sinusitis. HOORAY! He went for a CT scan and sinus xray, only showing sinusitis. I was so relieved to see the scan was clear!

The plan is to take Excedrin migraine,(try it because he's young and they really don't want to put him on stronger meds until we see how this works.) and Phenergan for the vomiting. He's also got a prescription for Zyrtec that he refuses to take. Anyway, for now, we THINK we have it covered. Keep your fingers crossed.

Thank you all for your advice and well wishes. Michael's okay!


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## Joonbee (Jan 18, 2008)

Glad to hear all is well.

I have fought sinus headache also. Been through the scans and all. Sounds like your on the right track. My typical defense is an Allegra-D (same as zyrtek and I also take singulair daily) and 2 exedrine's (usually regular extra strenght works, dont take migraine version). If I don't catch it in time it will lead to nasseau.

I didn't get this way (allergies and headaches) until later in life, so maybe he will grow out of it. I still hope to grow BACK out of it.

Well wishes.

Jim


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

I, too, used to be bothered with sinus headaches. The only thing that worked for me was to take a nap and sleep it off.

I do take an OTC eneric Zyrtec every day and that seems to help.

No pain relievers ever worked for me except Extra Strength Excedrin. I do think you'll find that extra strength Excedrin and Excedrin Migraine are the same drug, BTW. At least I think they are. Check the ingredients.

Glad the boy's been diagnosed. Now, maybe you can handle it effectively.

Good luck.

Mark


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## Camping Fan (Dec 18, 2005)

mswalt said:


> No pain relievers ever worked for me except Extra Strength Excedrin. I do think you'll find that extra strength Excedrin and Excedrin Migraine are the same drug, BTW. At least I think they are. Check the ingredients.
> 
> Mark


Extra Strength Excedrin and Excedrin Migraine are indeed actually the same medication. The only difference is the appearance of the package. The active medications (aspirin, acetaminophen, caffeine) and their strengths are the same. The different packaging is basically just to catch the eye of migraine sufferers.

The Phenergan and Excedrin combination should work pretty well for Michael. The key will be getting him to take them both sooner rather than later, as they'll kick in and be effective much sooner if he starts taking them at the first sign of an episode rather than waiting until it's so bad he can't stand it.


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## Cj45 (Jan 22, 2005)

Oh, I am _so _glad to hear that you have a diagnosis! Can I ask why he refuses to take the Zyrtec? His sinusitis might be helped by controlling the allergies. I'm not sure about Jersey, but here in Wisconsin this is "high allergy season"--ragweed, mold, etc. After the first hard freeze of the season, it gets much better. I'm just wondering, because my 13 year old takes it, and it helps ward off the allergy related sinus infections. I second Camping Fan's advice to take his meds at the first sign of an attack rather than wait till it's so bad he can't stand it--sure, he might be able to 'tough it out' but there's really no glory in being miserable. It's much easier to ward it off than beat it back. If it's simply an aversion to taking meds of any kind, google "Neti Pot" and see if he'll do that; it's a totally natural, inexpensive method that's been used for centuries. I used to have chronic sinusitis, and my son would get a sinus infection at the drop of a hat (which triggered asthma attacks, not good). The neti pot has ended that miserable cycle for us. If you can get him to try it, it might help the runny nose and headaches. PM me if you have any questions about it, it looks gross but it really does work. Best of luck with getting him through this, and I'm glad he's OK. Whew!!!


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Having a clear diagnosis must be a good feeling. Hang in there and best wishes to both of you!


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

X 1 on the Neti Pot!!! I use mine every day during the allergy season and about every other day during the rest of the year - it keeps me off allergy meds about 90% of the time, which is really good! I live in the Willamette Valley which is a really bad area for allergies - we sit between two mountian ranges with a lot of farm land around - the pollen gets trapped in the valley and sits for days, weeks and some times months!

Glad you have a diagnosis!


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

I too have suffered from sinusitis and sinus related headaches for most of my life. I would like to ask a few questions if that is alright with you.

Is there a particular time of day when it seems to happen? Has he had any allergy testing done? What kind of build does he have, slight, average, heavy?

I've had a combination of factors that have added up to some serious sick time over the years. Being allergic to a lot of stuff, combined with lack of drainage in the sinus cavity and too much weight caused my problems. The allergies would stuff me up, then nothing would drain out of my sinuses because the sinus openings were too small then sleep apnea would cause severe sinus blockage with lack of sleep which would cause major headaches and an upset stomach. Morningss were always the time it would show up unless I ran into something I was highly allergic to which could cause it any time of day.

For me getting sinus surgery to open the passages, combinied with a few years of allergy shots, daily zyrtec and finally a cpap machine at night has gotten rid of most of it. I still get the sinus headaches and blocked sinuses but it's once every two to three months, not weekly like before. I have also gotten to the point of being able to feel it coming on and can usually head it off with pseudoephedrine and acetaminophen (together make sudafed sinus).

The sinus surgery was no big deal and made the most difference for me. It was an outpatient procedure that took about two hours and I was back normal in about a week. The only limitations directly after the surgery was I wasn't supposed to lift anything heavy for that week.

I would really recommend getting talking to an allergy doc and see if testing is recommended. Having allergies can cause sinusitis at the drop of a hat which gets the whole thing going. It took getting six sinus infections in one year for me to start looking into all the stuff I have listed above. I would have been a lot healthier a lot sooner if I hadn't had the opinion that I didn't need to see a doc about it.


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## JerseyGirl86 (Mar 30, 2009)

thefulminator said:


> I too have suffered from sinusitis and sinus related headaches for most of my life. I would like to ask a few questions if that is alright with you.
> 
> Is there a particular time of day when it seems to happen? Has he had any allergy testing done? What kind of build does he have, slight, average, heavy?
> 
> ...


Michael went to an allergist from the time he was 5 because he had chronic bronchitis, got pneumonia 3 times in 2 years, and was dx with asthma. He has always had a hard time taking meds and would eventually gag and throw them up. So the only thing that was a life saver was the nebulizer with Albuterol. To throw him off that it wasn't medicine, I always called it his "breath of fresh air".







Even my younger 2 called it that! He also had sleep apnea! When he would get sick I would literally stay by his bed all night and make sure he was breathing!









A sinus xray showed a huge adenoid blocking his nasal passages and when he was 6 he had surgery to take out the adenoid and his tonsils. In fact, the neurologist wanted the sinus xray to see if possibly scar tissue had built up in his sinuses and was causing the headaches. BTW, the surgery made a world of difference for him. Sleep apnea was gone and allergies not so bad. He still has allergies and gets sinus headaches frequently. I know simple meds will take care of this but he is such a pain refusing to take anything. He's 15 now and grown up enough to know that it's just stupid to not take something that will save you an eventual trip to the ER.

My sister had your surgery when she was about 22. She had suffered years of migraines and chronic sinusitis. She also had a tumor blocking part of her sinuses! Benign though! She looked liked she'd gotten in a bar fight after surgery but she never suffered again!

For the record, Michael is about 5'7" and thin as a rail. He makes me so mad that he can eat the way he does and get thinner by the day!


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

Was just curious about the weight thing. My doc tells me that being heavy doesn't cause my apnea but does aggravate it. It sounds like you have been down the road I was trying to point you at. The older I get, the more people I find that are having respiratory problems but not trying to track down the cause. Just wanted to be sure you had explored what the cause might be.


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## Cj45 (Jan 22, 2005)

It sounds like our sons are similar in their medical issues and inability to take meds when they were little. Mine used to run these huge fevers--105F--and could not keep any medication down. Frustrating! But as he grew older, we practiced taking pills and now he can do it. I need to be honest with you, one of your statements really struck a nerve with me.

_"I know simple meds will take care of this but he is such a pain refusing to take anything. He's 15 now and grown up enough to know that it's just stupid to not take something that will save you an eventual trip to the ER."_

Am I to understand that he refuses to take the Zyrtec that will control the allergies and thus the sinusitis and headaches, and he refuses to take the meds that will calm the vomiting cycle and pain, thus making a trip to the ER necessary when one of these attacks occurs?? Whoa! At 15, I don't believe he has a choice unless you are giving him one. I know that making a 15 year old do anything is not easy, but it can be done. Feel free to PM me to discuss strategies, I have some that worked for us when my almost 14 year old decided that his daily asthma meds were optional. That particular act of rebellion has not recurred, believe me.









I hope that things improve for you guys.


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

Glad to hear there are steps moving in a positive direction!! Lets hope and pray they become strides, leaps and bounds to a future free of all this hassle!!!

For all of you!!


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## JerseyGirl86 (Mar 30, 2009)

I've got to look into this Neti Pot stuff!

Hey! Cj45! He's ridiculous when it comes to taking meds but getting better. Meaning he tries not to gag or vomit when he takes something. The only reason he takes the nausea meds is because they're suppositories!


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## Cj45 (Jan 22, 2005)

LOL, hey, whatever works!! Maybe that's the ticket, but they don't make all meds in that format, unfortunately.

I'm glad he's getting better at it. As long as he keeps trying!

Take care, and good luck.


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