Hi - My name is Sondra and my 10 year old daughter was just diagnosed with clusters.  She has been having 10-20 painful episodes a day with occasional tremors accompanying.  Her bouts of pain only last a few minutes but the pediatrician said this is a possible way for clusters to manifest in children - even though clusters are rare in children anyway.

His suggestions were good sleep patterns, regular meal times, lots of liquids and motrin at the onset of the first cluster to try to break the pattern.

We will see if it works.  She has good days and bad days. 
Anyone else have a child with clusters that has advice I am open to hearing!!!!

It will help us to direct you to good sources of assistance if you will tell us where you live (city & state, if U.S. or country). At the Home page: Help button-->Edit & Profile --> Location.
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See the section below this one, "Support's Corner", then down to children.
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The doctor's treatment is useless for Cluster. This suggests to me that she doesn't have the training/skill to  deal with this complex headache disorders.

If you are in the U.S. and have the option, urge you to seek a headache specialist.
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LOCATING HEADACHE SPECIALIST

1. Yellow Pages phone book: look for "Headache Clinics" in the M.D. section and look under "neurologist" where some docs will list speciality areas of practice.

2.  Call your hospital/medical center. They often have an office to assist in finding a physician. You may have to ask for the social worker/patient advocate.

3. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE On-line screen to find a physician.

4. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE Look for "Physician Finder" search box. They will send a list of M.D.s for your state.I suggest using this source for several reasons: first, we have read several messages from people who, even seeing neurologists, are unhappy with the quality of care and ATTITUDES they have encountered; second, the clinical director of the Jefferson (Philadelphia) Headache Clinic said, in late 1999, that upwards of 40%+ of U.S. doctors have poor training in treating headache and/or hold attitudes about headache ("hysterical female disorder") which block them from sympathetic and effective work with the patient; third, it's necessary to find a doctor who has experience, skill, and a set of attitudes which give hope of success. This is the best method I know of to find such a physician.

5. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE NEW certification program for "Headache Medicine" by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties, an independent, non-profit, professional medical organization.
        Since this is a new program, the initial listing is limited and so it should be checked each time you have an interest in locating a headache doctor.
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WHY A HEADACHE SPECIALIST IS RECOMMENDED


Headache. 2012 Jan;52(1):99-113.
Cluster headache in the United States of America: demographics, clinical characteristics, triggers, suicidality, and personal burden.
Rozen TD, Fishman RS.

THERE REMAINS A SIGNIFICANT DIAGNOSTIC DELAY FOR CLUSTER HEADACHE PATIENTS ON AVERAGE 5+ YEARS WITH ONLY 21% RECEIVING A CORRECT DIAGNOSIS AT TIME OF INITIAL PRESENTATION.
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The fact that a child this young appears to have Cluster raises an important issue. There are a number of disorders which mimic Cluster but which are not headache disorders. It's most important that you work with a doctor well trainined in headache so that you can get an accurate diagsnosis.

DO NOT, please, attempt to disanose yourself or attempt to start a treatment program without a good, firm diagnosis. Watching you daughter in pain is hard but important that it not lead to a panic response where you try and start some treatment which you may read about here.

Please keep us informed!

Hi Sondra,
With that many short attacks per day,it could be possible
she has TAC,s. It would be wise to seek out a Headache
Specialist.

Assessing headache disorders in children and adolescents is complicated by the broad range of diagnostic possibilities, by the variation and incomplete characterization of phenotypic expression, by clinical differences between children and adults, and by the need to rely on proxy informants for a headache history. The ocular and nasal symptoms associated with pediatric headache are often thought to reflect either trigeminal autonomic cephalgias (TACs, e.g., cluster headache) or sinus disease. We know that ocular and nasal features, along with other cranial autonomic symptoms (CAS), also occur with migraine in the majority of adults.(1) These features are not unexpected because trigeminally mediated pain activates an autonomic reflex, giving rise to CAS.

Hoppy.

We are in Pittsburgh, PA.  It looks like I have a good deal more research to do an I am so glad I found this area to direct me and get me moving in some beneficial channels!  Thank you so much for responding!!!!!

I will take your suggestions very seriously and look into these.