You knew your oldest son was not feeling well the minute you saw him at the airport.
Your husband and two sons were both in the terminal to greet you when you returned from your business trip. One look and you could tell that your older son had both an ashen look and super dark circles under his eyes, both impending signs of one of his chronic migraines.
You initially held out a little hope that he was just anxious and excited about your return, but it seems like he would have been nervous when you left, not when you got home. You hope to have more answers soon. He has an upper and lower GI scope scheduled, and you are hoping to rule out some possible problems. It is not necessarily a relief when test after test comes back negative, but you feel like you are closer to getting an answer. You do no necessarily want to know that the frequent vomiting is simply a precursor to migraines because you have lived a life with those, but at least you will have eliminated other scary problems.
You are especially hopeful that the autoimmune tests come back negative, and you are at least a little encouraged that his current prescription helps him recover faster from these episodes. Episodes that are a frustrating combination of chronic migraines symptoms and a confusing combination of other symptoms that the pain clinic is trying to identify. It is quite a bit for a six year old to handle, but he sometimes seems to coping better than you are. The fear of the unknown seems to get the best of you some days. Fortunately, the doctors at the family health center referred you to some excellent specialists who are confident that they will have some answers soon.
Do You or a Loved One Suffer from Chronic Pain?
Few things are more frustrating than watching your child suffer from chronic pain. Whether the cause of the pain is migraines, chronic tension headaches, or some other kind of debilitating condition, when a parent has to watch a child suffer it can be devastating. Knowing that you are at least able to find the doctors who are willing to run the right tests to attempt to find a source, and hopefully a cure, however, can provide some relief and hope.
For some parents, the pain of watching a young child suffer is complicated by the fact that the parent has experienced similar pain before. Knowing of the pain, in fact, can make matters worse. Consider some of these facts and statistics about chronic pain, its symptoms, and the people who suffer from it:

• 86% of patients with chronic pain report an inability to sleep well.
• 77% of patients with chronic pain report feeling depressed.
• 74% of chronic-pain sufferers report their energy level is impacted by their pain.
• 70% of chronic-pain sufferers report they have trouble concentrating.
• 59% of chronic-pain sufferers report an impact on their overall enjoyment of life.
• 26 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 64 suffer from back pain, and each year America spends at least $50 billion on back pain relief.
• 3 million people a year are affected by gout, a condition that is a painful type of arthritis
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• $100 billion is the annual cost of chronic pain in the U.S. This number includes healthcare expenses, lost income, and lost productivity.

The numbers are staggering. From the number of people who suffer form chronic pain to the amount of money spent to deal with this pain, the numbers tell a story that is difficult to hear and difficult to process. If you, or someone in your family suffers from chronic pain, you may be at a spot where you are searching for answers. For many families the answers come in a comprehensive health and pain clinic setting that uses a team of doctors and specialists. Doctors and specialists who are dedicated to working together to methodically test and screen your symptoms until they find an answer.
Are you on the right track to finding the answers that you need? Have you found that team of medical specialists who are committed to helping you find answers?