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Headaches, Throat Pain, Uvula Not Straight. What Should Be Done, Advise?

Posted on Sat, 7 Jul 2012

Question: Hi. I have a 5 year old son who has suffered from headaches since he's a baby. About 6 months ago I discovered the main trigger of the headaches was aspartame or Nutrasweet products. I have eliminated these items from his diet (and our home) and his headaches are now far less frequent. He still gets headaches...but they occur about every 3 to 6 weeks instead of a two per week. Now for the new issue...he got a headache on Sunday night (2 nights ago), and he mentioned that his throat hurt a little too. I had him open his mouth so that I could see if it was red. What I saw was quite a surprise. His uvula does not hang down straight. It is completely sideways (looks like it is attached to the side instead of hanging down). I checked his mouth again yesterday to see if his uvula has moved back to the normal hanging location, but it has not. Should I be taking him to the doctor to be checked out? And what kind of doctor should I go to (a pediatrician; ear nose and throat doctor: neurologist; etc)?

Answered by Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (3 hours later)

Hi

Thanks for the query

Frequent headache in children could be due to various causes. Children get the same types of headaches which adults do, such as stress headache, migraine, refractive errors and sinus headache.

According to the description mentioned by you, the headache which your son is suffering from seems to be more of migraine.

Regarding the deviation of uvula, the following conditions can cause the deviation of uvula.
1. Unilateral swelling of the tonsil pushing the uvula to the opposite side.
2. Dryness of the throat
3. Inflammation of the uvula

If you can upload the photo of the oral cavity, I will be able to help you in a better way. You can also consult an ENT specialist for a thorough examination of the same and further management.

Hope I have answered your query; I will be available for the follow-up queries.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar