WHEN young Liam Hillicker goes to friends’ birthday parties there is no cake for him. Sweets, pizza and even sandwiches are out.

But the 11-year-old Appleton School pupil doesn’t mind going without as eating anything containing wheat or gluten gives Liam crippling migraines.

Liam has suffered with migraines for three years. His mum Julie tried everything to find out what was causing them. After discovering wheat is to blame, Liam is relieved not to have to go through the pain any more.

He said: “It was really bad. I used to wake up in the night with a burning pain in my head. ”

The problem started when he was just five. The headaches would last for up to 90 minutes and became more and more frequent.

Julie, 39, who lives in Benfleet, said: “We tried everything. Cranial osteopaths, reflexology, homeopathic remedies and even food diets, but all to no avail.

“The migraines would come on very quickly and Liam had to laydown and cry himself to sleep. He’d often be sick in the night.

”When he was getting them every three weeks I started to think something had to be wrong.”

He was tested for allergies by a paediatrician and underwent an MRI scan to check there was nothing wrong with his brain.

Both came back clear.

In desperation Julie contacted the Migraine Trust charity which suggested a test to check for food intolerance rather than allergy. Liam’s problem was discovered.

Unlike allergies, food intolerance is not life threatening, but can be very uncomfortable for sufferers with common symptoms including irritable bowel syndrome and eczema as well as migraines.

Allergy UK estimates around 45 per cent of the British population are intolerant to some kind of foods, compared to just two per cent who suffer from allergies.

Chief executive Muriel Simmons said: “People could be intolerant to any type of food because we are all individual, but common intolerances are wheat, dairy and cocoa beans or chocolate.

“The difficulty is actually finding out what is causing the problem, but finding out can revolutionise some people’s lives.”

Despite the widespread nature of the problem the test is not available on the NHS.

For Liam identifying the problem three years ago has made a huge difference and he has only had two migraines in that time.

The first happened about eight weeks after starting his new diet, which Julie believes may have been getting the foods out of his system, and again when he could not resist tucking into some party food.

Julie said: “He had a bit of a lapse and ate some foods he shouldn’t have. After that he told me he was never going to eat cake again.”

Julie had to pay for a private test at a cost of more than £200.

Known as the York Test after the laboratory in York where it was developed it is offered by a private company. It involves potential sufferers sending off a blood sample for testing at a cost of £20.

If the results indicate there is a problem, sufferers have to pay a further £265 for a detailed analysis of what foods are causing the problem. Sufferers also get two one-to-one telephone consultations with a nutritionist.

Julie, a teacher at the Appleton School, said: “We tried everything the NHS had to offer and were told there was nothing more they could do. They basically said there was nothing wrong with him.

“If I hadn’t found out about the test we would never have known. I think it should be available on the NHS.”

Allergy UK would also like to see the test offered by the health service. Ms Simmons said: “We really wish it was possible, there is a tremendous number of people who could benefit.”