About a week ago Snoopy and Lisa suggested Puls 6C for my chronic discomforts (I reproduced the list here below my signature). Many of these have to do with female hormones/reproductive system/perimenopause, and Snoopy noted Puls has a lot of applicability to this area.

It happens I've been experiencing an especially bad spell of premenstrual syndrome since starting that thread. The main symptoms of PMS with me, when severe, are extreme drowsiness, gloom and "brain fog." I had obtained some Puls 6C and last night around 9 pm decided it was time to give it a whirl. I dissolved 5 pellets in my mouth under the tongue. Interestingly, right after doing so I experienced a fairly sharp increase in mental clarity for about half an hour. Then I went back to being rather groggy, but it seemed to me that some of the secondary physical symptoms were slightly less (these include exacerbations of both palpitations and irritable bowel, and various muscle/joint aches and pains).

This morning I put 5 of the pellets in a bottle of water (I forgot Snoopy had specified one pellet in another thread, but it doesn't really matter that I used 5, does it?). I succussed 10 times, and drank about 2 ounces of this. Well, I thought I was going to fall asleep at the wheel driving to work, which is fairly unusual nowadays. And all day I was in a ghastly mood... I felt like everyone was against me and the battle of life was hardly worth fighting. Yet physically, I thought I was still a bit better, and my concentration and mental clarity were decent, considering that in typical PMS, the symptoms steadily worsen until menses begins.

I don't know what to think about how the Puls is affecting me. Should I continue with it?

I should perhaps mention that there could be a bit of postviral syndrome affecting me this week. I recently was ill with the worst influenza I've had in about 25 years (fever 102.5-104 for several days with all the other typical influenza symptoms, beginning Jan. 27). The "hangover" of bronchitis from this episode has been just about gone for almost two weeks now, but there is still a slight trace of it and I still have a persistent tinnitus (ringing in the ears) that seemed to come along with the flu. (Anyone know a specific remedy for that? I'm getting really sick of it...)

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and suggestions! See below if you didn't read my original post or would like to review my list.

Avalon

1=Past 3 to 4 years
(I lost an 8-year job that I liked, due to a new boss who didn't like me, in '98 and my boyfriend of 4 years moved to Europe in '99. I also began to show signs of very early perimenopause in '99 or '00.)

2=Past 10 years
(My mother died rather suddenly of stroke at age 66 in 1992, traumatic for me as an only child; I had sort of a codependent relationship with her)

3=Always, or at least since young adulthood

1 Extreme sensitivity to noise of all kinds
1 Anhedonia (little joy or interest in things)
1 Palpitations, chest tightness when lying down
1 Mood usually either angry, melancholy or grieving
1 Poor concentration
1 Plantar fasciitis of right foot for past 6-9 months (Rhus tox. helps a little)
1 Prone to compulsive shopping and hoarding behavior
1 Feels that life is over; fearful of future
1 Nausea and/or transient nasal stuffiness when tense
1 Perimenopausal
1 Tendency to dry eyes
1 Always "playing catch-up"
1 Cannot tolerate clutter
1 Often drowsy/weary
1 Loves to walk (but hips, lower legs and feet, especially right foot, hurt after a while; knees are OK)
1 Can't find time/energy/motivation to exercise any more (due partly to longer commute beginning 3/01)
1 Strongly torn between city and country
1 Cannot sleep more than 5 hours
1 Typically goes to bed at 2 a.m. but sometimes naps between 9 and 12
1 Former drinker (quit March 2001)
2 Former smoker (quit 1992)
2 Cannot bear to contemplate suffering or conflict, human or animal; cries easily
2 Irritability and resentment override desire to be gracious and courteous to others
2 Intermittent soreness of tongue and mouth
3 Extremely uncomfortable in closed spaces with no air moving; craves fresh air
3 Obsessive
3 Alternately suspicious/pessimistic and gullible
3 Feels outcast; no social confidence
3 Cannot resist urge to complain at risk of annoying others
3 Moderately nearsighted in one eye; vision impairment/eye strain worse some days than others
3 Haunted by childhood vacation spot, still returns every year
3 Irritable bowel (alternating constipation and diarrhea, gassy)
3 Acid reflux esophagitis
3 Lower abdomen tender to pressure, painful to stretch (this for many years)
3 Uterine fibroids and endometriosis

Circumstances: Lives alone (except for 3 cats), never married, childless, professional, works in office as staff editor/writer at computer all day

Physical: 5'2", 135 lb, 49 years old, medium build, light skin w/some freckles and red undertone, brown eyes, brown hair with a lot of gray in front, soft nails, fairly youthful appearance

Favorite foods: cheeses (strong like Romano or sweet/rich like ricotta/mozzarella), whole wheat pasta, red meat, squid, beans, good dark chocolate, chicken broth, deep green vegetables, honey, potato chips, dairy treats (ice cream, pudding, yogurt) that are not too sweet

[ 22 February 2002, 01:40: Message edited by: Avalon ]

Dear Avalon,

This is a rough one! Stop the remedy--it may be an aggravation, let's see what you look like when the dust settles. That will give us a better idea about whether this is the right remedy or not.

Meanwhile, tell us about the flu and what you took for it.

Snoopy

[ 22 February 2002, 02:55: Message edited by: Snoopy ]

I usually never post remedy suggestions as I am just a little ol student but one really strikes me here. So at the risk of looking foolish...

Lachesis

Barb

__________________
Man, do not pride yourself on your superiority to animals. For they are without sin and you in your greatness defile the earth by your appearance on it and leave traces of you foulness after you. Dostoyevsky

Hi Barb,

Why do you think Lachesis? Not that I think this is an ideal Puls. case...but there was the easy crying, the desire for ice cream and other creamy things, < warm stuffy rooms, > open air. Actually, I thought of Sepia too.

Snoopy

Nice suggestion Barb! I think you could be pretty close in concept. MAybe another remedy of that group?

Snoppy, I would look at that suggestion. Try and get the whole case. All the best.

doctorleela

[ 22 February 2002, 04:35: Message edited by: doctorleela ]

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The other thing is...I haven't repertorized this case or elicited more symptoms, hoping that first we'll find out something about Puls. It's a lot of work to do for nothing if Puls. is the right remedy. She took it and her mind cleared, which is a very good sign and worth sticking with it for a while because of that. The other thing is, if there is a top layer of:
Never Well Since the flu, she may need a remedy for that before anything else will work the way we want it to.

Snoopy

Yes Snoopy,
One always needs to understand cases from different standpoints. Esp very chronic ones. But nothing like having the whole case to start with! Makes the analysis easier.

Doctorleela

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http://www.homeopathy2health.com

I didn't suggest a remedy, Avalon...I was observing the case and puts some comments forward, but I also suggested seeing someone in person would be better (at the risk of offending others which is not my intention).

If you're in NYC - you should be able to find someone to treat you....my college has a satellite school there..so maybe you could go to one of their clinics - paying less for the consult - while students take you case but under supervision.

I agree, it's best to start with taking the whole case.
Sincerely,
Lisa

__________________
"The significance of a fact is measured by the capacity of the observer."
Carroll Dunham

Snoopy, in answer to your question about the flu... I never take any allopathic medications for respiratory infections, nor, god forbid, any of the over the counter stuff. I don't even take aspirin for fever. None of it does any real good as you guys all know; much of it is harmful. Mostly, it's designed for people who won't or, more often, feel they can't tell their employers, "See you when I'm better." I used to be like that but am trying to change. It is so obvious that when one gets colds and especially a nasty flu like I had, there is a voice somewhere along the body-mind loop screaming, "STOP! It's time to rest and heal."

I do use little herbal things here and there (no ephedra!) and last year when I had a much milder URI, I tried some Rhus tox. I think it helped to shorten the illness a little, but it's always hard to judge that. As I mentioned, a dose or two of Rhus tox "as needed" has taken the edge off my plantar fasciitis also.

With this flu, which has hit a lot of people in New York and New Jersey, I took some ginger, mullein leaf, and slippery elm at first to help with the cough and sore throat. When I felt well enough to fuss in the kitchen, I started taking the usual cure of large quantities of raw garlic.

The day before the flu really came on, I had the occasional urge to cough and when I did, I noticed that my chest felt "raw." I was also severely premenstrual then, and I got my period that night. It was a pretty heavy period that dragged on all week.

The next morning I woke up with a fever around 100 that quickly shot up to near 103, and the cough had become extremely painful, which is classic of influenza. I also had a headache and aches and pains all over. At first I had no nose or throat symptoms. Those came very late that night or the following morning. The morning of the third day I woke up with a temperature of 103.6. After that it started to subside. I stayed home from work for the entire week ending Feb. 1. I had so little appetite and so much fever the early part of that week that I lost 5 pounds, which has never happened to me due to illness before. All through the following week I had the typical wet cough of bronchitis, which I haven't had for a while either, and I was kind of wobbly when I first went back to work. Last week the cough seemed gone, but this week I've been having to cough a little something up occasionally.

Besides fatigue, the one thing that has hung on is that darn ringing in the ears. I did a quick surf on tinnitus and it appears that it is often associated with influenza. I have been wearier than usual all this month... The last few days I've been spotting and, as I mentioned, feeling extremely "premenstrual," with sharply worsening fatigue.

Probably too much information, sorry if so, wasn't sure what you were looking for.

Thanks,

Avalon

Dear Avalon,

We're better off with too much information rather than too little.

You said you had a painful cough. How did that effect your headache? Which side was the headache on?
Were you thirsty? For what?
What was your mental state? What were you thinking about? For instance, were you feeling sorry for yourself (Poor me...)? Were you impatient with getting sick and wanting to get back to work? Were you frightened and wishing for company? Were you just apathetic and dull and not thinking much at all?

When you had the flu, how was your energy--were you restless and tossing about in bed, or lying perfectly still, or perhaps just too apathetic or sleepy to move?

What made you feel better or worse? (Not talking about herbs here; more along the lines of...better lying perfectly still, better open air, better keeping warm, worse conversation, worse being alone, worse warm drinks, etc.

Did you say that you had an extra-long period because of this flu with more than the usual blood loss? When did the ear-ringing start...during or after the period or had the ear ringing begun even before the period started?

Correct me if I'm wrong: Does the post flu syndrome consist of ringing in the ears, fatigue, dizziness and cloudy thinking?

Let me just say that I too had the flu a few weeks ago and I remember how the cough and tiredness lingered on. I'm feeling better now.
Boy, the flu's murder, isn't it!

Snoopy