This is one of my first case-taking experiences and would appreciate some comments and direction.
This lady is 42, Jewish, dentist, and having severe headaches - now almost daily. She must take an Imitrex injections for relief.
Feels well in the AM, exercises regularly in AM, at noon pain begins over brow area, foggy, progressing to nausea, debilitating. Feels like laying down/nap, but doesnt help. Wants no light/noise/smells, massage makes it worse. If she sleeps it is with a pillow on head, on back, with arms up putting pressure on head for relief. After it starts, it sometimes moves to the back of her head and neck.
She looks like an animal-type, large teeth, loves meat/fat, bites and chews nails constantly, devoted to family, spends her first 4 hours of sleep moving between her two daughters beds, then sleeps restfully after 1-2 AM in her bed. Wakes early 5-6 AM. Her feet are always cold, but otherwise she feels warm, and prefers colder environment. Her nose runs when she is in outside cold air. Always feels exhausted. Her feet often hurt, and she would kill for a foot massage.
Describes childhood as 'good-happy' Her mother smoked during preg., she vomited 'a lot' during her first couple of years after birth, and her one child did too, for her first 4-5 years.
She sometimes takes an anti-depr., for the past 5 years she has been allergic to antibiotics (hives, eyes swell).
She has had a lot of trauma or stress in her life. At age 3, she fell and has a scar of her forehead, bad car accident when driving at 17, her relationship with only sister is very poor (some guilt about it?), her husband was diagnosed with a serious disease and has not worked as a dentist for several years, making her the primary wage earner now, her house burned two years ago, her Mom and Dad moved to FL at about the same time. She said she often feels 'overwhelmed', on a day off with so many things to do at home she will either go shopping or to work.
I am looking at my rep. but interested in potency/dosage recommendations, too. My cautious nature would say start with something low to assess result, but with the severity of her headaches, would it even move it? Appreciate the groups help, I find this BB very, very helpful.

Dear RDS,

This looks like Arsenicum Alb. to me. When you said she goes from bed to bed at night--that's a keynote of Arsenicum. A very peculiar symptom.

They love fat.

They bite their nails.

They have cold extremities.

They have periodic headaches, even daily headaches.

Anyway, this is my impression. I would give a 30C in water with succussions, and I would give frequent doses, like, 3 doses an hour apart and then wait. I would expect this to have some impact on the headache if it's the right remedy.

If there's a striking amelioration, I wouldn't repeat until I saw the beginning of a relapse.

If I saw an aggravation, I wouldn't repeat; I would wait and see if an amelioration would follow.

If I did happen to see improvement, I would repeat as needed.

Hope this helps.

Snoopy

I agree with snoops assesment but need to ask if anything precipitated the headaches?

__________________
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

Good thinking Barb! For all we know, it's some dental compound she's inhaling! Exposure to mercury...who knows?!

Snoopy

I was headed in a different direction (LACH or SEP), but see how you get to ARS Alb. I will study it closely and especially liked your help on the dose/potency.
I was thinking Animal type, headache over brow, sometimes moving back to neck, cold feet, dripping nose, and in Clark Dict I found a comment about it esp. suiting people with Mercury overdose (she is a dentist), sadness. Leaning towards - LACH.
My read on the sleeping was - she was mothering the children, as in an animal remedy? I might of misled you, not sure was saying she was restless, just went from bed to bed trying to meet her girls' needs, I think they must be calling her. Is this still a keynote of ARS? Another thing, when she spoke of her husband's illness and how it had affected her relationship, lifestyle, etc. it was very emotional for her. I tried to find something in the Rep. about the overwhelming feeling - and decided to go shopping, but ?

Ooooooohhhh! I thought, in her pain, she was going from one bed to another! Maybe you can clarify that with her.

The rubric you asked for:
Mind, responsibility, unusal, agg.
Mind, responsibility, aversion to

You'll correct me if I've misunderstood this. I had the impression you were saying she can't bear to face all the work she has to do at home.

By the way, you can't say someone's an animal remedy cause they care for their children. That's a common occurrence--mothering. If someone IGNORED her children, that would be real significant because it would be peculiar.

Lach. is generally left-sided. Sepia has an aversion to fat and their mothering instincts tend to be missing.

Here's what you do when you think you've found the remedy, go to the materia medica and ask "confirmatory questions"--like if I wanted to confirm arsenicum, I'd say, "How are you about neatness and messiness?" If she said, "Oh, my room is a mess!" I'd think, "Maybe it's not Arsenicum after all."

Snoopy

[ 24 April 2002, 05:39: Message edited by: Snoopy ]

Snoopy - great input. The feedback is very helpful. I did ask the room Q - and the reply was - 'my room is a mess'.
My thoughts for an animal remedy centered mostly around her looking like an animal type, there were many signs of it - only one of which was strong parenting and family focus. When in doubt or when looking for a remedy, do you give preference to the one that best fits the Plant-Animal-Mineral type?
I did see that ARS is also a remedy for Mercury OD. In reading Clark, Phatak and Morrison - I feel strongly that LACH is a good overall fit, but SEP-Lac were also of interest. She woke today with a headache on the left side, but says she doesnt remember a predominance to left side.
Would you still rec. the dose/potency routine if we went the LACH route?

Just adding my twopennorth !

I think this is Sulphur- have a look at it .

I have to say that my immediate thoughts were for Sepia as well. I understand why yu have said Ars but they really are fairly tidy and a question I always ask for Ars is what would happen if someone moved something like an ornament in a room. Would you leave it or put it back? They also tend to collect and hoard things they think may be of use like gift wrap paper from things they have been given.
Re the Sepia, ask if she enjoys sex, to tell you about dancing and exercise , and ask about reaction to thunderstorms as they are one of the 5 Rx who like to watch them. remember to ask open ended questions, not direct ones.

Incidently why did you write she was Jewish? Would if have mattered if she was Christian, Catholic, Muslim etc??

__________________
RSHom - Registered Homeopath

The suicide rate amongst dentists is incredibly high ........why .....because they insidiously become poisoned by the use of mercury amalgam fillings or the vapours released when removing them
My old dentist was a case in point I watched him disintegrate and i now know he was slowly being poisoned by mercury .......however he would laugh at anyone elses predicament including my sensitivity to Aluminium

It is the insidious build up of toxic metals which is behind so many ills and probably if you care to see her husband you will discover more