Case history
Initial consultation 28/01/2018
Samantha is a 28-year-old woman, married with two little children. She contacted me because she was having panic attacks for several months. She has seen her family doctor many times who had forwarded her to different specialists. Many laboratory tests had been performed and all results came back normal. She meditates in order to help herself cope with the attacks. When she called me, she was crying and was repeating “I feel am dying”
She is newly graduated hairdresser who recently started her practice. Her family is in a process of buying a new house. Samantha is very clean, organized and caring about her family (these are my own observations).
She had a car accident on the highway a month before her panic attacks started. She was not injured in the accident, but she was frightened.
During her panic attacks, she is dizzy; her head is congested, she feels a burning sensation and like she going to explode. She feels her head as heavy. She sees blackness before her eyes. She gets a bitter taste in her mouth, and her mouth becomes dry. She feels hot during the attack followed by chilliness. She experienceso nausea and palpitation. Her BP is low. During the attacks, she does not want to talk. She is breathless and thinks she might die.
During that state she prefers to be alone, and wants to deal with this problem by herself. She does not want to appear weak. She does not want to see or talk to people. She does not want them to worry about her. However, she likes to know that her husband is nearby, just in case.
All attacks have sudden onset – and happen with no obvious reason.
When I have requested the possible reason, she responded that too many things are going on:
– The deal closure for the house
– Finding a new school for her son in the new neighborhood
– The move itself
– She would have to drive longer (she is fearful of driving)
She feels claustrophobic when in closed spaces – in a train, in an elevator. She does not feel good in dark places also.
She is fearful that if something happens and she dies her family would have to cope without her. She has anxiety about her family, about their health. She is very anxious. Every time she or someone from the family is sick, she rushes to see the doctor.
Samantha gets easily offended and thinks that her husband accuses her of simulating her symptoms in order not to go to school (she takes ESL classes), but she really doesn’t feel good. She also worries that she won’t be able to pay the rent for the rented space in the hair salon. She knows that her husband will help her, but not having many clients yet is giving her anxiety. She feels insecure. She does everything with fear – even the routines she has done many times. She feels it in her stomach. Her legs won’t hold her up.
She is nauseous from the food she eats, but is not hungry. She eats just because she has to. She drinks water in small sips; she even holds the sip in her mouth before swallowing. Fallis asleep with difficulty and meditation helps. She starts thinking the world will end. She does not dream, has very deep sleep. It is hard for her husband to wake her up if has to. Sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night- at 1-3 am. Next mornings she feels tired.
She could not cry. She wanted to, but she couldn’t. She usually cries a lot even when watching a movie, but not now. She is a chilly person.
The symptoms that bothe red he r the most
Numbness of the legs and hands.
A weight felt in her stomach with burning nausea.
The lack of energy – only energy drink can energize her.
She described herself as compassionate and a good person. Could get easily offended. She can be stubborn.
She is very tidy, everything has to be clean and neatly put in order at home and in her work area.
Medication taken: Alprazolam 0.25 mg – She did not feel any improvements.
Family history
Her grandmother and mother have anemia- she reports anemia herself, and takes iron supplements and Vit B6.
Paternal grandmother had some kidney issues.
M y objective observation were :
Confused speech – describing something, stops, rejects what was just said…starts again. Anxious speech, slow. She was crying many times during the interview and was panting.
Case Analysis
Repertorization using Radar Opus Synthesis:
The following chart is with rubrics that cover only symptoms during the panic attacks.
On 08.02.18 Acon 30 CH was given because of her great fear of dying during the panic attacks and because of the shock form the car accident. She was anxious and fearful when driving the car. She was never well since that accident. Panic attack was most prominent.
Follow up on 08.02.18
She called and reported that at the beginning she felt worse – she got a panic attack, but soon after she got better.
No remedy taken on this day
She had aggravation of the current symptoms and then slight improvement
Follow up on 09.02.18
She woke up with anxiety, felt it in the stomach and heart area. She did not feel the palpitation as before. She was nauseous and her extremities were numb. She could not stand up – did not have the power. Head pain on temples.
She took the second dose of Acon 30 CH – one teaspoon
Same day in the afternoon she reported:
“I have a hard time breathing. Still feel sick. Have nausea, no power and my head will burst from pain. I feel heaviness”
Remedy was changed to Ars 30 CH, because all her symptoms were pointing to this remedy now. One liquid dose was taken in the evening.
Follow up 10.02.18
This day she woke up with nausea. Headache persists. She feels heaviness in her stomach and chest. She feels dizzy when standing, but less anxious.
I asked her when she had eaten last and she has not since the day before. I asked he r to eat something and to take 1 teaspoon of Ars 30 CH. She had improvement on the mental / emotional level.
Follow up 11.02.18
She still feels sick with nausea. Experiences shortness of breath. Ars 30 CH – 1 teaspoon taken
Follow up 12.02.18
She feels much better today. She does not have nausea. Headache is gone. No anxiety. She has more energy.
I told her to take one teaspoon that day from Ars 30 CH
We have improvement in all levels now!
23.02.18
She reported improvement on all levels- physical and mental/emotional.
I’ve suggested Ars 30 CH once per week until she feels some aggravation (
according to Organon paragraph 280).
Samantha contacted me on 15.03.2018 because she fe lt a bit nause ous and dizzy. I told her to stop taking the remedy.
Follow up on 30.09.18
I was contacted my Samantha, because she was feeling anxious again. “I feel sick again. I am awake early in the mornings, nauseous. My head feels like it’s
filled with blood. I am anxious. I feel the anxiety in my stomach. My abdomen hurts – cramps.”
It was the same day her father was leaving, after two month’s visit. She was fearful that she will be alone again.
“It is hard for me. How I will manage my duties. I am too tired to manage all alone. During dose two months when my father was here I felt more secure and relaxed. I had someone I could rely on. I fear the insecurity, the constant hurry (to pick up one child, then rushing home where the other one is waiting, then rushing to the doctor’s appointment etc. My husband is working and not at home all day.
She is scared when her kids get flu/ cold, and there is no one else at home with her.
“I can’t handle that no more. It is so hard for me. “
I know from her husband that she quit her job and works occasionally.
“Since my son got his leg broken and I broke mine at the same time, I feel squeezed like lemon and powerless. I cannot be so strong anymore.”
I asked what happens when she is alone.
“I feel unsecure and fearful. I am sad that there is nobody close to us that could help me, sometimes.
Mornings, she wakes up from nausea, bitter taste in mouth. She cannot eat. Feels pain in the sternum. She doesn’t want to eat, eats just for energy. During eating, she feels sick – 20 minutes later is she is better.
“I feel powerless. I feel apathy; I do not want to do anything.” (crying )
“My husband is thinking that I do nothing all day, but I have so many things to do.
My daughter – the bus takes her at 7 am and returns at 10 am (preschool) – no time to go to gym. I feel that I can do nothing. I was forcing myself to be strong, until now. Now I feel everything is very hard to accomplish. I have to take into account everyone’s wishes and I am tired form all that.”
“Even before we moved her It all was under schedule…I had lots of duties, but now I feel that I cannot do it. I feel like I will lose my mind. I fear everything. Nothing does make me happy. I do all because it’s my duty. I do it so my husband won’t get upset at me. I don’t have any sex drive.”
She is waking early – 6am, because she feels sick and that prevents her from resting. She tries to meditate and feels better after. She goes to a gym and gets massage. She has started psychotherapy. The therapist had advised her to find a hobby or to get a dog, or cat. They bought a small dog.
What struck me here was that she had initiated buying the dog, and when I suggested that after the kids were gone to school she could go back in bed and get more rest, she nervously answered that she could not because of the dog. Now she has to walk the dog, feed the dog. She was annoyed she has to do all this also.
Repertorization using Radar Opus Synthesis
Sepia is the remedy that covers her symptoms
/ My notes from lectures for Sepia in class/
Absence of joy, nothing excites her – Samantha was reflecting directly upon this Sepia symptom
Indolent
Mental dullness, confusion – I felt this when I asked her to describe her sensation of head congestion and she could not.
Can feel guilty about her indifference and attitude. She did not us e d the world guilty, but she is anxious
Aversion to company yet doe s not want to be alone – Samantha does not want to be alone
Dejected, sad. – She is sad
Great sadness and frequent fits of weeping, which she could hardly suppress – She was weeping during our conversation
Irritably, lachrymose. She gets irritable when her husband suggests that she needs to change her lifestyle
Melancholy – she feels unhappy without cause. – she is constantly unhappy
She wishes to be by herself and to lie with closed eyes. – She likes to meditate and complains that she lacks time for herself.
Anxiety, apprehension, at various times. – s he is anxious all the time , < in mornings
Extreme loathing of life – She felt as if he could not any longer bear this miserable existence, and as if she would pine away unless she made away with herself – s he stated directly that she cannot make it anymore, all is so hard to fulfill.
Very readily offended. Peevish and indisposed to all work. – Samantha is easily offended and reluctant to do any work.
Depression, especially in the morning. – her condition is worse in the morning – s he is waking from the sickness.
She finds fault with everything. Weeping and heat of the face. – she is tired of taking into account others’ wishes.
Very sensitive at the slightest cause; a fit of desperately furious gestures with sobbing; she throws herself on the bed and remains lying there all day, without eating (just before the menses) – s he can lie all day, no eating
Nausea < morning on waking – s he has nausea in the mornings especially.
Sulph would not care what others would think about her.
REMEDY: I gave her a test dose of Sepia 30CH. The next day she said she felt much better and a month later she was still feeling good. One dose of Sepia 30CH was enough to cure all her symptoms!
I advised her to take Sepia 30CH once a month and to stop when she feels even a little aggravation. She reported she stopped the remedy several months after. She has not contacted me about this problem since.
Conclusion
The anxiety Samantha had was disturbing her everyday life. She could not perform her daily routines properly, nor could she enjoy events with family and friends.
Conventional medication was not of any help in this case nor psychotherapy.
References:
The Journal of the North American Society of Homeopaths, Issue 24/2018
“An amazing result from a simple prescription” by Durr Elmore DC, ND, LAc, DHAMP,
CCH, pages 41 and 42
