New thread about my son for brisbanehomeopath

I hope you are able to help me if I start a new thread. Right now he is on Agaricus 200 and we haven't seen any improvement since the first dose (and even then it was minimal). I feel like he has not gotten significantly better since we started homeopathy a year ago.

Children's Questions:

1. What occured to the mother during pregnancy - new symptoms, illnesses, medical treatments, emotional stresses.

I have had a history of anxiety and depression and was on 80mg of Prozac during my first trimester with him, before I knew I was pregnant. My OB told me to stop it immediately and I did, which probably created withdrawal symptoms in me and more stress. Stopped around 11 weeks gestation. I think it probably had a negative effect on his nervous system. I was somewhat anxious about becoming a mother and felt a lack of 'maternal instinct' due to conflicts with my own mother growing up. I felt anxious and nervous. I also felt nervous that my husband would not step up to the plate as a dad. I argued a lot with my husband during that time due to stress in work and within our marriage and worries about the pregnancy, also financial difficulties. I had no family in the area and not much of a support system. I was lonely. After a blood test, I was told my baby had a high chance of having Down's Syndrome and I wanted to find our for sure (although we would have kept him either way). An ultrasound and amniocentesis proved he did not. I ended up having 4 ultrasounds in total with him. Our brother in law ended up moving into our very cramped house for about a month, which added a lot of stress because he stayed in the room that was to be my son's nursery and I wanted to get it set up and couldn't, didn't know when he would move. I am a very introverted person and was already stressed and emotional with no one to talk to about it, so I felt very on edge and my husband and I fought a lot at this time. In the last trimester, I had significant back pain which was making me feel very weak and light-headed. I was also stressed about the fact that my son was breech for longer that was ideal. I went to a chiropractor who helped my back pain and used the Webster method after which he turned on his own, but I'm not sure if it was all the way or not, because I had to stop going when our car broke down and we were in even deeper financial trouble. I still needed to have more sessions, and this may have led to the difficult labor I had, as he was not fully pushing on my cervix to dilate it. There was a woman at work who sometimes reminded me of my mom and who I got a bad feeling from who would comment on my growing size during the pregnancy and this would make me feel very vulnerable and upset.

2. What problems occured during the birth?

I had a very long labor (32 hours) with a lot of back pain. The contractions were a distraction from the constant pain in my back. I felt guilty that it was taking so long, like I was wasting everybody's time (my husband's, doula's) No epidural or other interventions or drugs used during labor. Doula and OB worked with me for a while to get him to position properly to help my dilation. He was born at 41 weeks and received a 9.9 out of 10 on the APGAR score. I refused all vaccinations.

3. What was happening in the mother's life around the time of conception?

I was working a job I didn't much care for and viewed the pregnancy as sort of a “way out”. It wasn't planned and he was conceived on a company trip, other wise my husband and I rarely had sex. There was some stress at work, and our marriage relationship was somewhat distant. We seemed like simply roommates a lot of times, but there was a fair amount of arguing too. I felt lonely in my marriage. My son is an only child. We were not opposed to kids, but he was not planned at the time and we were both totally unprepared.

4. What illnesses did both parents have for the 5 years or so preceding conception?

About 5 years prior to becoming pregnant, I went through a period of anorexia, and then bulimia, during which I was in a hospital treatment program twice and recovered fully (after a few years). I had been taking many diet pills during that time. I also had tested as having borderline low thyroid functioning, and have had varying degrees of depression and/or anxiety for the majority of my life. I don't believe my husband went through much illness during that time but probably has a mild form of Asperger's.

5. Describe the following features of the child

a) Body type and build

Slim - medium body build, was a huge baby, but leveled off, has grown taller and thinner since homeopathy. Used to have tendency for putting on weight with fatty foods but now seems normal for his age.

b) Skin colour and texture

Moderately fair skin (not extremely pale), texture is bumpy on the upper arms, and sometimes the cheeks.

c) Areas of the body tends to perspire on

Perspires around the hairline, groin and buttocks area, back of knees. Doesn't sweat very much though. Not a lot of sweat, mucus, never drooled as a baby...very little bodily fluids.

d) Odour of sweat, body, stool, flatus, urine

No unusual sweat or body odor, stool and flatus can be sulfurous-smelling at times. Never noticed urine to have a smell.

e) Colour of stool, urine, sweat

Stool is brown or orange-ish brown, or dark brown when constipated. Urine ranges from dark yellow to almost clear, but is usually light yellow. Sweat is clear and doesn't seem unusual.

6. Give any reactions to vaccines or medical drugs.

No vaccinations were ever given, only reaction he has ever had was to Benadryl. When it was given once, it made him more hyper.

He would not sleep much beginning in the hospital and was very hard to console. Hooked around the room and nurses continually remarked that he seemed extremely alert. He had mild jaundice which resolved in a few days without intervention. He had great feeding difficulties after birth (extreme impatience, not latching on, fussing and screaming) and even after visiting 6 lactation consultants I was unable to successfully breastfeed which devastated me. I tried pumping for bottle feeding, but he screamed much more after bottles of breastmilk. Seemed very sensitive to most kinds of formula and had a tendency to become constipated.

He was an extremely fussy baby who had a great deal of trouble sleeping from birth (needed to be rocked in excess of 2 hours to sleep for 20 minute increments), and still has a lot of trouble falling asleep and frequent waking. (This has resolved a lot - now it usually takes him 5-10 minutes at night). He has a lot of night terrors as well, when he has trouble breathing from a cold they happen many times a night. He spent most of the time screaming, crying, and fussing - I could never accurately predict about what. I had very little sleep and a lot of resentment toward him sad to say, although I tried to keep it together and do the best I could for him and didn't want him to 'feel' it. He seemed to 'need' to be held close and rocked/jiggled constantly, but would initially arch away and fight it until he was jiggled for long enough. He was a very physically healthy baby and toddler, received no vaccinations, and has had one ear infection after a cold last winter (at almost 4). It kept recurring and he did have antibiotics with probiotics (his first antibiotics, and first 'medicine' in general aside from over the counter pain relievers). He met baby milestones such as babbling, rolling over, and crawling early, but was very cautious for any physical activity where he had to be standing or off the ground (such as swings, etc.). Also, not a lot of eye contact and minimal social response. Would cry and scream inconsolably if left with anyone other than Mommy and often cried when strangers would try to talk to him. Put things in his mouth till after 4 years old...still does occasionally (shirt collars absent-mindedly, etc.).

He suffered from a great deal of separation anxiety which seems to dwindled a lot. Argumentative and gets upset if he doesn't understand something or is frustrated with a difficult task. Gets angry when others do not play as he wishes and wants to control the situation. Acts shy and ignores others when they say hello to him and often frowns and then looks away. Used to say 'Do not talk to me'. Often seems like he does not know what to do with himself, has trouble starting play or other activities, and will wander around aimlessly, whine a lot, or run around in circles shrieking and laughing. Also jumps around a lot and has trouble staying still. Afraid of many sensory activities: very cautious on playground equipment and hates hair washing and teeth brushing (although these have gotten better). Says wearing coats and sweatshirts make him tired and hates wearing socks. Is very intelligent and can read well (self-taught). Physically clumsy and walks mostly on tip toes. Very verbal, but not always on topic, may not respond in a conversational manner and it is impossible for him to talk on the phone (has no idea what to say). Speech is choppy and words are put together in a strange manner. Sometimes gets hung up on what he feels is incorrect word usage from others. Used to have a great deal of echolalia until we took him off of dairy two years ago and it began to resolve.

Can be very impatient and has great difficulty waiting. Seems impossible for him to wait his turn in speaking, he feels compelled to interrupt even though he knows he is not supposed to, for fears of 'losing his thoughts.' Some difficulty modulating voice. Hard time with short-term memory or retrieval, cannot tell me what he did at school when I pick him up. He talks nonsense and makes lots of noises when he is bored, acting silly, or doesn't know what to do with himself. Always wants to 'show you something' or 'surprise you'. Gets mad if you see him doing something because he wants everything to be a surprise.
He has not been sick often except for colds and an ongoing ear infection last winter. He regresses and gets very whiny an fussy and doesn't sleep much when he is sick. He has a tendency to become constipated, and may not go for up to a week at a time unless I make him eat prunes. He has had a slightly enlarged nodule on the right side of his neck since infancy which the pediatricians have always said was 'normal' because it does not hurt him and it moves around. He has a patch of white hair on the left side of the back of his head, near the nape of the neck.

He has a low threshold for frustration - will sometimes yell and scream at his shoes, pants, blocks, anything that is not cooperating with him. Seems to have a failed sense of competence, always says he 'can't' do things or asks for help on things and then lets others do them for him.

He has extreme reactions to minor pain, such as falling down, and will demand a 'kiss' for every tiny bump. Very reactionary to pain and minor upsets. (this has improved somewhat)
Has trouble remembering people's names. Has trouble recognizing people's faces and has told me that kids all look the same. (this has improved somewhat).

He breathes heavy and sounds congested when concentrating. Restless in general, very hyperactive and trouble staying still, except when watching a movie or reading a book. Cannot stay still at the table when eating, takes a bite then runs around. Restless sleep, tossing and turning, night terrors at sporadic times. May happen many times per night and be unpredictable. Worse when overtired, stressed, or in a hot room. Sleep and mood/activity level are also affected by the full moon and seasonal changes.

For much of his life, his dad was stressed with work, and or out of work and trying to start businesses. He was around, but worked 12-16 hour days and was and not 'present' for him. His dad works long hours from home (in a common area of the home which is difficult) and has a hard time being interrupted or breaking away to spend time with him. There has been a lot of transition in his life. He was born in an old house and we lived there until my husband lost his job and we couldn't afford to do so anymore, a few months before he turned 3. We moved in with a friend of mine temporarily, who one day kicked us out with no warning and has not spoken to us since. We moved in with another guy my husband knew and lived there in one room for 5 months. Although we never asked anyone for help (any help we received was offered to us), our financial status resulted in some friends dropping us. Almost two years ago we came to live with my mother across the country from where we were living, in the house where I grew up and that is where we are currently. He is very close to my mom, but it is a difficult situation for my husband and I to be in as we try to work our way out of it. Very humbling and forcing me to reexamine how we got to where we are and how to change that in the future.

My son has a lot of difficulty reading social cues. He is very literal in his thinking, and has trouble understanding that others may have a different point of view and frustrated with others when they don't understand what he is saying. He has some difficulty with transitions, especially when not warned first. He is difficult to 'get through to', and often must be asked to do things many times before he complies (this has gotten better). Forgets simple instructions constantly, but can remember inconsequential things from years past. Direct eye contact is minimal unless it is on his terms, and social rituals like greetings and goodbyes must always be prompted many times. He has likes to control situations. He is awkward in his motor skills and not very self-motivated. He will give up trying easily. Always chattering, asking many questions, and likes to talk about numbers and trains, but often won't answer direct questions if he is in the middle of a thought or if it is not something he wants to talk about. His paternal grandfather shows many signs of Asperger's, and his dad has many of the symptoms, although to a lesser degree than his grandfather. Many of the relatives on his dad's side of the family have very high IQ's but difficulty with social interaction. I have suffered on and off from depression and anxiety, and my father had both as well (he passed away in a car accident when I was 14). I most definitely suffer from seasonal affective disorder. Although my mother is not directly affected, her sister, my aunt, suffers from a lot of anxiety and there is depression and anxiety with my aunt and uncle on my father's side, as well as mental instability of some form with my paternal grandmother.