allergic to cats

what further information do i need to provide to present my case? (i'll spare you the many tiresome details as to why i am posting here :)

thanks

Patient ID: Sex: Age:

female
60

Please answer the following questions in a descriptive manner after careful analysis and recollection of previous experiences and happenings.

1. Describe your main suffering?

allergy to cat dander as per my query. causes itching/burning of eyes, sometimes tickle in throat or irritation of skin.


2. What other physical sufferings do you have in your body?

arthritis
severe chronic muscle pain.
frequent severe headaches most often related to arthritis/muscle pain in neck.

3. What mental sufferings / feelings do you have associated with your physical sufferings?

frustrated, sometimes discouraged.


4. What exactly do you feel when you are at your worst?

irritable, sometimes mildly depressed (discouraged), sometimes anxious.


5. When did it all start? Can you connect it to any past event or disease?

can't remember. first noticed allergic reaction apprx 10 years ago.


6. Which time of the day you are worst?

no particular time. it depends on when i'm exposed to cat hair and for how long.

7. What are the things which aggravate your suffering and which are those which ameliorate the same?

close contact (e.g. face, clothing) aggravates.

fresh cool (not hot or cold) air or a shower relieves.


8. Do your think your sufferings have relation to any external stimuli (like, change of place) or any internal biological changes in the body, like, menses (in females)?

for cat allergy,no.


9. When do you feel better, during hot weather or cold weather, humid or dry weather?

dry and moderately cool or warm has always been most comfortable (since childhood).


10. Describe your general mental set up? Are you Moody, Arrogant, Mild, Agreeable Changeable, Nervous, Suspicious, Easily offended, Quiet, Arguing, Irritating, Lazy etc.

generally take things in stride, slow to anger (except i often feel annoyed with myself). experience anxiety and mild depression during stressful times. i'm not easily offended, but can feel deeply hurt by friends and family, sometimes by imagined slights or criticisms. i am not suspicious by nature, but life experience has taught me to be less quick to trust than i was in my younger years, though i think i still tend to give my trust too easily. i become irritated when people are rude or pushy, but i let it go unless i am pushed quite hard and relentlessly. in such instances and as when i am angry or feeling hurt, whenever possible i say nothing until i am clear in my mind whether anything needs to be said and how best to express it. i see no point in causing hurt or distress if it can be avoided.

- How do you feel before or during a thunderstorm?

before a thunderstorm i often experience physical discomfort and some emotional tension. during a thunderstorm i feel relief from the discomfort and tension. i enjoy watching from a safe location.

- Do you like being consoled during your tough times?

if the person is someone who knows and understands me (and genuinely cares).

- Are you sensitive to external stimuli like smell, noise, light etc?

yes. light and artificial noises (e.g. hum of electronics) make me edgy and can give me a headache. i often find sudden loud noises distressing as well as startling. most smells, with the exception of petrol, motor oil, or strong chemicals (such as are used in roofing or carpet glue) don't bother me. i have a very keen sense of smell and am able to enjoy nature fragrances coming from considerable distance.

- Do you have any typical habit or gesture like nail biting, causeless
weeping, talking to one self etc?

i have lived alone for many years, and sometimes 'think out loud'. as a child i bit my nails, but outgrew it at some point.

- How do you feel about your friends, family, your children and especially your husband / wife?

i am divorced, so husband doesn't factor. regarding friends and family, i love and care about them. i don't see a great deal of them, so very much enjoy when i do see them.

11. What are your fears and do you dream of any situation repeatedly?

i have frequent nightmares of being homeless.
my greatest conscious fear is dying in a hospital.


12. What do you crave for in food items and what are your aversions?

i don't have any cravings i can think of except that in hot weather i want only berries, peaches, and melons to eat. i have aversion to anything slimy, rubbery, or gritty.


13. How is your thirst: Less, Normal or Excessive?

that's hard to say as i almost always have a warm drink at hand. i dont gulp it down, but do sip frequently. usually i prefer warm drinks, but sometimes will develop an extreme thirst for something cold late in the evening.

14. How if your hunger: Less, Normal or Excessive?

it varies. some days i have no interest in food; other days i nibble frequently, but most days somewhere in between. i become full on very little. (if someone takes me out for a meal i always ask for half portions or something from the childrens' menu.)

15. Is there any kind of food which your body can’t stand?

sugar, starches, and strong spices. also vegetables such as broccoli and green peppers, and fruits such as citrus or apple.

16. Is your sweat normal or less or more? Where does it sweat more: Head, Trunk or Limbs?

there are times when i sweat profusely - usually at night or when stressed or over-tired. generally speaking i tend to sweat from waist to forehead, particularly face.

17. How is your bowel movement and stool type?

pretty much normal unless i've eaten something i don't tolerate well.

18. How well do you sleep? Do you have a particular posture of sleeping?

sleep is generally poor, half-sleep most of the time, with short periods of extremely deep sleep and frequent wakings.
i take whatever posture causes the least discomfort to my neck and spine. before pain became an issue, i most often slept loosely curled on my side, though occasionally on my stomach.

19. Do you think you are able to satisfy your sexual desires in general?

i have no cause to have any.

20. How do you think you are different from others, if at all?

i can't think of anything that sets me apart from anyone else. i often feel as if i'm 'wading upstream' (against popular thought/trend) but i'm not alone in that feeling.


21. What medications have been taken earlier by you to treat the diseases and do you have any particular symptom surfacing after the medication?

i have tried 'non-drowsy' allergy medications but not found them helpful. i have a very low tolerance to most drugs so tend to avoid them in general.


22. What major diseases are running in your family?

no strong tendencies in either parental line.


23. Describe, how do you look like? Describe your overall appearance

most of my life somewhat underweight, now closer to average in weight with fluctuations of apprx 10 lb up or down. slight-to-medium frame.
height average.
skin medium-fair, quite fine. face tending to oily in T-shape, body skin tending to dry.
hair red-blonde as child, dark brown in adulthood, now greying; soft and fine in texture, once thick but thinning rapidly past several years.

i keep forgetting to mention that apprx 8 years ago i saw a homeopath (regarding my physical pain issues) who gave me what she said was a constitutional dose of Natrum Mur. it did no good that i can determine, but it did effect some unpleasant and apparently permanent changes ... some of them a worsening of physical symptoms, but mostly on the mental level; e.g. developing memory problems. i also lost much of my natural serenity, adaptability, and ability to focus my mind with the clarity i had prior to taking the remedy. i have been unable to reverse these effects. when i saw her again, she gave me a single-dose low potency Nat Mur (why?) which almost immediately caused great distress of mind and severe insomnia which lasted for several weeks. after that, she gave me high potency Carbo Veg, which made things even worse. for what i hope are obvious reasons, i have not seen her again, and there are no others within reasonable travel distance ... nor can i afford one after my consultations with her drained my savings.

this will take a while, please bear with me. thanks.

So for Arthritis-
please answer

When did it start?

* when i was in my early 40s

What was going on at the time in your life?

* nothing out of the ordinary that i can recall except that physical work became much more difficult. i have always done a lot of hard physical work, which dr says has caused 'wear and tear' on certain parts.

What makes it better and what makes it worse?

*warmth, stretching, and some gentle movement helps but repetitive or prolonged movement causes worsening of pain, as do some particular movements such as bending and lifting, or remaining in one position (e.g. standing or sitting) for more than approximately 15 minutes. walking a short block causes crippling pain in knees, ankles, lower/middle back and SI Joint and has caused me to fall. humidity of any kind worsens (except in warm bath), as do hot or cold weather. wind is agonizing unless warm and dry. periods of deep sleep tend to aggravate because i don't move at all.
(note: i have tried Rhus Tox but found it not at all helpful)


Answer Question 8 on this.

* i think i have done so above? i can't think of anything else.

Please do these answers for the 3 things.
Arthritis, severe muscle pain, and headaches and please describe
the pain in detail in your own words.

* muscle pain thought by dr and massage therapist to be fibromyalgia complicated with chronic myofascial pain. i first began to experience it in my early 30s, mostly as neck and back pain. it now includes my entire body, causing pain from toes on up. it is affected by much the same things as is the arthritis, with cold in particular causing increased pain and effects.
spasms of scalp muscles, jaw muscles, and SCM can cause weeks of pain on one side of my face (usually the left, but not always) which makes it feel as if i have an ear-ache, sinus infection, and toothache (top and bottom). also causes swelling of glands beneath jaw. this pain bascially forms a curving line from pit of ear to middle of chin and at its worst i have described it as being hit repeatedly in the face with a brick. warm applications, pressure on neck muscle, as well as 30X Colocynth or Cuprum Met brings relief, particularly if i take measures at the first sign of this particular manifestation of pain. exposure to cool or cold wind often triggers this particular pain.
i also experience much cramping of muscles and tendons in lower legs (mostly left), including tendon along outsider side of leg down to ankle bone. toes, area over rib-cage and diagonal abdominal muscles as well. these are usually relieved by applying firm pressure on a trigger point for a few minutes. when i am able to get to the community pool, all pain (arthritis, muscle, etc) is eased for a few days by floating in water apprx body temperature.
i also use tandem tennis balls on my lower back and between my shoulderblades to release some of the trigger points.
in general terms, the pain is aching, cramping, and pulling; range of motion often severely limited.

*regarding headaches: most of them are caused by combination of cervical spondylosis and muscle issues. concentrated thinking or being mentally tired or stressed can worsen the headaches, as can sleeping in the wrong position. also prolonged exposure to light (especially unnatural light) and/or noise aggravates. no homeopathic remedy seems to consistently relieve, though i have found Thuja, Colocynth, and Cuprum Met helpful at various times (i don't know why one sometimes works better than another, or why sometimes none work). i can't access physical therapies such as massage, but if my hands will tolerate it, i can often work the muscles of neck and scalp enough to bring partial relief. being out in fresh air helps, though the pain often surges back within a couple of hours once i have been indoors again. i crave fresh air in general, though i don't know if this is symptomatic or simply because pror to the limitations imposed on me by my conditions, i spent much of my time outdoors. (i live in a rural area where clean fresh air is the norm). when temperatures keep me indoors, sometimes opening a window and sitting nearby but away from any draught also alleviates headache somewhat (and improves state of mind).
nothing seems ever to eliminate the headache entirely, but i have gotten to the point where i don't notice it unless it's flaring, which it has done increasingly more often over the past year or so.

headaches seem to fill my entire head. i can't say they start in one place or another, particularly since there is always a sense of congestion at the back of my head just above the cervical vertebrae. when i sit quietly, it's a sense of fullness from within and external pressure at the same time. when i move or become distressed, there is a pounding which fills my entire head from side to side and toward the back.

i should further note that due to effect of arthritis and muscle constriction which affects the cervical nerves, i often experience various degrees of balance problems, from mild disequilibrium to full-on vertigo with sense of whirling room.


Also- What medicines, homeo or other are you taking now ?

* see above

What medicines homeo or other have you taken in the past?

* apart from those remedies or drugs mentioned above or in a previous post, there have been occasional courses of antibiotic and a few times ibuprophen (which was moderately effective in the short term but not worth the potential harm to take regularly). Aconite and Arnica have been helpful for specific acute problems not related to chronic conditions.

How were your periods when you had them - regular, irregular
and are there any menopause issues bothering you.

*my periods had been regular and so free of discomfort i often failed to notice they had started, but became profuse and often extremely painful when i was in my early 30s. as i entered my 40s they began to taper to light and without discomfort. i didn't realize i'd gone through menopause until at age 47 i noticed i hadn't had a period for a long time. hormone levels test at that time revealed i was post-menopausal. i have never experienced any of the unpleasant effects most women i know have or are experiencing.

Do you still feel you have effects going on from the nat mur-

* very much so.

What were effects of Carbo veg?

* i can't recall specifics as i was already feeling so very dreadful, except i think that's when i started experiencing a greater dryness of body skin (on my arms and legs i had what looked almost like fish scales). apart from that, i only recall feeling worse over-all.

and are they still going on?

* it's hard to say since i recall so little, though definitely the skin dryness and increased deblity are ongoing.

I told them to go get a shiatsu massage

* i wish i could follow that advice ... supposing it would work all these years later ... but unfortunately it's not an option.

i am very tired now, and starting to hurt too much to think, so i will rest and ponder your questions and if anything further comes to light, i will make note of them to post as soon as i can. thank you very much for your patience.

another thing i forgot to mention (yes, i have memory problems! :), which is that around the time i developed what i'm told is likely fibromyalgia and CMP, my immune system, which had always been excellent seemed to prety much stop working. i went approx 18 years catching every virus that came through, often with extremely high fever (105+). between times my normal body temperature would be and still is low; my 'normal' is on average 1.5 degrees F below standard normal (most mornings it is 96.9, increasing with activity to 97.6). despite this, i don't often feel cold but rather can become overly warm very easily, with sweating and sudden exhaustion. in the past 10 years, my immune function has done an about-face and i no longer catch viruses at all. i am extremely vulnerable to other forms of infection (bacterial, fungal, etc) but often find myself the only person i know who hasn't 'picked up a bug'. my temperature remains low most of the time, though i can suddenly develop a low-grade fever, particularly after exertion, which feels to my body like a high fever. at such times i experience that sense of 'coming down with something', only i never do.
at such times, i literally cannot stay awake. i sleep 3-5 hours at a time, wake long enough to stretch aching joints and muscles, visit the bathroom, or attend to one small task (e.g. brush teeth or feed cat), then collapse again. muscle pain in particular increases dramatically during these times.
there is a theory that these problems may have been triggered by my having viral meningitis (from which i recovered very quickly) in my late 20s, as it was after this that my problems began. i believe the thought is that certain parts of my brain, particularly brainstem and frontal lobes may have been damaged by the infection.
i'm so sorry to bring this up so late in discussion. as i say, my memory has become quite poor, and quite often unless someone asks me a direct question which raises a particular memory, it can be very slow to surface, if at all.

at the time i had meningitis the dr at ER (who was annoyed at being called in on a weekend, basically declared i was making 'a big deal about nothing' and that i'd be 'fine' in a few days) gave me Tylenol with codiene and a muscle relaxant. these gave no relief so i stopped taking them after two doses. (this was more than 30 years ago and at that time i had no knowledge or understanding of alternative medicine. i was not tested at the time, but several years later i had many tests, including neurological, that showed these brain abnormalities as well as small, more generalized abnormalities which my GP didn't recognize as significant. i was then seen by an Internist who spotted the 'red flags' and put the pieces together. he did not recommend drug therapies, but encouraged me to continue exploring alternative approaches, including physical therapies (which were somewhat helpful but are no longer in my budget). unfortunately, he retired shortly afterward and i was unable to consult with him further.

during the time that i was experiencing severe flu with high fever on a frequent basis, i resorted to Tylenol for the fever. i couldn't move from my bed and was mostly unconscious or delerious so since there was very little help from anyone except to watch after my children, i had to resort to what was at hand. i did take occasional doses of homeopathic flu pellets (ossiculum?) but they didn't seem to help either by way of prevention or shortening period of infection. this was quite some time ago ... i haven't taken Tylenol at all for apprx 12 years, and as previously noted, rarely use allopathic medicines.

i hope my answers are reasonably clear; i am experiencing a great deal of 'brain fog' these past couple of days and am no doubt leaving things out or wording things poorly. please feel free to ask for clarification if required and i will do my best.

i will pick up some gelatin as soon as i'm able to get out to the shops. i don't know how effective it could be on arthritic scoliosis or spondylosis (where the vertebrae are already severely deformed and crumbling), but any relief would be most welcome.

i have both Arnica and Causticum at hand so can start directly, but i'm not clear if i should be taking both at the same time or the Arnica first and then the Causticum.

also, is there any hope either of these might help stop my mind from racing chaotically the minute i close my eyes? (i know Arnica to be wonderful in cases of injury, but that's as far as my experience goes, and i've no experience that i can recall with Causticum)

thanks very much

i don't have a lot of remedies, but i do have my 'regulars', along with a couple which, after purchasing, i found i hadn't the courage to try. after my Nat Mur/Carbo Veg experience i became quite gun-shy regards anything i hadn't used before and knew to be helpful.

Arnica in both liquid and pellets. i just checked and realize i'm almost out of the liquid; could i use the pellets if i run out of the liquid, and if so, how?

my mistake regards tests ... i thought you were referring specifically to brain and neurological (post-meningitis) issues. i have had a lot of xrays etc of spine and SI Joint in particular (pelvis is markedly out of alignment, which aggravates lumbar spine issues and vice-versa). i have seen the xrays and read the reports. my entire spine, especially lumbar and cervical, are what i described, upon seeing the xrays, as 'a mess' ... an opinion with which everyone who's seen them has agreed. from atlas to coccyx my spine is a string of zig-zags and deformities. as a result, i experience varying degrees of pain and/or numbness in particularly my right arm and right leg, but so far, for the most part, i remain able to use them.
my hands, feet/toes, and knees are also affected by arthritis, but to a lesser degree. there is joint deformity, particularly in my hands, but no deterioration of bone. it's painful but i'm learning to work around it.

the chaos of thought has been an issue since the Nat Mur. i have had to develop a lot of techniques to fool my mind into being quiet. sometimes they work, often they don't. the thoughts are usually quite random ... i.e. not so much worries or a mental 'to do' list as leaping from one thing to another without rhyme or reason. (it feels a lot like trying to keep track of a handful of hyperactive 2-year olds). prior to the Nat Mur, i had been in the practice of contemplation (for want of a better word) at bedtime, and i would afterward settle easily into sleep. this is something i lost after the Nat Mur. i should probably note that i am far less able to concentrate on reading as well (again, after the Nat Mur).

thank you for clarifying regarding the doses Arnica and Causticum. dare i hope that these first steps might eventually lead me to finding relief from my allergy? :)

yes, i have more than three drops and have made up the bottle with a bit left over, so i expect the liquid will go the distance for some time. (i'm not worried about anyone else drinking it; as noted, i live alone :)

thanks again

hi. i'm sorry about the delay in reporting back. the last couple of days have been pretty crazy. (among other things i have learned i test positive for 'systemic candidiasis' - to use dr's term which he didn't explain very well except to say that it could either cause or worsen the symptoms i've experienced over these past many years). he wanted to put me on an anti-fungal medication, which i declined.

anyway, regarding remedies: i followed your instructions carefully, but regret to report i didn't notice any changes. i did find that my jaw muscles were acting up a bit more than they have recently, but that could very well be coincidental. no change in pain levels beyond normal fluctuations, and no change in allergy symptoms.

thanks

i should make a brief note here that i see an allopathic phys (who must be very frustrated with me and my aversion to drugs) because my insurance doesn't cover alternative health care. coverage includes tests, which can be helpful.

it was homeopathic histamine.