Seasonal allergies, back pain, etc.

(I'm posting this for my husband, for anyone who would like to take on his case.)


Male, 36 years old
6 feet tall, stocky build

1] Your Complaint:
-Severe seasonal allergies
From the beginning of spring to the end of fall I have the following:
Stuffy head, severe nasal congestion with nose running like a faucet, eyes swell completely shut, throat swells to the point of difficulty breathing (almost stridor-like), severe asthma attacks (without a rescue inhalor or steroids, I would probably die from not being able to breathe), can feel bubbly feeling in lungs on exhaling, at night I have sleep apnea (wife wakes me up afraid for my life), itchy skin (arms and neck mostly), ears feel stuffy, making it feel like I'm hearing things from underwater; did a skin-prick test for allergies, and out of 42 I tested positive (allergic) to 38 different known allergens. In particular, rye grass--that skin prick site grew a red 'tail' around my arm from the reaction.
I have a constant post-nasal drip year round, always having to clear my throat. This doesn't seem worse during allergy season.

My allergies started when I was 4 years old. I was with my parents at a family reunion, and my eyes were running, itching, swollen eyelids, the whole thing (except no asthma yet at that time). That was my first attack of allergies.

The asthma started when I was a teenager. I can't recall the circumstances around my first asthma attack.

-Migraines
Throbbing, pounding, intense pains in the back or the side of my head. Occasionally I'll get an aura, looks like LED Christmas lights, in different colors, sparkling around. If I'm driving and I see a glare of bring sunlight, it can bring on the migraine. Sometimes I have a narrowing of my field of vision, to where I lose all my peripheral vision. Sometimes I get double vision---always when I have the aura, the double vision is there too. I also get to where I can't think of the right words to say, and I can't remember simple things like my wife's name, the word 'dog', etc. Sometimes I can think of the right word but can't get my mouth to say it right. The headache makes my neck tense and tight.
Occasionally I'll have all the symptoms---aura, double vision, aphasia, etc, but no pain.
When the headache has the aura and double vision, etc, I can make it go away by stopping, lying down in a very dark room, and taking a nap. When the headache has no aura or other symptoms, then taking a nap doesn't work to make it go away.

When I was 12 years old, I had a soccer injury to the back of my neck. The soccer hit me right on the chin and gave me a whiplash-type injury. About 3hours later, after taking a nap, I woke up and was unable to move from the neck down. I was disoriented, had trouble remembering things, and vomited in the night. By the next afternoon I was able to move again and was up walking. Ever since then, I have had these migraines. I never had them before that injury.

-Lower back pain
When I was a small child, I was told by a chiropractor that my back is the same as my grandmother on my dad's side, so it is congenital in nature. The doctor wanted to put a back brace on me, but my step father did not allow it.
On x-ray, my lumbar vertebra deviate laterally, starting at L-1 and curving laterally through L-2 through 4, then returns to midline around L-5 and the sacrum.
Constant pain, feels sharp and dull at the same time around the spine, and the muscles in that area feel very tight, achy, across the back strap muscles, affecting the muscles above the lubar in the thoracic area, causing them to be tight and achy too. The pain causes me to favor the painful part of the back, which causes pains in other parts of my back, like the upper back and ribs. From time to time it feels a rib is out, when that happens, I get stabbing pain that takes my breath away in the area of that rib. The rib pain goes away when my chiropractor adjusts it.
The lumbar pain is worse with lifting heavy loads, despite trying to do so ergonomically, or if I sleep wrong on it, it's worse, sitting for long periods makes it worse. Heat or cold packs don't seem to make it better or worse.
Chiropractic adjustments help it feel better. Relaxing/laying down help it feel better when it's gotten worse due to heavy lifting.

-Possible tennis elbow, both arms
This pain began around the end of January, and it didn't seem to be caused by anything in particular. No sudden injury or change in lifestyle brought it on. It began in my right elbow, then about a month later, the left elbow began to hurt, too.
The pain is in my elbow joint, almost feels like something is tearing, or wants to. I can't even lift a cutting board with my arm extended. The pain is all in my elbow, a little above and a little below. It also feels tight inside, like my range of motion is restricted. My chiropractor uncle thinks it's tennis elbow. He adjusted it but that didn't seem to help.

Right after the pain began, I started a new job, which required lots of heavy lifting, which caused the elbow pains to worsen so much that I had to quit the job because I was unable to push through the pain any longer.

Soaking the elbows in epsom salts seemed to help them feel better. Hard work/heavy lifting makes it much worse.

• What are the other symptoms started with it, esp. mental and physical symptoms, which are not directly related to the main complaint.
What are your reactions with it?


MIND
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1] What are the issues which are bothering you the most? How does it feel to have these issues? What about these issues bothering you the most and why?

My elbows are what are bothering me the most right now, and it makes me feel irritable with the pain. I feel like it's difficult to be patient with others. I feel irritated because I was unable to keep a good job. That makes me feel like a failure in life, because I can't support my family as well as I want to.

2] What are the emotions that you are going through? What are the factors to which you are sensitive? What about these factors bother you the most? How does it feel to have these factors and how you react during such time?
Last night I got really emotional when I had to quit my job. It made me feel sad that I couldn't just push through and 'man up'. I felt disappointed in myself and like a failure, that I had failed my family. That the one thing I ought to be able to do, I can't do.

3] Any incident which had a deep impact on you? Describe in detail. What are the thoughts/feelings/sensations associated with it? At that moment of time what were your feelings/thoughts, sensations and reactions associated with it?
(Note: Incidents might have happened long ago and now it has no impact on you but at that moment of time if it had any impact on you, describe.)

My dad died when I was 2. My mother remarried when I was 4. My stepfather was very controlling. I couldn't do anything without permission, not anything. We lived in a school bus because he was afraid of the antichrist. I never had any personal items that belonged only to me, nothing really to call my own. I often could not shower when I needed to. I did not get proper dental care or medical care for my bad back which could have been corrected when I was young, nor for my flat feet which might have been helped if he had allowed it. My mother left my stepdad and then went back to him over and over and over, each time we would have to move and leave the life we had started to live away from him. Other times she'd leave him and then go back to him in 4 or 5 days. There were times my stepdad did not allow me to talk, he would make me sit for hours and listen to him, without even being able to use the restroom. He controlled what foods we ate, used humiliation daily as punishment. No sexual abuse occured, but it was physical, mental and emotional abuse, and neglect. He was jealous of my mother's affection for me, and of my deceased father, who I never knew. He abused my mother in front of me and my younger sister and brother.

The emotions I felt toward him were anger, rage, hatred. There were a couple times where I wanted to kill him. Often I used passive aggression because that was all I could do.

I have a hard time looking people in the eyes directly because of my stepdad. For him, that was a sign of aggression.

4] What are your anxieties/fears/phobias real or imaginary? Describe them in detail. What about them is bothering you the most? What are the feelings associated with it? What could be the worst form of fear/phobia/anxiety according to you?

My biggest fear is not providing for my family. I worry often about providing for them. I grew up with a stepdad who was a terrible provider, he lived off of my deceased father's social security instead of working to provide for us. So naturally I want to do the opposite of that and be a good provider.
I am somewhat afraid of heights.

My worst fear would be not having enough money to pay the bills, and my family would end up out on the street, cold, hungry, etc.

5] What are your interests and hobbies? What about it you like the most and why?

My interests are in the area of public safety. I like to help people. I like the feeling I get when I can help someone who is hurt or scared or in danger. I like using my knowledge to put together a plan of action to help resolve a situation, get things done, and help people who are in trouble. It gives me a sense of accomplishment, a sense of pride that I was able to help.

6] What are the thoughts which are coming in your mind again and again? What about them bothers you the most?
Worrying about making enough money is what bothers me most. I am always worrying about how to get enough money so we can move back up to Alaska where we want to go, and then once there, how to make enough so we can not have to worry about the bills, or living paycheck to paycheck.

7] Any unusual sensation/vibration or movements have you experienced? If yes, describe them in detail. Describe the whole process of that sensation without adding or subtracting a word from it.
None that I can think of.

8] What is/are the bodily sensation/s you experience with all your fears/ feelings and thoughts. Please describe the complete picture of it.

Not aware of any bodily sensations connected to my emotions.

9] Please close your eyes and bring that incident, feelings, fears, thoughts which had/having a deep impact on you/bothering you the most and see what is happening deep within your body right now. If you perceive any bodily sensation, vibration or movements please feel it completely and then right the whole experience as it is without adding or subtracting a word from it.

No bodily sensations I am aware of.

10] What according to you will be best moment of your life? How does it feel to be in that moment? What will be opposite feeling of this moment or feeling?
When I got married. I felt happy, excited that maybe now something good would come to me in my life, instead of all the disappointments and bad things that have happened.

The opposite of that would be the time when I got kicked out of the fire department in Alaska. I was a volunteer, and the department didn't like the way I ran/managed calls, even though the way I did was based on the national standards and I was very conscientious to do everything properly as I had been taught. However, I was up against a culture of, 'We do things different here.' Their methods were outdated, ineffectual, dangerous. Yet they held to them stubbornly, and perceived me as a threat. So they made up an accusation against me, which, even if it were true, was not even worth dismissing someone over, and had me kicked out of the department. In retrospect, the things that I was working for were found to be just by the county managers, and they found that the people who dismissed me were irresponsible. And the department has since gone through 3 fire chiefs, none of whom have been able to correct the problems within the department.
My reactions to being kicked out were of incendiary rage. I felt on fire in my head, over the ridiculousness of the uneducated, inexperienced fools in the department. I felt a deep sense of injustice, and a deep concern for the people who lived in the city which our department served. I worried for the lives and health of the townsfolk due to the inadequacy of the leadership and members of the department.

11] How do/did you react in situations which have/had a deep impact on you? What is your first reaction when you face your worst fear/situations?
If it's something that I feel I can deal with, I try to go immediately and deal with the problem to fix it. But my worst fear is, what if I can't fix it? If that happened, and I couldn't fix it, I would feel panicked, I tend to clam up or shut down when there's something I can't deal with. I don't know what to do or where to turn so I shut down. Probably a throwback from when I was a child, but I can't remember a specific incident from then.

Describe your reaction as it is? How do you react when you are faced with stressful situations? I try to assess the situation and fix it as quickly and efficiently as I can.

12] What you feel/feel like doing when you are alone and free of all your work?

I like to just relax, play games on the computer, read books in a quiet room, watch movies, and not have to do anything.

13] How is your relation with your near and dear ones, at your work place? Anything in the relationship that is bothering you the most? If yes, describe that in detail? How does that feel like? How do you experience that?

I feel my relationships with those I love are good.
I get annoyed easily with my mother, when she is incompetent about stuff that should be simple and easy to understand. But she's had a pretty messed up life, so it doesn't surprise me that she is that way.
I get frustrated with my wife when she doesn't understand what seems to be simple directions for driving.
I get frustrated with people that don't understand when I give what seems to be a simple explanation for how to do a job, or directions on how to get somewhere.

14] Describe five negative and positive points in you? Which out of it you would put first and why? How does it feel to have that?

Quick thinking/thinking on my feet
Compassionate for others' pain/feelings
Problem solver
Strong sense of justice
Good at keeping temper in check

Irritated easily at others' shortcomings
I dislike my looks
Can't seem to hold a job for a long period of time because of one thing or another that seems to come up, not always of my own doing
Afraid to take risks
Worrying always about the 'what-ifs'

What I would put first is, Good at keeping my temper in check. Because I have to do that an awful lot. Sometimes I feel like I wish I could just be a bad guy, to rebel and do whatever I want. But I don't because I worry about the consequences for me and for others.

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DREAMS
“If we nurture our dreams, they will take root in our souls and bear fruit in our lives”


“USING YOUR DREAMS HOMOEOPATH CAN FIND YOUR TRUE DEEPER SELF”

At the center of most of our dreams, lies the way we feel, think, perceive and sense our problems, our self and the world around us. Our deeper self appear as other characters in dreams, sometimes as people we know, sometimes as strangers, sometimes as animals, forces of nature, sometimes as some symbols, or monsters.

Every object, person, place, and situation in a dream may have many meanings. Each dream can tell us what is happening in the sub-conscious mind. What is important for the homeopath is not only to know the dreams but the thought, feeling, perceptions, and sensations associated with it and also how one reacts and copes-up with it.
Try not to 'interpret' a dream. If you put yourself or others on the spot to 'tell me what it means' then you are taking the wrong attitude toward working with the dream. It's not a game of Jeopardy or a multiple-choice test where there is any right or wrong answer. Tell us the whole dream as it is without adding or subtracting a word from it.

Please answer the following:

1] Tell about the dreams that had a deep impact on you.
First off, I rarely have any dreams that I can recall. It's usually only when I'm sick or the room is very hot and I'm sweating. I might at those times remember the dream for the day, but then forget it later. I think I only remember a dream once every 3 months. I tell my wife I don't dream, because it's so rare that I ever remember dreaming when I wake up.

Last night I had a dream.
I was in a water-truck, with my family and my dog with me. We were driving out to the desert for some reason, with the water. The truck broke down. Because it was so hot, we decided that my family would stay with the truck where there was lots of water, and I would try to walk back into town to get help. I saw a cave on the way, and wished that I had brought you with me, because it would have been cooler in there. I managed to get into town and went to Search & Rescue and they put me in a helicopter. I was worried about the time, but couldn't do anything to make the helicopter go any faster. We went back to where the truck was, but the truck was not where I thought it had been. So then I panicked, because I knew my family was out where it was like 120 degrees. We kept flying around, looking for them. Then in the dream, it was like I was watching myself on an episode of the 'I Shouldn't Be Alive' TV show, and I was telling the camara, 'I knew every second counted, because of the heat.' We ended up finally finding them, and my wife was unconscious, my youngest (the baby) was covered up, and was conscious, but my oldest son (4 years old) was barely alive. The dog was gone. I felt happy to find them, but remorseful that I made the wrong choice as to whether they should have stayed behind or if I should have taken them with me. I gave my wife some water, and she came around, and I asked her where the dog was, and she said they had to eat the dog to survive. And I felt guilty for almost killing my family. That's all I remember of the dream.




2] Tell about the dreams that are repetitive, strange and weird that are not related to you at all.
A year or so ago I dreamed that I was lying awake in my bed, and from the ceiling coming down at me I saw a giant crab, and it came down and started biting the flesh off my legs and arms.

3] Any dreams from childhood till today that you remember the most?
I don't remember any of my childhood dreams.

4] Any dream from childhood till today that had a deep impact on you?

5] Any dreams, just before your problem started?
I can't recall.

6] Any particular part of your life where you had some recurrent dreams? If yes, describe in detail.

In 2011, I was involved in an accident where I stopped to help a vehicle that was crashed on the side of the road (I'm trained as an EMT). I got into that vehicle to render aid to the passengers when a semi truck hit that vehicle at 60 mph. I thought I was going to die.

After that incident, I had recurring nightmares for about a month. I would see the grill and the headlights of that semi truck approaching, each time I had that nightmare it was the same. I don't remember anything else about the dream or how I felt during the dream.
7] Describe all the dreams you got during the pregnancy? N/A
If you have any dreams from above mentioned category, then describe the whole dream/s without adding or subtracting a word from it. We need to understand the whole dream rather than just part of it.

A] Which part of this/these dream/s is most important according to you? Describe that part in detail?
B] What was your thought/fear/feeling/perception associated with it? Describe it in detail.
C] Did you perceive any movement/vibration/sensation inside your body while seeing or after waking up from the sleep? If yes, then describe it in detail.

(Note: If you don’t remember the whole dream then you can mention the fragment of a dream that you remember? Tell us what was the most important part in that dream.)



CHILDHOOD HISTORY
1] Any incidents from your childhood which had a deep impact on you, which touched you the most. Describe in detail about that incident/s and the feelings/thoughts/perception and sensations associated with it. What was your reaction to these incidents?
I described my childhood a fair bit above.
I recall a lot of yelling and screaming. Mostly my stepdad doing all the yelling and screaming. It made me feel helpless to listen to it.

2] Describe your fears during childhood in detail.
I was afraid of not being accepted because of how my stepdad forced us to live, living out of a bus and only being allowed to bathe once a week.

3] Any imagination/fantasies/imaginary fears which you remember the most?
No. A lot of these things I just don't remember.

4] What you wanted to become as a child and why?
I wanted to be a cop. I always loved police. I'm not sure why it appealed to me so much. It still appeals to me today.

5] During acute conditions like fever/diarrhoea/cough/vomiting etc., did you use to have nightmares/dreams during or just before the acute illnesses? If yes, describe them in detail about it.
I know that when I've been really sick, I dream, but I can't remember any of them.
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S L E E P

1] Describe your posture in sleep. (On the back, side, abdomen etc.) Are you able to sleep in any position? In which position you can’t sleep?
I usually sleep on my sides. I can't sleep very well on my stomach. It hurts my neck. I don't very well on my back. It seems to make it harder to breathe properly.
2] During sleep do you:
a) Snore? Usually only during allergy season.
b) grind teeth? No.
c) Dribble saliva? Not that I know of.
d) Sweat? If the room is hot, yet.
e) Keep eyes or mouth open? Eyes no, but when my allergies are bothering me, I breathe through my mouth at night because my nose is so congested.
f) Walk? Talk? No.
g) Moan? Weep? No.
h) Become restless? Yes, sometimes I am restless and toss and turn in my sleep (my wife tells me). Wake up with a jerk? Yes occasionally.

3] Describe if anything else is unusual about your sleep: (sleepy, sleeplessness, etc. if so when?)
Typically when I got to bed I fall asleep within one or two minutes of getting comfortable.
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APPETITE AND THIRST

1] How is your appetite?
Normal.
2] When are you hungry?
Within a few hours of waking up usually, and then again in the evening.
3] What happens if you have to remain hungry for long?
Occasionally I'll get jittery, but I can go 12 hours without eating on a regular basis.
4] How fast do you eat?
Normal, seems like.
5] How much thirst do you have?
Normal to me.
6] Any particular time are you especially thirsty?
After hard work.
7] Do you feel any change in your taste and feeling in your mouth?
No.
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Food/Drink likes and dislikes, and how strongly
Favorite foods: Mexican, Italian. Like to have meat of some sort, often beef, with every meal. I like asparagus well, jarred marinated artichoke hearts are a special treat. I like a cup of chai tea every morning. I like flavored coffee. I love soda.
I dislike broccoli/cauliflower, I can't stand milk or tuna, and don't care for peanut butter. Don't care for sushi.

STOOL
1] Do you have any problem regarding your stools? No
2] When and how many times a day do you pass stools? Every morning/ once a day.
3] When is it urgent? When I don't have a chance to use the bathroom when I need to.
4] Do you have any problem about bowel movements? No.
5] Do you have to strain for stool? Even if soft? No.
6] Do you have belching or passing gas? Describe its character. It seems normal.
7] How do you feel after passing gas up or down? Better.
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URINATION & URINE
1] Any problem about urine? No.
2] Any strong smell? Like what? Not particularly.
3] Do you have any trouble before, during and after passing urine? No.
4] Any difficulty about the flow? Slow to start, interrupted, feeble dribbling etc.? No.
5] Any involuntary urination? When? No.



SWEAT/PERSPIRATION-FEVER-CHILL
1] How much do you sweat? Seems average. Depends on climate and exertion.
2] Where and on what part do you sweat the most? My legs sweat the most.
3] Do you perspire on the palms or soles? No.
4] Is the sweat warm, cold, clammy, sticky, musty, greasy, stiffens the linen etc.? It's just wet.
5] What is the smell like? E.g. foul, pungent, sour, and urinous. No smell, really.
6] What color does it stain the clothing? No color or stain that I can tell.
7] Is the stain easy to wash off or difficult? Easy.
8] Any symptoms after sweating? No.
9] When do you get fever or chill? Just when I'm sick.
10] What brings it on? Sickness.
11] Do you experience any sense of heat or cold in any part of your body at any particular time?
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CHEST-HEART – COLD – COUGH
1] Do you catch cold often? If so, how often? No.
2] Describe the symptoms, nature of discharge etc. Runny nose, usually, cough. The mucous is usually clear.
3] Is there any trouble with your CHEST or HEART? I've been diagnosed with hypertension before. Likely my maternal grandmother passed away from an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
As for chest, I have a pigeon chest (pectus carinatum), since birth.
4] Is there any trouble with your voice or speech? No.
5] Is there any difficulty in breathing? No.
6] Do you have cough? No, but I have to clear my throat all the time, every day, because of my constant post-nasal drip.
7] Is it more at any particular time? No, seems like it's all the time. ________________________________________


SEXUAL SPHERE (GENERAL)
1] Any excessive indulgence in sex in past and present ? Any effect on your health? I don't think so.
2] How do you feel after sexual intercourse? Usually happy, satisfied.
3] Any particular feeling or symptoms appear before, during and after sexual intercourse? No.
4] Do you suffer from any sexual disturbance? No.
(Homosexual inclination etc.?)
5] Any habit like (masturbation etc.) in past as well as present? How often? As needed. Sometimes it's often, sometimes not, depends on how available my wife is for sex.

6] Did you suffer from any venereal disease?
Syphilis? Gonorrhoea? No.
7] Do you have increased desire or decreased desire for sex? No, seems normal.
8] What is the method you use for family planning? My wife is on the pill. ________________________________________


FOR MEN
1] Any difficulty in erection? No.
2] Wanted erection? Unwanted erection? No problems there.
3] Weak erection? Failing erection? Describe. Don't think so.
4] Any other trouble in sex? Describe in detail.
Nothing other than my wife having a decreased sex drive, and sometimes she has pain with sex, so it interrupts our mutual enjoyment.
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[message edited by alaskamom on Sun, 06 Apr 2014 05:23:15 BST]