Migraine - the full case

[Rochelle]

20th July 2004

Background - This 14 year old boy presented as a tall, quite broad, good looking lad with a tanned clear skin. He has blond hair, blue eyes, large feet and hands and his right leg was in constant motion. He is the eldest of 3 – the siblings being girls. He was very open with me. He had a reaction to the first BCG test he had when the area came up in lumps.
Presenting Complaint – Severe regular migraines
Mum’s story – Pregnancy – she had a bleed at 10 weeks from a low lying placenta and spent a couple of weeks in bed. The birth was normal with an episiotomy and he weighed 9 lbs 10. He was breast fed for 3 to 4 months and didn’t sleep. “He was a whinge until age 6 and there was no pleasing him.”

Milestones – teeth – normal, walking -10 months and talking early. He had chicken pox as a child. He had eczema, back of legs and wrists and she took him off all dairy. He is always warm. He is a healthy child. He is laid back , very sociable, kind and good natured. He can annoy his sisters and can be cheeky. His room is untidy. Mum says he is a big baby really and doesn’t stray far from home. Last weekend when he had the migraine he wanted to sleep with her in her bed (her husband was away) . He also wants Mum around when he gets them. Her words were that when he gets them he has a “woe is me” attitude and cries. Mum said he is quite protected really and doesn’t go anywhere really without the family being around. She likes to know where he is. He is the eldest and the only boy so if thinks he rules the roost but he is a worrier. Every teacher has said he only does what he has to to get by and uses his charm.
Cold sores – corner of lips which he picks at .
Nails – bitten
Nose – gets bunged up and sniffs. When he blows his nose it is green and clear.
Migraine- “I get flashing white lights and go unstable. I’m nervous to walk as I go dizzy. (Possible fall to left side). I am unco- coordinated and go to sleep. When I wake up then I have a bad head. It starts at the back and works around to the front on the left side. I feel like I fell and smashed my head. It throbs. It can start at 10 a.m. usually or in the afternoon. It lasts all day. I can still feel the headache the next day. With the last one I slept all night – Friday and then was lethargic all Saturday. On Sunday morning I started again with the headache. hot bath and then I wrap up in a duvet and stay still so I can get back to sleep. When the pain is on the left side I lie on my right side and have my hand on the pain. What annoys me most is the dizziness. My speech when I am dizzy is slurred. I have to speak dead slow and it comes out wrong. I have a memory loss during the dizziness as I cant remember people’s faces. I try to bring up Mum’s face and I can’t. I also get a numbness in my fingers and also the left or the right cheek goes numb.” It started about 4 years ago says Mum. He was getting about 2 month but not every month. Sometimes he would go 6 weeks withput one. He was on medication from the doctor daily but when he came off this 3 weeks ago he had another migraine. Mum says he is fearful of them even to the point of hypochondria as she remembers a time when he said to her that every time he wears a silver cross he gets a migraine. She thinks this may also relate to him believing if he has a lot of chocolate or cheese he will get one.
L’s story – “ I am sociable, kind, can be a bit moody, am sporty, active, lazy when it comes to schoolwork. I like computer related activities. If I go on the Playstation for an hour I would get a migraine. With my first mobile phone I had it switched on all the time and on me and if that happens I get a migraine. I now keep it away from me in a bag.”
Food – “I eat a lot and snack a lot. I like salt and sour. If I have a lot of chocolate at night I will get a migraine the next day. Also with cheese.” Likes Lemon drinks but a food intolerance test said to avoid citric acid foods, like citrus, tomatoes, (Mum will dig out the report) so he doesn’t have these. He would choose a sour apple. Likes Chinese and Indian food. Dislikes fish***. Doesn’t eat a lot of veg. Aversion offal. Drinks a lot of water but says he is not thirsty. He does drink diet coke!! No coffee.
Moody – “If I am a bit short tempered I will lash out and go quite crazy. If I am playing a game I won’t agree that I am wrong even if I know I am. I will argue until I get my own way or I won’t play the game. This is only if I am moody.
Music – I like the beat of music and will tap my feet to it. I like soul, jazz, hp hop but not the head banging heavy metal.
Anger – “losing at sport, getting beated at something. I hate defeat. I like to tell myself I did well. Last week I chucked my tennis racquet into the hedge when I did a bad shot. I cry if we get beat at rugby.

I don’t like people touching me – like someone coming up and messing up my hair. I tell them to go away. I don’t use fists to fight. My sister wind me up and them say it’s my fault or deny doing what they did. My sister was spitting into my food and I told Mum I wouldn’t eat it and my sister said to Mum “Would I do a thing like that” and then started doing it again. “
“I am a bit of a teary lad especially when I get migraine. I don’t like people seeing me cry except Mum.”
Happy – “winning and scoring and winning a race on my playstation. Waking in the morning feeling good makes me happy. Everyday I am worried if I am getting a migraine.”
Weather – I like the sunshine and I can stand the heat. I hate the cold. I don’t mind getting soaking wet and muddy playing football as it is good because you slide everywhere.
Jealousy – if I've got a girlfriend and a mate gets on with her well, that upsets me. I have had 1 girlfriend and went out with her for 2 ½ days and then she broke it off. I was crying as I really liked her. That annoyed me. If a friend (father I presume) has got a nice car and I really liked it I would tell them it is OK but nothing special. It’s more envy. Also if a mate gets loads of attention.”
“I am quite popular. I like to show off- if it is safe. I like playing jokes. I am quite destructive in that I will fire things and break things if we play football but nothing bad., Like I might shoot pellets at a box of tissues and smash it up.”
Money – “It doesn’t bother me that much. If I don't have any I am not that bothered.
Parents – “I get on with Mum well. We like to shop for clothes together. Dad is sports mad and we like the same stuff. Mum wants me to do well at school. I used to play the saxophone but I quit and dad wanted me to continue. My dad runs the rugby team and although he will let me play in the position I want he won’t let me be captain as it would be favouritism. If we lose he doesn’t go on at me.”
Sleep – “Sometimes I lie on the bed for an hour before sleep.”!
Dreams:-

1) I'm walking up or down a hill and I might fall and I am a bit afraid that I will hurt when I land and I fall for a long time. When I land I just get up and then I wake.

2) I am playing rugby and its dead crazy as there are toddlers and old people playing. I’m in slow motion and can’t do anything right.

3) Fighting and when I want to throw a punch I go into slow motion.

4) Teeth pouring out of my mouth as if I were blowing out skittles. There are far more than in my mouth.
3 wishes - “ To be immune to all illnesses. I would like Dad’s parents to come back as they have both died. I would like a healthy life , a good job and a reasonable amount of money.
Family Medial History

Paternal grandparents – cancer

Maternal grandparents,heart attack and stroke in their 70s
(I personally think a lot of this is normal teenage boy stuff not really that special to him)
www.rochellemarsden.co.uk

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[USAHomeopath@aol.com]

Rochelle,
Only 10 remedies dream of teeth falling out and have migraines. I'd look at
this list (from Referenceworks)
Melanie

10 remedies
dream in the same sentence as teeth fall in the same remedy as migraine:
Bamb-a., Coca, Cocc., Ephe., Lac-lup., Nicc., Nicc-s., Nux-v., Tab., Zy-f.

[Rochelle]

Thanks Melanie. I am really homing in on the Sx he has preceding the actual headache as this is what he finds the most frightening. It has been suggested to me that the Migraine may be BAM - Basilar Artery Migraine and on checking this out it could well be the case. I will check out each of the Rx below.

Regards
Rochelle
www.rochellemarsden.co.uk

[USAHomeopath@aol.com]

Rochelle, I have been a migraine sufferer my whole life. they are the
perfect picture of Belladonna. It's never worked. What has worked has been seeing a
NUCCA chiropractor, and keeping my colon clean. Iliocecal blockage is a
trigger for migraines. Low blood sugar will also trigger it. If I feel one coming
on, it is usually too late. I take an excedrin PM and go to sleep. Studies have
shown that the sooner you release the vasoconstrition , the shorter and less
intense the sx will be.
Good luck.
Melanie

[USAHomeopath@aol.com]

Oh, and I forgot to mention to look at remedies that have to do with Vascular
stuff.
Iris for instance, is a good migraine remedy, constitutionally.
Melanie

[Rochelle]

Hi Melanie,
My lifelong migraines went after a dose of Nux 10M!! Maybe I was just lucky. I also used to get one from low blood sugar!! Mine were mainly weekend migraines- on the way down from a stressful week. They were common as opposed to classical migraines.

All the best
Rochelle
www.rochellemarsden.co.uk

[Rochelle]

I have looked at Iris and dismissed it because it has nausea as one of the main Sx. I have cured Migraines with Iris with the Sx of nausea and vomiting.
Regards
Rochelle (who really must get to bed as it is 2a.m. here!!)

www.rochellemarsden.co.uk

[Hennie Duits]

Since when has he had these migraines, and when, and how often, do they come
up. Every day? On waking? And a little later he goes, or would like to go,
to bed again? Why?
(My patients probably get more 'when' and 'why's' than they can think of..)
Health of parents and grandparents?
It might be wise to have him think over what he said once again, because 14
year olds sometimes have a habit of saying this now, and something different
a next time...

Hennie

[J Lucas]

Iris migraines also start with blurred vision - there are others Lac def I
think.

Best, Joy

www.homeopathicmateriamedica.com
on 22/7/04 2:03 AM, USAHomeopath@aol.com at USAHomeopath@aol.com wrote:

Oh, and I forgot to mention to look at remedies that have to do with
Vascular
stuff.
Iris for instance, is a good migraine remedy, constitutionally.
Melanie
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Rochelle]

Thanks Joy ,
I will also add Lac def to remedies to research.
Regards
Rochelle
www.rochellemarsden.co.uk