Case 1.11: LILIUM TIGRINUM
Resi Moonen, MD, the Netherlands
Mrs. L., born in 1937, will be attending the consultation for the first time in March 2000. The main complaint has been migraine for the past 25 years. The symptoms started after the birth of her eldest child. Soon during the consultation it becomes abundantly clear that the patient is an extremely verbose woman, who talks at a time, in such a way that there is hardly any room to ask questions. She quickly goes into the details of her divorce and related matters in great detail, she hardly goes into her physical complaints.
Mrs. L. turns out to be married to a widower at the age of 37. She had a son and a daughter. Soon this man turned out to be aggressive, and to treat her badly. He used to beat her and their son. The patient suffered from this, but a separation from the table and the bed did not occur until 1996. Not long before, the husband appeared to be cheating on a friend of the couple's house, until the husband ran away with her.
From the age of 18 until the age of 37 she was a nun in a monastery. She came from a religious family. However, she did not feel completely at home in the monastery; when asked she told that she actually after a sexual assault had decided to enter. This had happened at her seventeenth, and there were 2 cousins involved. Her convent days had 'ups and downs': periods of depression with suicidal thoughts (when she wanted to jump in front of a train). She was treated with electro-shock and medication. Strikingly openly she tells us that she has sexual thoughts and fantasies during her time in the monastery. She was missing a man; a doctor then told her that she should go out.
Physical complaints.
The migraine used to be once a month, lately once a week. Worse before and during mankind. The headache often starts at the right temple, moves to the left temple, then all over the head. Heavy feeling, like a lump on the head, oppressive. Often accompanied by a pressing sensation on the back of the nose, feeling as if the nose is clogged, feeling of pressure on the eyeball. Preferably in a dark room. Always accompanied by nausea, feeling as if something heavy is allowed on her. Duration of attack: up to 3 days. Worse in a warm room, better in the fresh air.
Further pain in neck and shoulders. Cramped in the legs in bed. Bronchitis complaints.
Medical history.
Hysterectomy due to incontinence symptoms (also prolapse symptoms). Operation CST. Appendectomy. Tonsillectomy as a child.
Temperature. Warm-blooded, summer man.
Nutrition and drinking.
Desires: icecream, chocolate, dates, chips, meat, yoghurt.
Aversion: oysters, snails, fat (fatty meat).
Worse too many eggs, fat, pancakes.
Drinking: likes to drink coffee with milk. With the migraine she doesn't have to have this.
Sleep: Sleep problems. Falls asleep on right side. Dreams: about her ex-husband and his partner, that her ex-wife comes back to her.
Fears
Somewhat afraid of the future and death. Prescription: Lilium tigrinum 200K.
Follow-up:
The day after the drug she had a violent migraine attack. In the course of time much less often and severely migraine, no more cramps in the legs. Less asthmatic bronchitis. Generally feels calmer, stopped taking anti-depressants.