Our patient, a middle-aged woman, had already undergone a CT scan, which diagnosed a left-sided palsy of the third cranial nerve. The cause is an aneurysm in the posterior cerebral artery.
Der Nervusoculomotorius controls the majority of eye movements (eyeball, eyelid and pupil). A palsy leads to ptosis, dilated pupils and restricted mobility of the eyeball.
Patient history
- Drooping of the left upper eyelid (ptosis) for 15 days, no pupillary light reflex, pupil dilatation, restricted eye movement.
- Left-sided headaches for five to six years. Throbbing pain in the left temple. Becomes angry if disturbed during headaches, scolds everyone when angry. During the headaches there is also pain in the eye as if she would like to tear the eye out.
- Vomits four to five times. The vomit smells of neem tree.
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General physical symptoms
- Cold-sensitive patient, can hardly tolerate winters with rainy weather.
- Bowel movements: only every four to five days. Difficulty passing stools, stool is passed with great difficulty +++
- Sleep: tired, overwhelming need for sleep +++
- Sweat: abundant; foul-smelling; smells of neem tree.
Emotional symptoms
The patient is still suffering from the death of her son-in-law in the previous year. The event affected her deeply. She feels abandoned, believes she no longer has anyone to care for her and her daughter's family: 'Who will look after my family? Who will see to my granddaughters' education?' When she learned of her son-in-law's death she was in shock and suddenly lost consciousness. She describes how she felt at that time as 'shattered and devastated'.
She is greatly worried about her grandchildren and her family; she fears someone might speak ill of her granddaughters. She is afraid of surgical procedures because she fears she will not survive them. By nature she is a compassionate person.
Totality of symptoms 
- Feeling of abandonment
- Great anxiety, anticipatory tension
- Shocked and devastated
- Uncertainty
- Complaints due to grief, shock
- Drowsiness
- Constipation
- Abundant and foul-smelling sweat
- Left-sided palsy, left-sided headaches
- Chilliness
- Ptosis
Prescription: Gelsemium C200, single dose
Follow-up
Over the course of the following year progress is slow but steady. The patient gains energy, is no longer so tired and sleeps well. She becomes more active and energetic. She no longer has problems with her bowel movements and the sweat no longer smells as strongly. Most importantly, her eye becomes more mobile again and the eyelid droop disappears. Her vision improves and the affected eye no longer waters. Her pupils function normally again and the headaches gradually subside. Overall she feels more stable and balanced than before and says she is no longer so 'devastated'.
Differential diagnosis: Gelsemium – Calcium carbonicum
The reaction pattern of a Gelsemium patient is shock: 'How could this happen? I only spoke to them yesterday and now they are dead.' Gelsemium feels shocked and devastated.
Calcium carbonicum patients react to shocking news (e.g. on television) or atrocities with fear. They need to leave the room and close their eyes. Although many rubrics here also fit Calcium carbonicum – fear of surgery, fear of others' opinions, insecurity, dependence, distressing stories, abundant and foul-smelling sweat, constipation and cold sensitivity – Gelsemium is the indicated remedy because drowsiness is a characteristic of this medicine. Furthermore, Calcium carbonicum is a right-sided remedy, whereas in our case the symptoms are left-sided.
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Photo: Shutterstock
Shattereddancer; Markos86
Category: Cases
Keywords: severe anxiety, shocked and devastated, insecurity, ptosis, headaches, fatigue, constipation
Remedy: Gelsemium
Original article: Interhomeopathy.org
