Apis, Sometimes a Bee is a Bee

Maryanne is an attractive, blond, well-groomed 73-year-old woman who comes to see me for facial swelling. She had been told her disease was autoimmune, and that raised antibodies had been found in her blood.


The swellings are on her face, cheek, around eyes, sometimes on upper body, abdomen. They come up suddenly and when they do her normal hot self turns "cold to the bone". She goes to bed and is fatigued when this happens. It started in Sept 2000 and went away a year later; now they are returning. Occasionally the swellings are in her throat and when this happens, she uses an epi-pen, so the swelling doesn’t totally close her throat.

She has water retention which causes her to have high blood pressure. She is on meds and a history of palpitations since childhood and depression.


She grew up on a farm. Her parents would both beat her. She was in charge of her sister. Was responsible for sister. "I was spanked because my sister wet herself. I should have been watching, mom said.”

When Maryanne’s husband had a heart attack, her father would not let her go visit him in the hospital, but insisted that she do double the work on the farm- hers and her husbands.
She is very industrious, and committed to her church. Then and now.

After 25 years of marriage, she ran off with a piano player.

“I am used to working out. A busy person. I can’t be busy now because I get tired. That’s it. I've talked quickly.”
She is animated, her voice quick and a bit buzzy. She talks of needing to be busy and it is hard not to make a case for Apis.


Swelling, busy, restless.

Homeopathy can't be this easy.

She loves to exercise but has stopped because she fears this brings on the swellings.

"I become chilled to the bone with the swellings. I bundle in blankets. I sleep with no blankets usually. It takes 24 hours for the swellings to resolve. They are usually on right side of face. Above lip, on the cheek. It starts with a tingling. Sometimes I feel a lump."
She volunteers at an elementary school, but leaves as soon as the swellings start. “Don’t let kids see my like this. I am afraid to go out socially. I leave if it starts. No one should see me like this. I'm like Quasimoto.”
(I can’t imagine that this is so. Her husband tells her it is not so bad, but she thinks he says this because he loves her.)
“During the swelling, I want to be alone, when normally I like company. Don’t want to make conversation. It’s painful and feel fatigued.”

She can’t stop working, but working causes her to be fatigued. I think the only rest she gives herself is when she gets these swellings. Then she can be in bed, be alone, be quiet, without guilt.
She is very involved in volunteer work in her church.

“Feel the devil is chasing me. I have no value unless I am working. Large crowds bother me. I'm good one to one. Call me and I go running.”


She has dreams of being lost. Looking for something she cannot find.
Dreams of her father smiling (which he rarely did).

Can’t get to sleep. Sleeps poorly, lightly. If she gets up to pee, she has to think about her dream, otherwise her mind starts going and she can’t get back to sleep for hours. If her feet are too hot she cannot sleep or if they are too cold. She sleeps with only a small blanket. Does not like to be hot at night (unless she has the swellings when she can’t get warm).

Though she grew up outdoors on a farm, she has never been stung by a bee! She was stung by a wasp a few years ago, with a normal reaction.
She got yeast infection from antibiotics once so she will not take them anymore. She is “allergic” to coffee (stomach upset) and doesn’t like dairy. Loves pasta. Can’t eat any salt because it causes her to swell up.

She is on BloodPressure medicines, Kosar, and Hydrocloracide for water retention and potassium (prescription). Also Premarin, baby aspirin, and the vitamins A, E, C, Folic acid, ginseng, calcium supplements.



Her father killed himself (he had cancer) so he wouldn’t ruin her daughter’s wedding. Her mother’s father also killed himself by drowning.
Her first depression was after her husband had a heart attack and she had young children to raise, and her father was cruel to them all.


She fears Heights, Crossing high bridges, Spiders.



MIND; BUSY
FACE; SWELLING; edematous; sudden
FACE; SWELLING
MIND; ANXIETY; conscience, of
GENERALITIES; SWELLING; edematous, puffy
MIND; ANXIETY; duty, as if he had not done his
MIND; INDUSTRIOUS, mania for work

She is concerned about her appearance, making me think of an animal remedy. Apis for the swelling and busyness.

She looks like a bee, sounds like a bee, wears a pin with an angel with wings on it. She likes to be busy. Her chief complaint is swelling. Homeopathy is not that easy. She CAN"T need Apis!



I prescribe Arsenicum for her anxiety about health, compulsiveness, anxiety, but I give her Apis 30c to use in case of a swelling.


March 3, '02 - Follow-up
Maryanne called because she had a few outbreaks of the swelling and took the Apis 30c, which resolved it in 45 minutes. She was thrilled because the swellings usually took 24 hours to resolve. She had no reaction to the Arsenicum.

Conclusion: The Arsenicum is not working. The Apis seems to cover her whole case.
OK, OK, sometimes a bee is a bee.
I am send for LM1 and 200c.


March 13, '02 - Follow-up
On March 9th, Maryanne was at a luncheon when her lip started to swell. She had not had a swelling since using the remedy one week before. The swelling went over to her left eye, then around the other side of her face, and to the right eye. It was “a doozy”. “I went in looking like a million dollars and went out looking like quasimoto.”. She thought she might be about to get an attack, because of the precursors, her skin on palm becomes dry in a patch in center. Especially on the right side.

She took Apis, and the swelling went down within 45 minutes, as the others had. The next day, her face was still slightly swollen, and her throat started to swell up. She took two pellets of 30c and sipped the water with two pellets in it and the swelling went down within one hour. Her face took a little longer.
It’s just going down now. She itches it until it bleeds. And she gets cold.
Cold and swelling and fatigue. She is very worried that this is because of getting old and that she will never be her old energetic self again.
She was always busy in her life, happy and busy. She was teaching at school last week talking to the kids about carnivores and herbivores and having a great time. She told her husband she had had a wonderful day, then the swelling began. She was always a “busy active person. A lot of energy.”





Prescription. The Apis 30c cures the acute but is not strong enough to keep her from not getting the outbreaks.
LM1 daily – one teaspoon in a 4 oz glass of water with 9 succussions daily.

She took one dose at 3 PM and a half hour after, said that her nose felt clearer than it had all day. (congestion from allergies).

Maryanne is instructed to call me if she has an outbreak of the swelling and we will increase or decrease the doses of the LM accordingly.


March 18, '02 - Follow-up

Three outbreaks of swelling since taking the LM. Maybe she is aggravating. Maybe she needs another remedy.

MIND; DELUSIONS, imaginations; wretched, she looks, when looking in a mirror Nat mur

I prescribe Nat mur 30c
(I just can't admit that Apis might be her constitutional remedy. )
Continue to take the Apis 30c as before, if there is swelling.



April 10, '02 - Follow-up
Having daily blow ups.
Took Claritin for two weeks and had no symptoms.
Monday was tired with small inflam on right lip.
Throat closed up. Took Apis 30c. 2 in water. Took 45 min. to resolve. Voice felt like a frog.
Next day was OK.
She had a "bad" workout on the treadmill and was fatigued all weekend. "Now I'm mad at the treadmill. "

Nose stuffed. Allergy to mold. Had this in Europe.
Walked last week but had problems with left leg sciatica.
She wears a sweatshirt with flowerpot, cat
Blood Pressure high- still on medicines 140.70
Light headed for a few days.
Tiredness seems to lead to her inflammations.
Has light-headedness before depression.

Prescription: Every 3rd day, take Apis 30c in water. Shake 3-4 times between. I teaspoon in glass of water and drink that.


May 15, '02 - Follow-up
Maryanne has been taking the 30c Apis in water (4 oz bottle) twice a week. “I am very impressed” she says, but she was having a few flare-ups. She takes the drops three times a week..
She puts one teaspoon from the big bottle in a cup of water and takes a sip of the water. If she has a flare up, she takes two dry tablets under her tongue and this resolves it.
She has more energy, but is afraid to say so, for fear of bad luck. She walked for two hours this weekend with her husband.


Jan '03 - Follow-up
Maryanne called me to ask for more Apis 30c, as she is going on trip. She continues to do well on Apis.



Conclusion: I think for whatever reason, Maryanne was never stung by a bee because she was one.
She asked me when I thought she would stop taking the remedy. I said: "When you get stung by a bee."