A blocked case that seems straightforward?

[Steve Scrutton]

Some help with this case would be much appreciated - I am getting absolutely nowhere, and feeling somewhat responsible and frustrated by it!

Young woman, aged 22, tall, slim - came to me with a diagnosis of "Irritable Bowl"
Young and fit prior to 1999 when mother was diagnosed with breast cancer
Her father had just before suffered a major fall "from which he never recovered" - he eventually died at the end of 2002
She felt that she had a lot of responsibility thrust on her, she became stressed and pressured; she is the only child; she also felt under pressure because of college work
She said that it felt like a role reversal - she was always the one that had been looked after
In Feb 2000 her condition came on suddenly; overnight, well in evening, ill in morning; and it has not improved within the last 3 years; she tried lots of conventional and alterantive treatment, nothing has worked
Symptoms are:
Constipation, only goes every few days, does not pass much, no relief when she does; usually no urge; passing motion requires lots of straining and is painful. Stoll is hard, dark brown, small pellets
Bloating in stomach (pointed quite high, between lower ribs; cannot wear tight clothing; she feels as if she has wind that is captured, would feel better if she could belch; this is worse for eating, she can only eat a little at a time
Stomach pain, worse after eating
Indigestion, especially if she eats onions, or a large meal
She can be sick, if she eats the wrong thing
She has no appetite
She is also experiencing hot flushes and palpitations; she says her circulation is out of order; her feet get very cold, cannot warm them; this has also come on at the same time as the other symptoms

She says that she gets upset and depressed, she feels that she is at her wits end
Mood swings, especially with mum and boyfriend (people she knows well)
She described herself as verbally spiteful, she hurts people
She does not like not being in control - she feels lost and alone
She gets angry when she sees other people are well; jealous
Often tearful, but cries on her own
She said that she is a private person; she bottles things up; she emphasised that she is an only child
She likes her own company (but can be sociable and extrovert - but she is not at the moment)
She does not feel the same inside as she displays outside; no-one knows the real person inside
Confidence? She was always quiet and timid as a child; got on with her work; described herself as innocent; a good girl; she needed a shove to do things. She developed more confidence when she was at college; but she did not do well in exams, she feels that she lets herself down. At our second meeting she said that she had lost confidence, was very self-conscious, and feels very low
She is always tense, on edge all the time; she cannot relax; if she went to bed early she would lie and worry; so she makes sure that she is really tiree
Worry: she worries about herself, feels selfish; just her problems; she said that she cannot take much more. Frustrated. She is emotional about everything. If she could get stronger then she could help other people better, but she need to get well herself first
She feels that she is withdrawing more and more; she misses her friends, and social occasions.
She says that she is a sentimental person, about her family and friends
She says that she is affectionate, although she is not showing her emotions so much now - she feels that she is closing down
She says that she had a happy childhood, just herself and her parents (she works in the school kitchen with her mum)
She has made me feel very responsible for her! And is desperate that I don't give up on her!
Any suggestions would be much appreciated - I must be missing something.
Steve Scrutton
Homeopath

"Homeopathy is a safe, gentle and effective medical therapy"
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[Joy Lucas]

Dear Steve, it would be very useful to read your own thoughts about the case
and also to know what rx you have prescribed so far.

best Joy

[Steve Scrutton]

Hi Joy/Rochelle/Jean
Joy. Yes, I did start to put down my thoughts, and in the end I took it out
so that any responses were 'unencumbered' with my thoughts - unsuccessful
as they have been! So here goes.

Yes Rochelle, I used Lycopodium 30; then when she phoned (as I asked) to say
that there was no change - so I gave her 200. Again, after a couple of weeks
there was still absolutely no change in her symptoms. When I saw her again I
used Nux Vom as an intercurrent, not least because of the fact that her
ailments came on so suddenly during a period when she had so many cares and
worries. Again, she reported absolutely no change (actually, looking at my
notes, she reported some explosive diarrhea after the Nux). The next time I
saw her I began to see more Pulsatilla in her; it was if she was 'clinging'
to me, quite anxious that I would not be able to treat her successfully.
When she discussed her childhood there seemed to me a lot of Pulsatilla
mentals; and with the physicals it covered ailments from grief, the
distension and indigestion - and the leukorrhea (that I don't think I
mentioned - an itching, milky discharge). The spitefulness did not seem to
fit, but then she was saying that she feels hateful, and 'was never like
that before'. Again, absolutely no change. And that is about where I am.

And Jean. Yes, powerlessness, hopeless, lost her confidence - at the end of
her tether, does not know what to do. She is getting very tearful, and
finding it difficult to socialise; feels that she is withdrawing into
herself.
No, she did not mention any sensitivity to light or noise.
Sleep - dreams? She gets to sleep easily (but goes to bed late, when very
tired, otherwise she would lay and worry), sleeps through, but does not wake
feeling refreshed. No notes about dreams, I would have asked, but presumably
nothing significant; sleeps on her right side, with her leg up so that there
is no pressure on her stomach.
Clinging to me? Yes, I felt that she was desperate for me to help. She said
at one point "Don't give up on me, will you?" She makes me feel responsible
for her!
Appearance? She is an attractive person, plainly but well dressed, tight
fitting jeans and top (but not tight around liver-stomach area; perhaps a
little 'young' for her age.
Anxiety? She says that she cannot relax, she feels tense all the time.
Her current anxiety is about her mum who has recently had a hip replacement
operation
Steve Scrutton
Homeopath

"Homeopathy is a safe, gentle and effective medical therapy"

[Joy Lucas]

Dear Steve, when I first read the case I kept thinking about Ignatia - they
have so many internal conflicts with themselves, ailments from fright (news
of her mother's breast cancer and she might inherit that?), ailments from
grief - her father's death, constipation, mood swings, irritable, clinging
in a so called hysterical way, desperate but can also be sentimental, likes
to be alone, agg. by onions.

I also thought there were issues concerning the responsibility that she
seemed not able to cope with. She still wants to be the child and be looked
after but now she has responsibility which she doesn't want, feels she is
losing herself to it and this makes her spiteful. She was quite timid and
quiet as a child - I think about Carcinosin now.

The selfish "look after me" attitude can be Arsenicum - they need a lot of
support and crumble when it is taken away but you don't say if she is that
chilly or restless.

I think it was Jean who mentioned Anacardium - plugged up, therefore
constipated, also has lots of internal conflicts, very divided, irritable,
unsociable, jealous and malicious - has the time modalities of Lyc (your
first rx for her).

I would ask more about temperature modalities, menstrual history, sexual
energies, more about her feelings re: responsibility and what sentimental
really means to her.

Hope this helps, Joy

[Shannon Nelson]

A sort of off-the-wall thought, but bar-c came to mind (seems that the
responsibility and role-reversal are bit stressors, plus the "young for her
age" and naivite, and other things). Or another baryta, maybe bar-m?

Interested to hear what happens!
Shannon
on 8/13/03 7:32 AM, Steve Scrutton at stevescrutton@btinternet.com wrote:

[Rochelle]

Steve - just looking again at what you wrote about her, not the symptoms of her disease and I thought that maybe she is in a Thuja state. She says that she doesn't show on the outside what she feels on the inside. Maybe a dose of Thuja as an intercurrent may lead more clearly to the next remedy or even unblocked things so that other remedies will work better.

Rochelle
www.rochellemarsden.co.uk

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

[Steve Scrutton]

Thanks Rochelle
I will look at Thuja again when I see her; but the suggestions, from
yourself and others, about Carcinocisin seem the most appropriate at
present.

Steve Scrutton
Homeopath

"Homeopathy is a safe, gentle and effective medical therapy"

[Steve Scrutton]

Thanks Shannon
Baryta was a remedy I had not focussed on, yet, when I looked at my
repertorisation it does come out quite high; but probably not on the very
key rubrics. Thanks for the thought though

Steve Scrutton
Homeopath

"Homeopathy is a safe, gentle and effective medical therapy"

[Steve Scrutton]

Dear Joy
Thanks for that very thoughtful analysis. I am somewhat reassured to know
that you, too, are coming up with lots of possibilities! I very nearly used
Ignatia too! Indeed, everyone has been so helpful about the case it has
given me a lot more to think about - thanks to everyone.

I am thinking that Carcinosin not only seems close enough to be worth
trying, but as a nosode it might well help to clear the picture a little.

I will let everyone know how I get on; keep you fingers and toes crossed!

Steve Scrutton
Homeopath

"Homeopathy is a safe, gentle and effective medical therapy"