rodent ulcer

[Theresa Partington]

Rochelle,
Are you sure this lady is being entirely straight with you? Not playing 'bet you can't get me well?' If so you may not be able to take everything at face value and maybe need to be looking at something like thuja. (Until I got this feeling in your last post I would have gone along with the sulphur idea - a good clear out that might get her out of bed and dressed!)
If I am right about this then the elaborate placebo plan would be just facing deviousness with more deviousness - playing the game, in a sense. You will know you are being less than honest and she might well pick up on it too ........do you really want to go there?
If we look at it from the point of view of parallel processes then your even considering this plan might indicate something about what is going on for her.

Yours, in highly speculative mode,
Theresa
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[Rochelle Marsden]

Sac Lac is not something I usually do!!!! I am quite willing just to say pack up the daily Euphrasia 30 and frequent Ledum 30 because I wonder if it has caused any of your recent problem and then see where we are in a month. I think I will allow her to take an Aconite if she has a panic attack as I would like to know if this helps her. However I want her to write down when she does take it!! As I said I will give her Euphrasia eyedrops to use and the calendula cream and hope to speak to her daughter before the month is up. I think I would rather naturally clear the system and then she is I reckon it is a good idea to give Sulphur.
Yes I think she is being as straight as her confused mind -due maybe to the 1/4 sleeping tablet during the day- is letting her. I would like to see her daughters provide her with a easy to put on Jogging bottom and top and get her outside to the shops round the corner- even if it is in a wheelchair as she hasn't been out for a year or so.

Rochelle

[Joy Lucas]

"Hasn't been out for a year or so" - must have missed that in your
other posts, what is stopping her? Joy
http://www.homeopathicmateriamedica.com
http://www.homeopathicmateriamedica.blogspot.com
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[Rochelle Marsden]

She won't get dressed because it takes too much effort. She said that if she could go out in her pyjamas she would so that is why I want to suggest to her daughters that they get her a pair of jogging bottoms, top and slip on shoes!!! I think she has become institutionalised in a nice sheltered accommodation flat, where she gets a meal a day brought up to her and other meals she makes herself from food that her daughters leave. She seemed very cheerful for a sprightly bed ridden woman!! She did say she got pain everywhere and anywhere but only when I asked and she certainly didn't appear to be in pain but quite enjoying the attention she was getting from me. The only other strange thing which I don't think I have mentioned is an aversion to sunlight. She prefers a dull day.
Rochelle

[Rosemary C Hyde]

Rochelle, this patient is appearing more and more interesting. You seem to have some good strong symptoms to work with.

I agree with Joy, that not having gone out for a year is a very interesting symptom and the reason why could be more interesting yet. How long has she been averse to going out? When did it start?

Also, have you found out what it is about the sun that she doesn't like?

And with the eyes, can you get a "complete symptom" of what she's trying to avoid with the Euphr and Ledum? Modalities-concomitants- sensation-location, etc...?

Have you looked at Pulsatilla? The history of breast cancer might also make this an interesting remedy to rule out, along with a possible aversion to heat (opening window, aversion to sun -- you need to find out why), the agoraphobia, changing symptoms, enjoying everyone's attention (could this have something to do with her apparently acting sicker than she may in fact be, physically?), and the migraines preceded by an aura.

Why is she "bedridden?" What does this actually mean in terms of her daily routine?

Do you have good details on her menses and menopause (these could also be helpful in deciding to rule a remedy in or out.)

What events(s) in her life preceded the onset of the apparent ME? This could be helpful as well.

What about her relationships with mother, husband, others?

Sorry about all the questions. Hope I'm not being too nosy. The willingness to be "institutionalized" with all the comforts and attention is in itself an important symptom, I suspect, and with a bit of probing might give you a good insight into what's actually happening with her. Rosemary

[Shannon Nelson]

Hi Rochelle,
Possible rubrics--"Mind, feigning sick" (arg-n, bell, ethyl-a, ign,
lach, lyc, mosch, op, plb, puls, sabad, sep, sil, syph, tarent, verat)

"Bed, desires to remain in (adam, alumn, am-c, ant-c, arg-n, bamb-a,
but-ac, cact, choc, coca, con, dros, ferr-m, hydrog, hyos, ip, kola,
merc, phos, psor, puls, rob, sep, sil, verat, verat-v)

I wouldn't *assume* this is feigning, but maybe look...

Maybe ask the daughters as well as the patient about what her
relationship with husband had been like, and how did she react to his
death--is this "ailments from grief", or "fear of death", or
"abandonment", or ??

I'd also ask about what her life was like before her husband's death,
and before this started!
Shannon

[Rochelle Marsden]

Thanks Shannon - I didn't know those rubrics existed!!!!!

Answers to some of Rosemary's and your queries:-

Firstly when I went round there she was much brighter berating me for reminding her not to take the Tamazepam during the day.She actually said that she didn't see why not as the doctor said she wasn't to stop taking it. I tried again to explain it was for sleeping only!!! I had taken a typed letter round and that was one of my instructions.
Re the daughters - I drew a hostile blank there. She doesn't want me to speak to her daughters and she added a by the way that her daughters probably wouldn't want to speak to me as she thinks that they don't believe that she is ill!!!!!!

I mentioned getting out of the flat to the shops is what she told me she wanted to do you I suggested that maybe she could sit in a chair during the day rather than in bed and she said that the bed was more comfortable!!!

I mentioned about if her daughters could get her a track suit that would be no different to put than her pyjamas - she got quite stroppy and said that she had loads of tracksuits in the wardrobe and I could check if I wanted!!! She said it is difficult for her to fasten her bra at the back so I dared to say that she needn't bother with a bra and then she said she wouldn't be able to wear her prosthesis ( from the mastectomy) without one.Now come to think of it , she looked as if she had 2 breasts which means she must have had a bra of some type on under her pyjamas today but naturally I didn't think of saying anything then. She said she would have to sit down to put the bottoms on as she couldn't do it standing up and I said that I sat down to put trousers on!!! She also said that she does go downstairs sometimes but with her dressing gown on

Re the sunlight - she has an aversion to it because it makes her nervous and anxious and that was as much as I could get out of her.

I mentioned the crosswords that she does and she said that she didn't tell me she completed them and it was a long time since she had.!!!

Menopause - no problem Menses - lots of period pain and haemorrhaging and she has had a few D and C's.

I didn't spend long there as I was off elsewhere. She told me that she was looking forward to the "No panic " course that she was starting today with some group on the phone!!!

When I read through the instructions with her, firstly she now denies taking Euphrasia every day and couldn't produce them to show me. First she said she got them from the hospital and them I pointed out that she wouldn't be able to get homeopathic remedies from the hospital so she changed her mind then. When I read out the bit in which I asked her to put Calendula cream that I had given her on the lesion and that she was to show it to her doctor she said - now you have got me worried.

Joy- I think you may be correct about the Arsenicum!!!! Lastly she asked me if she could phone me if she needed to and I said she could anytime and if the answerphone was on I would phone her back.

Oh well - watch this space!!!!

Rochelle

[Rosemary C Hyde]

A FEW D&Cs??? That's unusual, even with profuse menses. Fibroids? How many pregnancies?

Yes, she doesn't sound like Pulsatilla from this description -- I agree, Ars may well be indicated. Perhaps even more likely it's Aconite, which you suggested earlier -- one of the few remedies (with Nat-c and Glon) that has anxiety from the sun. Anxiety is definitely a core issue. But it doesn't sound as if she's chilly, like Ars. When you feel ready to prescribe, Acon, in a low potency, would probably at least be helpful to her acutely, and could also work more deeply.

Very interesting patient and case. Thanks for sharing. Rosemary

[Rochelle Marsden]

I did give her instructions that when she gets a panic attack to take an Aconite and tell me how she gets on. I just didn't want her to take anything regularly - like every day but now I am not sure if she was taking the Euphrasia daily as she suggested she was. as I said - watch this space!!

Re the D and C's - I am not sure if it was that unusual years ago as it seemed to be an answer to everything, I know my Mum had a few. I will try to find out more when I see her next.

Rochelle

[Shannon Nelson]

Mm, curiouser and curiouser! Well now it sure *does* sound like
"feigning", but why... Sounds like she is *REALLY* into the
attention!! Would arsenicum be this devious??? (Or am I
misunderstanding...) Could it be something about hiding away, not
wanting to be seen, or not wanting to be *really* seen? A spidery
thing? (I am not at all good that that stuff, so just a tentative
thought.)

"Re the sunlight - she has an aversion to it because it makes her
nervous and anxious and that was as much as I could get out of her."

bufo, Con, hyos, ign, nux-v, plat, ratt-n, stram, tarent, zinc.

Crossing "Aversion to light" with "Desires to remain in bed", the two
in both are Conium and Hyos--now doesn't Hyos that very much that sort
of a feel???
Shannon