Re: Request for remedy suggestions -- fascinating anddifficult case Part 1 -- Twin A
Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2003 11:07 pm
Hi, Joy and Andy.
Thanks for your thoughts and your careful analysis. Andy, I found it fascinating that you saw Lac-c in twin A as well as M (I had thought of it really seriously, and still do, for twin M). One of the fascinating and also difficult aspects of this case is that the indicated remedies in one have all along had clear echoes for the other -- yet they do respond differently to remedies (at one point we tested this by giving both of them the same remedy), and therefore each needs his own analysis and prescription. In addition, the family sees and treats them as one organism, which is how they;'ve also lived -- so the initial case and much subsequent information was fused -- almost as if they had been siamese twins!!
Joy, you asked why the art class had been difficult. The main issue was that A enjoyed drawing cartoons mainly, and nature scenes, but disliked the inherent discipline in a beginning art class, where everything is very structured and he was required to do things exactly as the instructor directed. That's an excellent question to ask, actually, because it highlights that not only timidity and desire to please, but also fixed ideas and difficulty in changing are a basic part of his personality and therefore of his becoming ill -- that being in his own thoughts is his major defense from having to perform perfectly to please others which he feels he can't really do as perfectly as he thinks is required.
Joy, your response regarding twin A was encouraging in that it came down to the same remedies I'd narrowed it down to. I thought for a long time about Anac, and finally concluded that he just doesn't have the underlying hardness that is in Anacardium. Likewise, for Veratrum, he doesn't seem to have the willingness to do anything, no matter how moral or immoral, to get what he wants. In China, there's generally a history of fluids as part of the picture, and this is not the case with him. He's a kind, gentle person, with none of the violence one would expect in Stramonium or the jealousy that forms the basis for Hyos. He actually has developed some bloating and gas, recently -- confirming my original thought about Lycopodium. But I sense this is a deeper, older layer than this illness, and Lyc is not known for seizures and insanity.
Cocculus did seem a remedy to really look at more in depth, although it doesn't correspond physically. Cuprum was tempting too, although Cuprum doesn't have this guy's sensitivity and softness. Camphora, like Veratrum, also doesn't correspond to the essential timidity of this patient. His tormenting thoughts don't appear to be about himself, as with Camph, but initially, rather, about the theoretical issues he was passionate about mixed up with all the things he was supposed to remember for school (so I've also thought seriously about Ph-ac.-- but his picture has never included the free secretions -- only flatus. Other than that Ph-ac is probably really worth considering). Now, he seems to think mainly about the movies he likes to watch, and also the pleasant memories from his life in his home country, before everything got too complicated and difficult in the new culture.
A's present state of stupor I think is largely medication induced, undoubtedly with some elements of his constitutional state also. The trouble is teasing out which is which, as always. In any case, we have seen that we can't solve the case by focusing exclusively or primarily on the present picture because much of it does portray the medicines rather than the patient.
As I'm thinking again about all these remedies, I'm moving toward Opium as one good candidate, along with Ph-ac, for the simillimum fror twin A. He also shows some signs of Cann-i (as does twin M). You could put both twins together and have a great Aeth case.... (Twin A loves cats, thinks they're really cute). Oh, well...
The discussion is helping me to clarify my thinking, and I appreciate your and others' suggestions immensely.
Rosemary
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Thanks for your thoughts and your careful analysis. Andy, I found it fascinating that you saw Lac-c in twin A as well as M (I had thought of it really seriously, and still do, for twin M). One of the fascinating and also difficult aspects of this case is that the indicated remedies in one have all along had clear echoes for the other -- yet they do respond differently to remedies (at one point we tested this by giving both of them the same remedy), and therefore each needs his own analysis and prescription. In addition, the family sees and treats them as one organism, which is how they;'ve also lived -- so the initial case and much subsequent information was fused -- almost as if they had been siamese twins!!
Joy, you asked why the art class had been difficult. The main issue was that A enjoyed drawing cartoons mainly, and nature scenes, but disliked the inherent discipline in a beginning art class, where everything is very structured and he was required to do things exactly as the instructor directed. That's an excellent question to ask, actually, because it highlights that not only timidity and desire to please, but also fixed ideas and difficulty in changing are a basic part of his personality and therefore of his becoming ill -- that being in his own thoughts is his major defense from having to perform perfectly to please others which he feels he can't really do as perfectly as he thinks is required.
Joy, your response regarding twin A was encouraging in that it came down to the same remedies I'd narrowed it down to. I thought for a long time about Anac, and finally concluded that he just doesn't have the underlying hardness that is in Anacardium. Likewise, for Veratrum, he doesn't seem to have the willingness to do anything, no matter how moral or immoral, to get what he wants. In China, there's generally a history of fluids as part of the picture, and this is not the case with him. He's a kind, gentle person, with none of the violence one would expect in Stramonium or the jealousy that forms the basis for Hyos. He actually has developed some bloating and gas, recently -- confirming my original thought about Lycopodium. But I sense this is a deeper, older layer than this illness, and Lyc is not known for seizures and insanity.
Cocculus did seem a remedy to really look at more in depth, although it doesn't correspond physically. Cuprum was tempting too, although Cuprum doesn't have this guy's sensitivity and softness. Camphora, like Veratrum, also doesn't correspond to the essential timidity of this patient. His tormenting thoughts don't appear to be about himself, as with Camph, but initially, rather, about the theoretical issues he was passionate about mixed up with all the things he was supposed to remember for school (so I've also thought seriously about Ph-ac.-- but his picture has never included the free secretions -- only flatus. Other than that Ph-ac is probably really worth considering). Now, he seems to think mainly about the movies he likes to watch, and also the pleasant memories from his life in his home country, before everything got too complicated and difficult in the new culture.
A's present state of stupor I think is largely medication induced, undoubtedly with some elements of his constitutional state also. The trouble is teasing out which is which, as always. In any case, we have seen that we can't solve the case by focusing exclusively or primarily on the present picture because much of it does portray the medicines rather than the patient.
As I'm thinking again about all these remedies, I'm moving toward Opium as one good candidate, along with Ph-ac, for the simillimum fror twin A. He also shows some signs of Cann-i (as does twin M). You could put both twins together and have a great Aeth case.... (Twin A loves cats, thinks they're really cute). Oh, well...
The discussion is helping me to clarify my thinking, and I appreciate your and others' suggestions immensely.
Rosemary
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]