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Platinum
Year 2006, Issue 1, Article 13CaseAuthor: Maria Davits
Case 2, European exam Maria Davits, Utrecht, 20 September 1990, page 1Mrs H.M., born: 4 August 194614 September 1988
Complaint: Heavy periods and clots. So severe that she certainly cannot go anywhere during the first two days; she uses sanitary towels and even then it leaks through, even at night. She also experiences lower back pain and severe abdominal cramps during the first two days. She prefers to walk about a bit. This has actually been the case since menarche but has worsened since the age of 18–20. She has no children; she was pregnant once at the age of 28, had an induced abortion and was subsequently sterilised. None of this has had any effect on the amount of blood loss. Before her period, she experiences breast tenderness and abdominal bloating. Her sexual desire fluctuates; sometimes she has no desire at all, at other times a very impulsive desire.
She does not say much else about her past. She is divorced, is now in a new relationship and has been living with her partner from time to time for the past two years. That is going well. She has never been ill otherwise. She lives alone on an island in L., which she considers very important. She takes the boat to work every day. She works at the ‘children’s playgrounds’ office. She has a sort of coordinating role there. The work quickly becomes too much for her. She wants to take everything seriously and soon feels rushed when she has too much to do. As she tells me all this, she leans comfortably over my desk. She also says that there’s a party on L. every weekend. She invites lots of people over and likes to be the centre of attention.Furthermore, she has never been ill.
Preferences: savoury (1), fruit (3, ‘obsessive’), fish (3), ice cream (2), spicy (2), chocolate, fatty foods, alcohol (3). There is nothing she doesn’t like. Cannot sleep on her left side; gets palpitations as if something is wrong with her heart.
Regarding her character, she goes on to say that she is impulsive and often does things spontaneously without thinking about them first.
She used to be afraid of being alone and of the dark, but since she has had a dog, things have improved. She is also afraid of spiders.
Analysis: I found her likeable and open. I recognised the essence as described by Vithoulkas. The symptoms also fit this, see the attached repertory. I gave her Phosphorus M K.Case 2, European exam Maria Davits, Utrecht, 20 September 1990, page 2She returned on 14 October 1988. She was completely distraught. Her periods had become lighter, but now she felt ‘completely out of it’. She could no longer think clearly and had lost all self-confidence. Only then did she tell me that she had also been ‘overwrought’ when she was about 18 years old. She could no longer remember how that had come about. Back then, she had also felt ‘out of it’. She then told me that she often didn’t know who she was. As she put it, this was due to her upbringing. Her parents were completely different. Her
mother was from a “good family”, was always “full of herself”, and nothing was ever good enough. Her father was a factory worker. Because of this, she always felt as though she was living in two worlds.
In front of her friends, she always pretended that her father held a very high position in the factory. That is why she had set herself the goal of marrying a rich man at the very least. And that is exactly what she did. Upon the divorce, she received an island in L.
Outcome: I found this reaction to Phosphorus to be a suppression. The physical symptoms are diminishing and the mental state is worsening. She has become very insecure. I sensed a kind of inner conflict in her life. This reminded me of Anacardium. The physical complaints do not fit well with it. But the mental state resembles that of Anacardium: the inner conflict, the irresolution, the feelings of unreality (Phatak: ‘there is no reality in anything, all appears like a dream, absent-minded as if in a dream’). I gave her Anacardium M K.
She returned on 15 December 1988. Her period was once again very heavy, as usual. She felt much better mentally, immediately after taking the Anacardium. She had just bought clothes for 5,000 guilders. Everything was fine again, but now she did want some good little pills. I also asked her again about her life on L.. It was still a party. She told me she had two types of friends: either super-rich (her new boyfriend was also very rich, and still married; she had a lot of trouble with that, but then again, maintaining an island like that costs a lot, so she did need him), or the lowest of the low. So every day she had a couple of refuse collectors round for coffee. Then they’d play cards.
Outcome: Everything is back to normal. I don’t rate the response as particularly good. She has improved compared to the previous consultation, but nothing has really changed compared to when she first came.What struck me was the alternation between the mental and physical complaints, which made me think of Platina. Then the rest suddenly fell into place too: the mental symptoms involving the search for wealth and splendour and the extreme flow. Symptoms 11 to 15 in the repertory have been added at this stage. The sexuality does not entirely fit with Platina, but the impulsiveness within it does. I gave her Platina 200 K.
In January ’89 I saw her again. Everything is fine, her periods are normal, she feels well, no longer needs to buy clothes to feel good. She is saving money, she feels responsible for herself. She realises she cannot remain dependent on rich men forever. She has more self-confidence, feels comfortable in her own skin.
Case 2, European exam Maria Davits, Utrecht, 20 September 1990, page 3Analysis: I was satisfied with this general improvement on both a psychological and physical level. The fact that she ‘feels comfortable in her own skin’ is also an excellent sign. I therefore decided to wait and see.
In May ’89 I saw her again. Her menstruation was once more somewhat clotted. She was tired and had pain in her neck and shoulder. She finds it somewhat difficult to concentrate before her period.
Analysis: The symptoms are returning somewhat. I therefore repeated Platina K 200.Since then, she has called a few more times, most recently in July 1990. So far, everything is going well.
Final assessment: The third remedy, Platina, has helped this patient very much. There are still some issues related to her divorce. Perhaps this may lead to other complaints and consultations in the future.
Complaint: Heavy periods and clots. So severe that she certainly cannot go anywhere during the first two days; she uses sanitary towels and even then it leaks through, even at night. She also experiences lower back pain and severe abdominal cramps during the first two days. She prefers to walk about a bit. This has actually been the case since menarche but has worsened since the age of 18–20. She has no children; she was pregnant once at the age of 28, had an induced abortion and was subsequently sterilised. None of this has had any effect on the amount of blood loss. Before her period, she experiences breast tenderness and abdominal bloating. Her sexual desire fluctuates; sometimes she has no desire at all, at other times a very impulsive desire.
She does not say much else about her past. She is divorced, is now in a new relationship and has been living with her partner from time to time for the past two years. That is going well. She has never been ill otherwise. She lives alone on an island in L., which she considers very important. She takes the boat to work every day. She works at the ‘children’s playgrounds’ office. She has a sort of coordinating role there. The work quickly becomes too much for her. She wants to take everything seriously and soon feels rushed when she has too much to do. As she tells me all this, she leans comfortably over my desk. She also says that there’s a party on L. every weekend. She invites lots of people over and likes to be the centre of attention.Furthermore, she has never been ill.
Preferences: savoury (1), fruit (3, ‘obsessive’), fish (3), ice cream (2), spicy (2), chocolate, fatty foods, alcohol (3). There is nothing she doesn’t like. Cannot sleep on her left side; gets palpitations as if something is wrong with her heart.
Regarding her character, she goes on to say that she is impulsive and often does things spontaneously without thinking about them first.
She used to be afraid of being alone and of the dark, but since she has had a dog, things have improved. She is also afraid of spiders.
Analysis: I found her likeable and open. I recognised the essence as described by Vithoulkas. The symptoms also fit this, see the attached repertory. I gave her Phosphorus M K.Case 2, European exam Maria Davits, Utrecht, 20 September 1990, page 2She returned on 14 October 1988. She was completely distraught. Her periods had become lighter, but now she felt ‘completely out of it’. She could no longer think clearly and had lost all self-confidence. Only then did she tell me that she had also been ‘overwrought’ when she was about 18 years old. She could no longer remember how that had come about. Back then, she had also felt ‘out of it’. She then told me that she often didn’t know who she was. As she put it, this was due to her upbringing. Her parents were completely different. Her
mother was from a “good family”, was always “full of herself”, and nothing was ever good enough. Her father was a factory worker. Because of this, she always felt as though she was living in two worlds.
In front of her friends, she always pretended that her father held a very high position in the factory. That is why she had set herself the goal of marrying a rich man at the very least. And that is exactly what she did. Upon the divorce, she received an island in L.
Outcome: I found this reaction to Phosphorus to be a suppression. The physical symptoms are diminishing and the mental state is worsening. She has become very insecure. I sensed a kind of inner conflict in her life. This reminded me of Anacardium. The physical complaints do not fit well with it. But the mental state resembles that of Anacardium: the inner conflict, the irresolution, the feelings of unreality (Phatak: ‘there is no reality in anything, all appears like a dream, absent-minded as if in a dream’). I gave her Anacardium M K.
She returned on 15 December 1988. Her period was once again very heavy, as usual. She felt much better mentally, immediately after taking the Anacardium. She had just bought clothes for 5,000 guilders. Everything was fine again, but now she did want some good little pills. I also asked her again about her life on L.. It was still a party. She told me she had two types of friends: either super-rich (her new boyfriend was also very rich, and still married; she had a lot of trouble with that, but then again, maintaining an island like that costs a lot, so she did need him), or the lowest of the low. So every day she had a couple of refuse collectors round for coffee. Then they’d play cards.
Outcome: Everything is back to normal. I don’t rate the response as particularly good. She has improved compared to the previous consultation, but nothing has really changed compared to when she first came.What struck me was the alternation between the mental and physical complaints, which made me think of Platina. Then the rest suddenly fell into place too: the mental symptoms involving the search for wealth and splendour and the extreme flow. Symptoms 11 to 15 in the repertory have been added at this stage. The sexuality does not entirely fit with Platina, but the impulsiveness within it does. I gave her Platina 200 K.
In January ’89 I saw her again. Everything is fine, her periods are normal, she feels well, no longer needs to buy clothes to feel good. She is saving money, she feels responsible for herself. She realises she cannot remain dependent on rich men forever. She has more self-confidence, feels comfortable in her own skin.
Case 2, European exam Maria Davits, Utrecht, 20 September 1990, page 3Analysis: I was satisfied with this general improvement on both a psychological and physical level. The fact that she ‘feels comfortable in her own skin’ is also an excellent sign. I therefore decided to wait and see.
In May ’89 I saw her again. Her menstruation was once more somewhat clotted. She was tired and had pain in her neck and shoulder. She finds it somewhat difficult to concentrate before her period.
Analysis: The symptoms are returning somewhat. I therefore repeated Platina K 200.Since then, she has called a few more times, most recently in July 1990. So far, everything is going well.
Final assessment: The third remedy, Platina, has helped this patient very much. There are still some issues related to her divorce. Perhaps this may lead to other complaints and consultations in the future.