Author:
Ashok Borkar
Book:
Interhomeopathy
Type:
Case
Chapter:
2014.11.08
A Synergistic approach: three cases
by Ashok Borkar
Case 2 of Multiple Myeloma
A 52-year-old man was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in January 2012. When he was brought to the clinic on 10th January, he appeared very frail and he was barely able to walk, as he was in severe pain. He looked as though he was in his eighties.
The x-rays showed multiple tiny well defined osteolytic lesions in the skull, ilium, pubis, and the upper femoral shafts. X-ray of the lumbosacral spine showed marked osteoporosis, sacralisation of L5, and lumbar spondylosis. The normal spinal curvature was lost, resulting in straightening of the lumbar spine. Lower ribs showed multiple lytic lesions.
He was suffering for the past two months. He said that one day he sneezed and got a sudden sharp poking pain in the chest, like a catch. When he sneezed again, he got the same type of pain in the right side of the back, like a cramp. Since then his ribs started hurting. Then, he suffered from severe pain in the back, which meant that he could not turn sideways at all. He needed support to stand and had a dragging pain in the waist area. He said that he had to rise slowly from the chair and after walking slowly for a while, he felt a little better. When he would sit, the dragging, cramping pain would start again. Whenever he would turn in bed, he would get a sharp poking pain. On coughing, he would get pain in the chest. Whenever he would get a catching pain, he was unable to move due to the pain and would get stuck in that position. He was getting recurrent cramps in different parts of his body. He also had fullness of abdomen after eating a little food and so he would not eat at all at night. He had a peculiar sensation as if waves of water were flowing down his chest.
Prescription: Rhus tox 30C. First a single dose and later, twice a day for four days, as his pain had increased and he was unable to rise from the bed.
By the 16th of January his condition worsened. The cramps had increased. He would get a cramp when straining to urinate. The pain was sudden, very severe, and it was worse with the slightest movement. He would scream with the sudden pain and could not bear the pain at all. It was a sharp poking pain and it would last for ten minutes. He wanted to be fanned. He had not passed stool for five days. The following rubrics were taken:
▪ Mind; shrieking with the pain
▪ Generalities; air draft ameliorates
▪ Generalities; motion slightest aggravates
Sharp poking pains, constipation and the above rubrics indicated Bryonia.
Prescription: Bryonia 30C was given once a day and follow up was taken every two days. He would be a little better for a day or two and worse again. This continued for a month, and he was on daily doses of Bryonia.
The case was reviewed on 28th February as he was bedridden and was scared to move because every movement would cause pain. He had great fear of being touched as that would cause severe pain. He was getting painful cramps in the axillary chest, ribs, and lower back. The cramp was worse by eructation.
At this point, I viewed the case from a different angle.
What was the pathology?
The pathology in this case is multiple myeloma, which is a malignant proliferation of plasma cells. The patient is suffering from osteoporosis and osteolytic lesions. The sphere of action is in the bones. In this case, the patient had a loss of calcium in the bones, resulting in the formation of holes. The other parts of the body, which are involved are the muscles and the muscles are cramping. The disease process going on in his body was cancer (a malignant proliferation of cells).
Analysis
I took the rubrics:
▪ Generalities; softening of bones (osteoporosis)
▪ Generalities; necrosis (osteolysis)
▪ Generalities; cramps muscles
▪ Cancerous affections
▪ Mind; shrieking pain with the
▪ Mind; fear pain of
Prescription: Aurum metallicum 30C one dose.
Follow up
Improvement started immediately and his pains became less; he stopped shrieking with the pain. He was able to move without pain. He started moving around the house with the help of a walker. He started eating on his own. After a month, he came to meet me, walking with the help of a walking stick. He was looking strong and healthy and his age again.
After ten weeks: On 7th May (two and a half months after the first dose of Aurum) he was given another dose of Aurum metallicum 30C, as he developed a severe cramp when he sneezed. The sensation of water waves flowing down the chest had started again. The second dose made him comfortable again.
After fourteen weeks: I repeated his X rays and found that although he was better with Aurum met 30C, his x rays did not show any change in the lytic lesions of bones. I gave him Aurum met 6C, twice a day for a month.
After eighteen weeks: he was pain free and doing all his activities on his own without any aid, and without a walking stick. He developed a cough but this time, he did not get any cramp with the cough. The cough passed away without any change in the medication. Aurum met 6C was continued and he is still under treatment.