6.14.1 Plumbum phosphoricum, Case 1An 80 year old man has come to consult me because he is afraid of the side effects of the pain killers he used for his sciatica. It had given him a duodenal ulcer once and later on it caused bleeding in the intestines, also because he had diverticulitis. Later on he had intestinal haemorrhages three times. He has had back problems since 1954, and he had many sessions of physiotherapy. Six months ago his back suddenly gave way. It causes pain in the sacrum, radiating to the buttocks, thigh and knee. His knee is stiff and he gets cramp in his leg and knee. The pain comes in sudden waves lasting about 20 minutes and he screams with pain. Three years ago he had a sort of temporary brain failure. It happened when his son was heavily depressed. He also suffers from arthritis and arteriosclerosis in the neck. This makes him go dizzy with sudden blackouts, trembling of the eyes, < exertion. He also suffers from constipation and eczema. His skin is yellow and full of folds. he has varicose veins in his lower leg with severe oedema, so he wears elasticated socks. He has an arcus senilis.
He is a very likable but rather formal sort of man. He can’t stand having all these problems because he used to be so healthy and strong. He used to be in the military and was head of personnel in the department of Protection of the Civilians. He worked very hard while he was there, but always felt that if things really came to a head they had no power to adequately protect the people. His speech is rather halting, he searches for words and is totally thrown of balance when interrupted. His speech is slightly staccato fashion and his voices trembles.
GeneralsWeather: < damp.
Desires: bread (2), potatoes, raw food, vegetables, drinks.
Food: < onion, mashed potatoes with onions, cabbage.
Sleep: difficulty getting up; late to bed.
AnalysisWhen we repertorise this case we get
Plumbum and
Phosphorus in 3rd and 4th place. Confirming symptoms for
Phosphorus: sympathetic, duodenal ulcer, bleeding in the intestines, right sidedness.
Plumbum symptoms: sciatica, diverticulitis, dizzy, black before the eyes, trembling eyelids, skin yellow and wrinkled, right sided, stiffness, constipation, arthritis, arteriosclerosis, arcus senilis, loss of brainpower.
We could also see the whole of his case as a
Plumbum phosphoricum case: He is very sympathetic (
Phosphorus), but rather formal (
Plumbum). They were powerless (
Plumbum) to really help the population. His speech (
Phosphorus) is halting, he mustn't be interrupted (
Plumbum). He speaks (
Phosphorus) in a sort of staccato fashion and his voice trembles (
Plumbum).
ReactionAfter
Magnesium phosphoricum 1M the attacks became less frequent. But after
Plumbum 1M he felt better all round. He felt like joining in again, went to see friends again, went out shopping and walking and generally became more active. He appeared more relaxed, less rigid, his speech was more fluent, less staccato. He still had a lot of pain in his legs, > crossing his legs, right over left (> stretching). Because the pain did not really improve he was given Thuja 1M, without result. Then he was given
Plumbum phosphoricum 1M and that is when the real improvement started. Walking was much easier, the cramp and stiffness disappeared completely. He felt very happy in the old peoples home and the physiotherapy really worked for the first time in years. Three months later he was able to cycle and drive a car again.