Case
The patient is a primigravida who has not had a menstrual bleed for seven months. She is experiencing premature labour and is accompanied by her mother. The young woman reports that since the morning she has had light bleeding and burning pain in the lower abdomen and in the region of the uterus. The pains are quite severe. The patient has been with her mother for only 8 or 10 days.
Symptom picture
The bleeding had started in the morning. "I was sleeping and suddenly woke up because I dreamed of an accident that frightened me. I dreamed of a man riding a motorcycle who was hit by a lorry and had a gaping head wound. It was terrible. I woke up and realised it had only been a dream. I was sweating a lot."
"I drank some water and felt better."
"Then I had to go to the toilet and saw that I had light bleeding."
She was admitted as an inpatient. Fluids were administered via a drip.
The mother told us about her daughter:
"At home in Pune she attended her antenatal check-ups regularly and has been with us for only 10 days."
"This morning she woke me because she had had a bad dream; she was sweating heavily. Later she had to go to the toilet, came back and said that a few drops of blood had come. Then the pains began. She worries very quickly."
Please tell us more about your daughter.
"She is very shy and not very sociable with other people. She has been like that since childhood. She never took part in school outings or school festivals. She was always very afraid of ghosts and of the dark. She refused to go to school alone. Even in 10th grade I still had to drive her."
"She was also afraid to go to public places. She is very stubborn. When she fixes her mind on something and is not allowed it, she will not rest until she gets what she wants. Not that she bursts into tears—she is more likely to whine. She has been married for one year."
(To the patient): Please tell us more about the pains.
"Here I have more burning pain," she says, pointing to her uterus.
"The pains travel from the lower back up to the shoulder."
Prescription: Calcarea carbonica 1M, dissolved in half a glass of water; take 1 teaspoon every 15 to 20 minutes.
One hour later: The pains have lessened but are still present. Continue Calc-carb.
Another hour later: The pains have decreased significantly; the patient feels well. The remedy is stopped and the patient is kept under observation.
The next day: No bleeding, no pain and no burning. The patient is discharged.
Case analysis:
In this case example bleeding had begun — a sign that labour had started, although the patient had not yet carried the pregnancy to term. We had to attempt immediately to stop the bleeding and the pain because otherwise the patient might have delivered a premature baby.
In the expulsive stage the cervix is fully dilated and the delivery of the baby is imminent.
From the case history we were able to understand that the patient has a very anxious character; these traits were pronounced already in childhood.
The pains began after the dream of an accident, which had frightened her greatly. The patient has burning pains in the uterine region.
When the symptoms are repertorised, Calc carb, Belladonna and Chamomilla appear at the top. However, when the key symptoms are summarised — i.e. burning pains during delivery, labour pain that draws from below upwards, symptoms precipitated by fright, and abortion/miscarriage — it becomes very clear that only a single remedy covers all the symptoms, and that is Calc carb. Calc carb is also listed with a value of 2 under the rubric "Fear of crowds".
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Source: http://www.interhomeopathy.org/primigravida_with_threatening_early_labor
Photo: Shutterstock_397630249, Copyright: Africa Studio
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