If I go into hospital, I will die there; a case of Staphylotoxinum

A., a 53-year-old woman, came to the practice in September 2009 with a fist-sized ganglion on her left hip. Her preferred colour is white C 20/21: "I love white, it is the colour of spring and of new growth."

"I have the feeling that if I have another operation, I will not survive it. When I had my children I also did not want to go into hospital because I feared I would not come out alive. Chemical anaesthetics are not for me: during my tonsillectomy I woke up and got off the table. When I am at the dentist I need a much stronger anaesthetic than others because my metabolism works too fast. At times I was even given morphine, and it only worked for 20 minutes! I cannot bear to lose control; I am a 'control freak'. I am stubborn and I am a Type A personality."

[The Type A and Type B personality theory ("Jacob-Goldsmith theory") describes two opposing personality types: the nervous, tense Type A and the relaxed, easy-going Type B.]

"When I die I will go to heaven. When I was 12 years old I had a near-death experience: I went to Jesus and I asked him why I was still here although I had tried to die three times. His answer was that my time had not yet come."

A: "I do not want to have an operation because that would be the end of me. At 12 I had a tonsillectomy and nearly died; I lost a lot of blood and also developed a staphylococcal infection (osteomyelitis) in my left thigh which destroyed the bone marrow.

For three or four weeks I had an extremely high fever, 41° C. I was often unconscious, but sometimes I came round again. They told my parents that if I survived at all I would only vegetate, but I surprised them. None of the medicines helped. I heard they were going to give me a bone marrow transplant and I said I would not allow it; that night the fever dropped. I have never been able to give blood because I had such strong antibiotics."

Medical history:
About 25 years ago I had encephalitis; it came out of the blue with no prior illness. I had been sleeping on a field bed, and I suspect an insect bite may have been the cause. I had a high fever and could not move my neck. I was treated with antibiotics and recovered completely.

In 1997 I had another brain infection; my facial and head nerves did not function properly; I could not see and had unbearable headaches. I kept being admitted to hospital. It turned out to be an infection of the trigeminal nerve as a result of a dental infection. I was given Demerol and morphine, but the effect lasted only 20 minutes. They gave me injections in the left cheek and thereby injured the trigeminal nerve. As a result I also lost feeling in my right arm. The doctors wanted to operate to sever the major facial nerves.

When I was 18 I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and was given strong medication which burned a hole in my stomach. After that I began looking for alternative treatment with natural remedies. I also suffer from Restless Legs Syndrome. I have calcification in my bones and teeth and two of my vertebrae are fused (L7 and L8); therefore I cannot bend properly!"

Fears:
"I am afraid of dying in hospital. I suffer from claustrophobia, especially in confined spaces where you have no control: I want to retain control over myself."

Diet:
"I like fish and chicken and occasionally I need red meat. I avoid sugar and white flour. I have always been careful about what I eat and have never drunk much. I have never been drunk in my life and it will never happen; I have that under control; I would feel sick if I were drunk."

Pain:
"Stabbing pain from the lumbar region down the leg, first in the right leg then the left. The pain is always on the side where I feel weak. I have pain in the left groin where the muscles attach to the bone. Any sideways movement is very painful and rotational movements are also bad for me. At first I thought I had a venous problem or an inguinal hernia. For two years my thigh muscles have been tugging at the muscles of my kneecap. It reminds me of how it was when I had osteomyelitis. Before that I had no symptoms at all!
I want to be able to go out and walk; it drives me mad when I cannot carry out my usual activities. My hip is getting progressively worse. The chiropractic treatment helps me a little; he thinks it is a muscular and not a bone problem - he says my muscles are very tense."

Sleep and dreams:
"When I have such severe pain I cannot sleep. The only dream I remember is that I am falling from somewhere but never arrive at the bottom."

Temperature:
"I have always been cold from the inside out like an ice cube. I simply cannot do anything about it. My whole body gets so cold that I drive my husband out of bed. I love the sun; I am a sun-worshipper."

Initial prescription: Opium LM 5

Follow-ups:
April 2010: Colour preferences: 21C, 17C
"Last night I had agonising pain in my left hip after a long-haul flight. The altitude worries me when I fly in a small plane. I have a shin problem above the ankle and must keep my legs elevated so that the blood can circulate.

These growths keep growing; they are now growing into my abdomen. They were diagnosed as ganglia, 2 at the front, 1 at the back. I like to move, but that is contraindicated when you have growths. There are further limitations, e.g. movement causes pain.

It is so similar to when I was 12 and supposedly had a simple tonsillectomy; but I had bleeding and encephalitis.

No one believed I would survive and they thought if I did I would be demented. The nurses had given up on me and my brother came to wash me. For three weeks I had a high fever and my hair fell out in tufts. Even the antibiotics and morphine did not help me, so I no longer take medication; they only mask the symptoms."

It became clear to me at the time that the growths were related to the Staphylococcus aureus infection after my tonsil operation (encephalitis). I consulted Vermeulen's 'Monera', which led me to the remedy Staphylotoxinum, which has the symptom: "bleeding, blood does not coagulate". Staphylococcus aureus produces an alpha-toxin with haemolytic properties and causes skin necroses.

Prescription: Staphylotoxinum C 12 daily

June 2010:
"I have been taking the remedy for a week now and I feel much better; I feel stronger and happier! I have less pain and I believe the tumours are shrinking."

July 2010
"I am getting better all the time. The ganglia now feel firmer, but they have gotten smaller; previously I always felt they were growing. I sleep better again and no longer need painkillers. I can walk with my dog again, which I could not do before because of the pain.

On some days I am nervous if I have drunk too much coffee or before my period, but my restless legs have much improved. My energy is good and I no longer drag myself around like I used to. This is the best treatment I have ever had."

September 2010:
"I am very impressed – the ganglia have shrunk by more than 75% – I have my legs back!"

November 2010:
Further improvement and no more hip pain. She received no further remedies after October 2011.

March 2011:
A. can resume her usual activities such as yoga without pain or other complaints; the only remaining issue is the feeling that one hip is not as strong as the other. No further remedies were required.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons
Blossoming trees at Commonwealth Place, Canberra; Creative Commons licence 2.0 US; Dion Gillard
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blossoming_trees_at_Commonwealth_Place,_Canberra_%28262606184%29.jpg?uselang=de-formal
Staphylococcus aureus; Public domain; CDC / Provider: Don Stalons
Categories: Cases
Keywords: Adenopathy, tonsillectomy, encephalitis, haemorrhage, Staphylococcus aureus infection, ice-cold, fear of hospital
Remedies: Opium, Staphylotoxinum