An 87-year-old patient, tall and very thin. He looks somewhat fragile but has a good sense of humour and flirts with me shamelessly.
“I hope I won't have to apologise and dash to the loo straight away. My problem is ulcerative colitis. Since I developed the colitis I have lost 16 kilos. I have a bowel movement right after breakfast and then it goes on like that all day. I have severe pain and just sit there all day. I have had blood in the stool sometimes, but mostly this thick white mucus. I am chilled to the bones. The only thing that helps me is bathing in hot water. It warms me and eases the pain. I can't eat much any more. It's as if I'm slowly starving. Food just doesn't taste right to me. I have thick white mucus in my mouth and a metallic taste.”
“Parkinson's disease was diagnosed 30 years ago. I told myself, well, it's only a small tremor and left it for 10 years. The shaking has worsened over the years, but my main problem now is the stiffness. I sometimes drool as well. My hip and legs are stiff, I don't have good balance. I don't think I can survive this.”
“I was conscripted in the Second World War and sent to Africa. I took part in the invasion of Italy. I worked with the medics and I can't forget it. I see the lads in front of me. If anyone wants me to talk about it I become very distressed. There were some we couldn't save. Those lads had families who would never see their children again. While I was at war my mother fell ill. She had a tumour on her spinal cord and died while I was on the front. I had to think that I would never see my mother again and that the mothers of those dead lads would never see theirs again. (Cries) I think the worst trauma of my life was the war and the thought of all those families who had been bereaved.”
“I have six children, 15 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Having six children was hard. I always regarded it as my duty to look after them as best I could.”
“My wife was wonderful and helped me a lot. We used the rhythm method for contraception, which was very exhausting. I have always had a strong sex drive. I could have sex two to three times a day. I also have a girlfriend now with whom I have sex as often as possible. Her husband died two years before my wife. We supported each other.”
“After I returned from the war I worked for several years as a hat-maker. It was a tough job, lots of steam and heat. I had to work with chemicals. The felted hat-wool had to be soaked in lye and kneaded by hand into the right shape. We then always had a Mad Hatter's ball. I don't mean the dance evening (laughs). Sometimes we would throw those felt balls that had been in the lye at each other. It was a complete mess, but great fun.”
Prescription: Kalium chloratum C12, once daily for seven days.
Analysis: Kalium chloratum is the most poisonous remedy in the potassium family. It has a similar action to Mercurius and has proved useful in cases of mercury poisoning. The term 'mad hatter syndrome' refers to the symptoms of mercury poisoning from which many hatters suffered. In the present case, the following symptoms pointed to Kalium chloratum: ulcers of the digestive tract with thick white mucus, thick white sputum with a metallic taste, Parkinson's disease and the strong sense of duty towards family. The remedy also has the delusional idea ‘starving — he must’.
Follow-up
After six weeks:
“I feel very well. I have gained five kilos. Last week, however, I had two setbacks; I'm so fed up, but overall it's going quite well.
The drooling and the tremor are not as bad, but still there. The stiffness is unchanged, neither worse nor better.”
Plan: Kalium chloratum C30, single dose.
Six weeks later:
“I'm getting better and better. I even go out of the house. Eating out is fun again. I spend wonderful times with my family and we enjoy the fantastic weather. It's so lovely. My appetite has improved considerably. I have also put on weight; I don't get on the scales, so I can't tell you how much. Since I last saw you I have had no colitis and that horrible taste with the drooling and thick sputum is gone. I think that also means my Parkinson is all right. I have become more mobile, less stiff and I don't tremble any more, not even when writing.”
“I haven't seen my girlfriend for some time. I think my sex drive is slightly abating now. After all, I'll soon be 88!”
Note: In my experience, patients with Parkinson's disease always have a very strong sex drive. Does anyone have an opinion on this?
I recorded this case in July 2005. I still see the patient; neither the colitis nor the Parkinson's disease have reactivated. He takes a C30 each time he feels stiff again and responds very well to it!
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Original article: interhomeopathy.org
