Hello everyone

I've been visiting this bulletin board for some months now and I'm hoping there could be some help for my mother. I gave her GM's questionnaire to answer. Here is her case:

Vision faults if any?
Shortsightedness in the left eye, almost unnoticeable on the right eye. I cannot use glasses because I get dizzy and lose perspective, must rely on one contact lense.

Moles, warts or freckles, if so where? Any other skin problems?
One small bumpy mole on my right cheek, others not bumpy.
Athlete’s foot. Itching in the genital region for two years now.
For the past two months light rash in the ‘under the chin/upper neck’ area.

Anything wrong with nails? Spots, cracks, and/or anything else?
Brittle nails for about 4 years. Vertical ridges in some of them, more marked in left ring finger (do not use rings) and left thumb.
Reactions to weather, time of year; worst, best? When do problems occur mostly?
“hayfever” in late spring (May/June) – live near orchards (?)
prefer warm weather (20-28C),
hate rain and wind
best season: not so hot summer and early autumn
very depressed in January/February – not enough light(?)
so: hayfever in spring, homesickness in summer (holiday season, most friends are expatriates as myself and go back to their countries), backpain (slipped disc) in autumn and depression in winter
Any particular fears, as for animals, thunder, ligthnigs etc.?
No particular fears.
Any repeating dreams, in the case that there is what are the dreams?
No.
What is your favourite colour?
Changes from yellow to orange red.

Any cravings, aversions, or reactions, from food or to situasions?
No.

What you can think of that makes you feel better or works for you?
A sunny holiday with outdoor activities. Hiking.
And this last thing is of big importance.
Anything peculiar that a doctor or other person would laugh at, if mentioned?
I got pregnant being virgin (I do not often think of this as it happened 22 years ago but since you ask…)
(Other things you may include if appropriate.)
What do you need help with?
I have a slipped intervertebral disc (L5-S1) that presses the sciatic nerve. What started as a vague pain in the gluteus some three months ago has now extended to the whole left leg and foot. I have tried fisiotherapy and fascial therapy (kinesiotherapy) with some relief in terms of mobility in the second month, but the muscles seem to be stubbornly stiff and do not let go the area of the hernia. I see no progress in the last month.

What kind of person are you? Happy, sad, busy, content, fearful etc.?
Introverted, some friends, not very talkative, trying to keep busy, like going out and have fun.
The mental and/or emotional state that accompanies any illness is important to explain.
Tell about your history in order of time, include Childhood problems
Illnesses
Chickenpox, measles, mumps.
From childhood till 16: periodic liver disruption, every three to four months, slowly going green/yellowish until reaching crisis point (24 hour vomits with bile, slight fever), followed by a week’s recovery on diet (chicken broth, carrots, potatoes, rice and soda biscuits) and then back to ‘normal’ until the next time.
At 16 I got hepatitis from drinking from other person’s contaminated glass (not openly ill yet). After the average convalescence the analysis to discharge me as patient showed some malfunctioning of the liver still going on and after questioning from the doctor my prior liver history surfaced. I got treatment of glucose (or dextrose? Cannot remember) injections plus something else twice a day for two weeks and the analysis showed full recovery. I took Litrison for about one year. I had a relapse one year later and got some medication. I have had no problems with my liver since, eat and drink anything, never again vomited or went yellow.
Normal and healthy adult life, six pregnancies, of which first complete, second miscarriage, third complete, fourth and fifth miscarriages, sixth complete and double! Children’s ages: 21, 14, 7 and 7.
Last pregnancy (1993) was complicated. First, there was an unusual loss of watery-like liquid in the second month that I thought could lead to another miscarriage. Fortunately it was not so and the subsequent echo confirmed the continuation of the pregnancy, which had turned out to be double. Second, in months 5 and 6 I had urticaria on both legs, with no apparent cause despite thorough skin analysis. The only relief came from bandaging the whole leg tightly till it hurt (doctor’s prescription) 24 hours a day to reduce superficial blood circulation. After two weeks of this method the urticaria receded and slowly went off. Third, waters broke four weeks early, but babies were not born until four days later, despite attempts to induce labour. Labour set on unaided, natural delivery. Fourth, I developed a lung embolism 5 days after giving birth, the doctors could not find a thrombose in the legs or lower abdomen (another doctor I consulted later is convinced I had an aseptic thrombose caused by germs piling up since the waters had broken and no penicillin was given). I got heparine and my blood was kept thinner for six months afterwards. When I finished with the blood thinning treatment I got my Fallopian tubes clipped.

‘Hayfever’ every late spring since 1995: runny nose, itching eyes, sneezing. I have taken antihistamines every time to relieve symptoms with varied success.

Repeated (+/- 5) episodes of acute cystitis (terrible pain upon urinating, bloody tissue discharge) for about two years (1997-1998). I took different antibiotics each time. Last episode (January 1999) I took Natrium Muriaticum LM6 (shaken before each dose) for 5 days and got it under control but developed afterwards a terrible rash/itching in my genital area, with foul smell and spots of raw flesh/open skin that was only relieved while menstruating. It went on for some months. In August 1999 I visited the gynecologist and he found a generalized infection of the vagina and the cervix and conducted a cauterization. I had had a painful swollen abdomen for two years that I had attributed to a combination of age, muscular lassitude, being overweight and bad digestion. The swelling went down and the pain disappeared after the cauterization and so did the rash and open skin. The itching has occasionally come back, though milder.
In March 2000 I went for a medical control as I suffered from swelling in the legs –no obvious liquid retention- and pain in the soles of the feet first thing in the morning. The tests revealed a liver larger than normal, probably caused by the hepatitis, probably by a faulty diet, and some overweight. They also showed two cysts in the outer walls of the womb, and iron-deficiency anaemia, probably caused by heavy menstrual bleeding partly the result of the cysts.
In April I started exercising (tennis and tae bo) with a view to keeping fit, building up muscle and getting more active, preparing for a hiking trip to the Andes. This sudden outburst of activity led immediately to back pain, and as it did not go away but worsened I had to see the doctor in late May, he prescribed painkillers and muscle relaxants which were of no help. In July I had stopped with the exercising and tried acupuncture as the pain in the gluteus seemed to make my hiking trip difficult. At about this time my 35 kg daughter lost her balance on a stool and fell on top of my neck/back –I was leaning forward- and my back hurt like hell. After 4 sessions of acupuncture the pain had extended to the thigh and the doctor referred me to a neurologist to discard an hernia. The tests (MRI) confirmed a L5-S1 left hernia and a L4-L5 disc displacement in the center that did not compromise nerves. Tests of motricity and nervous conductivity showed normal. An operation was not advisable, I had to keep moving, avoid carrying weights, jumping, jogging, etc.
I went hiking with my rucksack, my husband and my two older children the last week of July. ‘Luckily’ my son fell ill after the first 30 minutes of the 4-day long journey and we had to engage mules to go back. The rest of the trip was hiking without rucksack other than taking it to and from hotels and trains. I wore a corset the whole trip.
Coming back in mid August I did not feel the pain had worsened but I definitely felt uncomfortable when sitting (after 20 hours flight plus 4 hours taxi ride). The best was walking or riding a bike. However, I started to get stiff and ten days later I could hardly get out of bed or go anywhere/do anything without pain in the whole leg and back. I went to the doctor, got some painkillers, NS anti-inflammatory drugs and vitamine B, plus a referral to the fisiotherapist. I have added the kinesiotherapy to the list following a friend’s advice and feel considerably better than six weeks ago but the pain is still there.
It has all the time hurt as I laughed, not as I coughed or sneezed. This last week it is hurting also if I sneeze while sitting. It hurts when I get annoyed or worried or when I get bad news or reprimand the children.
Accidents
No.
Operations
Laparoscopic sterilization. 2 curettages after miscarriages.
Vaccinations
Vaccines: against smallpox, polio, difteria, tetanus.
List symptoms: When did they begin? Are they old symptoms or new symptoms?
Did anything lead up to them?
Anything unusual about them that you can think of?
What do your symptoms feel like?
Metal crunching of my nerve in the inner part of the shin, scouring of the lower outer leg (above the ankle), tinkling of my toes, intense pain in the outer thigh, a big sea urchin in my sacrum.
Any other symptoms that may seem unrelated?
Very much related in time and because I have never had it before: the rash in the upper neck. It set on in September, disappeared beginning October and is coming back again.

What time of the day do you feel better or worse?
Almost no difference, although better in the mornings because I go to fisio or kinesiotherapy four mornings a week altogether. I feel great as I finished the day and get to bed.

How is your sleep?
It varies. There have been nights when I hardly slept because of the pain and could not find a right, comfortable position (20%). Other nights I have slept wonderfully and feel no pain when waking up (20%). The rest I sleep reasonably well but feel the same pain in the morning.

Family illnesses.
Father currently with inguinal hernia and tachycardia.
Mother currently with osteoporosis and broken hip (with prothesis), probable hernia in the back too.
Sister had skin cancer which was removed (melanoma on the cheek).

one dose thuja 200, once only, report back after 3 days.

Thank you GM, I'll be going to look for some tomorrow. Does anybody know how I can get hold of this remedy in the Netherlands (near Maastricht), please?

Hi Trilce,
I don't know where in Netherlands, but if you don't find anywhere there, that carries the remedy and the potency that you need, you can always try Freeman's Pharmacy. Freeman's is located in Scotland, and they carry a wide range of remedies. They will airmail it to you - also, I've found them to be very very helpful when I've needed to ask any questions. Just ask for Dr Kayne - he's the manager and always helps.
email is: orders@freechem.co.uk

good luck
Lisa

Thank you Lisa

GM, this is the update as she mailed it to me:

"I took 3 Thuja 200C on Monday. I also had a very warm bath, had my back massaged afterwards, went to bed early and slept very well.
Tuesday the pain in the leg was less than the days before, the back was 'less heavy'. No warm bath, no massage, tension, went to bed late, slept badly.
Wednesday I had to rush to places for two hours first time in the morning, by 10 am I was exhausted and in pain (back and leg). Warm bath, massage, relaxation. In the afternoon the pain receded a little bit. Slept OK.
Thursday I had massage early in the morning, went shopping for three hours without rush, laid in bed for 40 minutes after lunch because my back was tired and did some exercise there. As I am sitting, the pain in the toes and the foot sole is almost gone, the scouring of the outer left leg and the pain in the outer tigh is still there but less intense, the inside of the shin is less tender, the see urchin is still in my sacrum but is not so spiky, more like a stone now. As I walk, I still feel stiff in the back and in the gluteus, more marked when climbing up stairs. Even though, it is better than before.
New developments: growing itching in the genitals.
What next?"

She also asked me if she had to avoid red wine. I looked in the archives but the only counterindications I found for thuja were taking nux and smoking pot!

TIA, Trilce

Onions also do not go well with the Thuja patient.

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Onions also do not go well with the Thuja patient.

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Tea causes headaches in a Thuja patient and so should be avoided.

Just wait now, it works..

This is great! I´ve believed in homoeopathy for the past three years from reading about cases and because the principles made sense to me, but this is the first time it´s actually worked for someone I know. My mother says she feels the way she felt in July, when she was just beginning to get back pain. She´s feeling even better now than when she reported back three days ago.