An Angry Lady with an Ulcer

I received a visit from Mrs. M. L. for the first time in April 2004.  However I know her by sight, because I often saw her in the neighborhood. She always looked unhappy, unfortunately. She walked with a heavy handbag in her right hand and a large bandage at her left ankle. If she was speaking with anyone, she seemed always to be angry. It was a contrast between an angry and a sad expression.

“I am just coming for information. My dermatologist said that you could help me with Homeopathy. My dermatologist is my only friend and I am coming to please her. But I don’t think that you could help me. Never have physicians helped me. My husband died suddenly in 1999 from a cardiac failure, and to this day I am still sad and in shock.  The physician who treated him was so nasty, so harsh, that I registered a complaint against him. The hospital apologized, but it was not enough. I will have revenge.”

“And about my ankle, it is an accident. In 2000, the water company was working in my street. A trench was running along my house and I fell into it.  My wounded ankle didn’t heal and now there is a very painful ulcer. For the last four years I have been suing the water company. “

In her handbag, she shows me the documents to prove it.

“I often have anxiety, that I feel in my abdomen, for example, when I think of my lawsuits”.

A long silent moment…  I then try to say that I feel so sorry for her.  I offer to look at the ulcer, but she abruptly says: “You’ll just have to call my dermatologist, to know if you can do anything for me”.   Then she leaves.

I did not get in touch with the dermatologist right away, because I was wondering how I was going to handle such aggressive behavior from this patient. Finally I called the dermatologist.  We had a patient in common who I had been helped with Mercurius Solubiulis. She tried this remedy for other patients, but it obviously did not work. I tried to explain to her that in Homeopathy we had to individualize the remedy and that prescribing “recipes” would not work. After a few moments of reflection she asked me if I would try to help Mrs. M. L.,  and that we could work together.  I immediately accepted her proposal.

And here again is  Mrs. M.L. She begins to speak aggressively, but I interrupted her, looking at her gently but firmly, staring her in her eyes to tell that I understood her anger and that seeing her walking, I think she must suffer much and for a long time. I asked if we could speak to each other in a friendly manner, so that I could  try to help her. I rarely saw a look as surprised. The heavy black clouds about her fell and her angry expression turned to one of understanding.

She was born in 1940, had no children and was a retired executive secretary. I will able to learn that she is physically very chilly, very sensitive to the cold and loves  fat. There is nothing else particular otherwise, except for asthma in adolescence.

Now I examined her ankle to view the ulcer.  It covered an area the size of the palm of a hand. There had been blood on the dressing. Our patient had very low serum iron, low ferritin, microcytic anaemia and chronic loss of blood.

This ulcer which had a fetid odor had irregular edges and was deep with patches of exuberant granulation. It bled from the slightest touch. The pains were intense, “like splinters” and worse at night.

I found this description of a Nitric Acid ulcer in Farrington’s M.M.: “The ulcers calling for Nitric. Acid are offensive and characteristically irregular in outline, and tend to dig deeply. That is a sufficient distinction from the ordinary preparation of Mercurius, with produces a superficial flat ulcer. These ulcers of Nitric. Acid are very apt to be filled with profuse exuberant granulations. They bleed readily from the slightest touch.  The pains are of a stitching character, as if a splinter were sticking into the affected parts. They are often associated with burning pains. The ulcers are worse from the application of cold water.”

With such an obvious totality of symptons in favour of Ntric. Acid., it did not seem useful to make a list, which I did afterwards “for the fun of it”.

And thus, our patient received Nitricum Acidum 30 K.

Mrs. M. L. called to me to tell me (rather gently) her anxiety at having an episode of asthma, as she used to get.  And then:  “I do not know if it is your remedy, but it’s been a long time since I felt so good.”

As for this ulcer, it became cleaner and slowly closed over four to five months.

Mrs. M. L. came again (in 2007) with an acute bronchitis, and she received Nitricum Acidum 31 K.

I feel happy when I sometimes see her now in the neighborhood. She is mostly  smiling, much less angry and her handbag is not so less heavy.

A listing of symptoms  “for the fun of it” (Synthesis 9.1)

1. MIND – PITIES herself
2. MIND – MALICIOUS
3. ABDOMEN – ANXIETY in
4. MIND – DWELLS – past disagreeable occurrences, on
5. MIND – HATRED – revengeful; hatred and
6. MIND –  CONSOLATION – agg.
7. GENERALS – HEAT – lack of vital heat
8. GENERALS – FOOD and DRINKS – fat – desire