A Case of Broncholitis

Date- 5^th January 2016

Pt. name:  R.P.

Age: 14years

Sex: female

Diagnosis: broncholitis with allergic asthma

(P: patient, D: doctor, R: relative)

In clinic:

Patient is sitting in waiting room for her turn. I saw she is very restless, cannot sit in one place, wandering from one place to another.

As soon as her turn came she became happy, she came in my OPD and sat in a chair calmly.

D: Tell me what is happening?

P: I am suffering from cough.

D: Since how long?

P: Since long, I think it does not want to leave me.

D:  Why?

P: I think it is going to kill me.

D:  Who told you this?

P:  My mother told me.

D:  What did she tell you?

P: I listened her talking with my father that since her cough, she is just losing  weight, and by the future she may be dead.

D:  What does it feel like?

P: Nothing, but I’m scared lot. I just want to hide my cough because my mother is getting irritated by my cough. I hide my cough by covering up my mouth when I got cough.

D: By covering, do you really get relief?

P:  Yes. Because no one can see me.

P: Yes. I hide myself that none can see me and none can kill me.

D: Who is going to kill you?

P:  Anyone. Mumma told me that I will get killed.

D:  So what do you feel?

P: I am scared since that day.And I want to hide myself in my room. I don’t want to go my school, I don’t want to go to pool. I just want to remain in my room.

D:  Why, you just want to remain in the room?

P:  It is safe place for me. No onee can come in my room without my permission. And it has two lock from inside. And I can check who is knocking by eye piece.

D: How do you feel outside the room?

P: I feel unsafe, anyone can attack me. Anyone can kill me. I am small so anyone can hurt me.

D: Who can hurt you?

P:  Anyone. My father used to beat me and my mother also. I cannot trust anyone. I even don’t like to sit here with you.  I am also scared by you. But I want to get cured.

D: You got scared from me. Why?

P:  Because you are asking me so much questions about my personal life.

D: I am asking you because I have to treat you and not your disease. Who scares you the most?

P: Anyone.

D: How do you feel in your room?

P: I am safe, I am happy.

D: Tell me more.

P: Actually sad.

D: why?

P: Because my friends are enjoying life. They all go outside for picnic. I want to go outside but I am scared so I avoid all this.

D: How do you feel outside your house?

P:  Actually I feel happy. I want to remain outside but I have fear of any bad things happening to me, so I prefer to remain in my room.

D:  So you want to go out, but feel safe at your home?

P:  Yes. I feel safe at my home. But at the same time I don’t like even to remain in my home.  I feel congested.

D: So actually what is your room for you?

P:  It’s a cage.

D: Cage? Tell me about your cage?

P:  Cage, which provides me a safe feeling in the worst situations and gives me a congested feeling in good situations. Cage is like a shell in which I feel safe but at the same time I feel congested.

D: Tell me what dreams you are getting?

P: I have so many dreams. Dreams of spider. Dreams of a ghost:  A ghost is in my room. I saw him and I hide myself under the blanket. He came near and try to open my blanket. But I tightly wrapped myself with the blanket and he cannot open it.

D: How do you feel in the dream?

P: I feel scared, unsafe. He is going to kill me and I wrapped myself with the blanket. He wanted to kill me but he cannot.

D: So how do you feel under blanket?

P: I feel safe. And after sometime I open my blanket (with hand gesture) slightly to see whether the ghost went away remains here. And then I open my blanket to take a deep breath.

C/o

Initially complaint start from cough and it aggravates in one day to pneumonia

Cough – rattling

Aggravation: slightest change of weather, from cold air, eating during, morning, laughing, lying down, talking while

Amelioration: warm weather, sitting.

On second or third day from cough respiration  is difficult.

Aggravation: lying down, cold air, talking while, laughing while, ascending.

Amelioration: sitting,

Concomitant:  Chest pain – heart region – respiration difficult with

It is just acute paroxysm of chronic disease.

Personal history:

Appetite: decreases during cough

Desire: salt, banana, cold food like ice cream, butter

Aversion: nothing

Thirst: thirst for cold water, large quantities of cold water often

Stool: NAD

Urine: NAD

Perspiration: on scalp and face, salt deposit some times

Sleep: side on

RX:

Venus mercinaria (Clam) 1M 1dose at night, and LM 0/8 morning for 15 days

Patient has been on allopathic medicine since 6months:

1. Tab mosha-L 1night time
2. Budecort inhaler daily night time

1^st follow up (22^nd January, 2016)

No report  of cough, no asthmatic attack.

Mentally – feels free, happy, no fear of ghosts, no dreams, and has less fear of going out.

RX: venus mercinaria LM 0/8 continue for 1month

2^nd follow up: 25^th February, 2016

No cough, no asthmatic attack

Mentally – no fear at all, she can go anywhere with friends, no dreams

RX: Venus mercinaria LM 0/8 continue for 1month

(stopped all allopathic medicines)

3^rd follow up: 4^th march, 2016

In eight days patient came to for her cough.

Cough: rattling

Aggravation from cold air, change of weather, ascending stairs, lying down

Amelioration from sitting up in bed

Patient is restless

RX: bacillinum 1M 3 dose in one day advised her to see me again the next day

Patient stopped all allopathic medicines since 25^th February, 2016

4^th follow up: 5^th march, 2016

Cough is better, no asthmatic attack

Mentally: calm, happy

Slept well

No problem with lying down in bed

Rx: venus mercinaria LM 0/8 continue for 1 month

5^th follow up: 10^th april, 2016

No cough, no asthmatic attack

Dreams: She is swimming in the sea and she is very happy.

RX: venus mercinaria LM 0/8  Discontinue and sac lac in water once a day for 1month

Since the remedy she has not had any cough or asthmatic attack since for over six months.

My Analysis of the case:

Medicine venus mercinaria was prescribed on theme base as under:

1. Animal theme: fear of being attacked by someone, fear of being killed by someone, attack and defense is seen in this case. Defense is by her shell (room/house) feeling safe in the room.
2. Miasm: sycotic. Avoiding situations that require going go out of the house. Covers herself in the dream. Hiding herself in the room to avoid all situations with her family members.
3. Mollusk: Open and closing of shell (blanket), hide herself in shell (blanket), protected in shell, but feels congested, breathless in room (shell). She opens her blanket to see ghost
4. Bivalve: wrapped herself from all sides (hiding in shell). She hides herself in her room which is closed by double lock.

The sensation of venus mercinaria mirrors the patient’s experience.