Clinical Cases

Intussusception in a Boy of 13

Written by Monica Frohmann

Homeopath Monica Frohmann shares a case of intussusception in a boy of 13.  Ileus, paralysis of intestines and emaciation with ravenous appetite were among the symptoms leading to the simillimum.

Summary:

This is a boy age 13 who presented in hospital with severe abdominal pains.  Many visits to the doctor in previous weeks to months resulted only in prescription laxatives with no effect.  The pains became so severe that he was admitted to hospital.  Ultrasound revealed intussusception. The case was taken over the phone because parents are in hospital with their son.

Case:

January 15, 2016

My son has been having stomach problems ever since he had a stomach virus 5 or 6 months ago.  It seems like he never fully recovered.  Although at the time he was having diarrhea and was also given antibiotics, once the severe part was over, the opposite happened.

He started having big problems going to the bathroom.  The doctor prescribed magnesium and psyllium husk at first but that didn’t help.  We try to get him to drink as much water as possible but it is not enough to help with the constipation.

Later the doctor gave us Restoralax but still no improvement in the stool.  The stool is always hard and lumpy and black.  We’ve had a stool sample done but there was nothing unusual. He is losing weight.  It seems like he can eat well and always seems to be hungry, but he doesn’t keep the weight on.  Since Christmas he has lost 6 lbs., he is getting very thin.

The pain in the abdomen had been getting worse in the last week until we ended up in hospital.  They diagnosed a bowel obstruction with a telescoping of the bowel in the right upper abdomen.  The doctors want to operate but we’re very scared.

He has so much pain and he says it goes from the right side of his abdomen just below the ribs all the way through to the back. The doctor says that the obstruction is in the right upper area of the intestines and the lower intestines are empty.  They have scared us and they make us worry he will not survive.

Our son is looking very pale and almost yellowish in the face. He looks very scared.  His pain is better when he rubs the area, but not really by much.  Since the pain has been so severe, he has not been able to eat or drink.

Rubrics:

ABDOMEN; ILEUS, obstruction of intestines; intussusception (29)

GENERALITIES; EMACIATION; appetite; ravenous, with (44)

FACE; DISCOLORATION; sallow (79)

ABDOMEN; ILEUS, obstruction of intestines; paralysis of intestines (14)

Prescription:

I chose Plumbum 200C and delivered it to the patient’s parents.

Symptoms to support Plb:

Yellowing of the skin.

Pains from front to back.

Ileus.

Rapid emaciation with good appetite.

Stools hard, lumpy, black; like sheep dung.

Pains > rubbing.

They gave the remedy every 15 minutes for 4 doses (the instructions were to repeat the remedy every 15 minutes until pain is resolved or significantly better and then contact me within 4 hours). After 4 dry doses, the patient’s pain had improved by 90%.

He was able to drink without pain and was sitting up. About one hour later, the pain started to return and the remedy was repeated. After another hour, the doctor that had indicated that surgery would be necessary, repeated the ultrasound because the boy was doing so well.

The ultrasound revealed that the intussusception had resolved and the bowel obstruction was gone. He remained in hospital for observation for 48 hours. Requirements for the release from hospital were that he was pain free, and was able to pass stool normally. His first bowel movement occurred the next morning while still in hospital. The stool still had the typical Plumbum appearance – hard, lumpy and black.

Further testing was done to determine that the obstruction was cleared and no other issues remained. By the next day (Jan. 17) George was released from hospital with instructions from me to repeat the remedy daily in water with 10 succussions and to contact me at the first sign of worsening of symptoms. Medical doctors instructed the family to give Restorolax daily.

The family had weekly appointments with me for the next 4 weeks, to follow-up closely what George’s condition was.

 Follow-up 1: January 25, 2016 : George is doing well, stools seem to be passing normally and without pain. We have chosen to discontinue all stool softeners and laxatives. His colour is coming back, the yellowish hue to the skin is improving. If you didn’t know George, you wouldn’t know that he was still a little yellow.

RX: continue Plb. 200C in water, 10 succussions daily.

Follow-up 2: February 1, 2016 : George continues to improve. His appetite is excellent. He is no longer yellow at all, bowel movements are coming naturally and the colour, size and consistency of the stool is normal. He has gained 2 pounds.

RX: continue Plb. 200C in water, 10 succussions daily.

Follow-up 3: February 8, 2016 : George is the boy we are used to! He has his normal mental state again, not as drowsy and slow as he was. We realized that he seemed to have no stamina already weeks before the acute problem occurred. Now his energy is really coming back and he is going out and playing ball. His cheeks are no longer sunken and he has gained another pound. Appetite, thirst and stool are normal.  Appetite is no longer excessive.

RX: continue Plb. 200C in water, 10 succussions daily.

Follow-up 4: February 22, 2016:  George’s energy is excellent. He continues to gain weight and we think he’s back to his original weight. He is keeping his regular schedule at school, and has resumed his team sport which is soccer. His dad and I are still very nervous that something could come back but he really seems healthier now than he did before the acute event that ended with us being in hospital.

RX: Discontinue the daily dosing and resume only at the first sign of a problem with the stool. Contact me immediately if symptoms relapse.

Conclusion:

George never had a relapse of symptoms and never required a repetition of the Plumbum after the 3rd follow-up. He and his family are still patients 6 years later and use homeopathy as their primary source of healthcare. George is of a healthy weight and height, dealt well with puberty and does well in school.  The family is very pleased with homeopathy in general.

About the author

Monica Frohmann

Monica Frohmann is a graduate of the Canadian College of Homeopathic Medicine in Toronto, Ontario and has been practicing homeopathy and teaching since 1999. She became interested in homeopathy when she herself was treated successfully for a long-standing chronic illness. She now lives in Austria and currently runs her practice virtually, treating patients from all over the world.

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