A Case Of Mr Grandmal With OCN
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 2000 Mar / Apr VOL II NO 2.
Dr Sumit Chatterjee
'

Case-1: My cousin, Mr R now 40 y, has been mentally retarded (MR) since birth with c/o epileptic seizures and of late, occasional episodes of gastric troubles. But he has been troubling his family members most with his habits of obsessive compulsions.

Past History Pt was born FT, foot presentation, with (?) head injury (investigations later confirmed this). So, probably, the c/o MR and (?) Epilepsy was since birth. Insomnia; child cried much. Convulsions started after 10th month's vaccine < with moon tidings. TABC vaccine, given later on caused a severe allergic rash all over the body (after this, no more vaccines given).

All Mile Stones: delayed. Walking- 2 ½ years, uttered single words ('Ma') but further speech developed only after 9th year. Tendency to run out of the house, violent-breaking of things, throwing small kids across the room (I was one of his victims, and lucky to be alive today!), with obstinacy, shouting. He had great love for music.

Allopathic Rx at Vellore from 9th - 14th year helped him much - convulsions stopped, violence less and speech better. But because of distance (Calcutta to Vellore) the treatment could not be continued. Further allopathic Rx at Calcutta helped only in retrograde progress (violence <, convulsions <).

At this point of time, Homoeopathic Rx was sought and proved beneficial. Previous prescriptions, over last 10-12 years were- Stram, Hyos, Cicuta, Coffea, Cuprum, Thuja, Staph., Sulphur, Tarentula etc. (not in order). But no attempt was made to taper or stop the allopathic anti-epileptic drugs, in spite of the improvement in the patient's general condition (violence >, convulsions >). Since 1993, the dose of anti-epileptic drugs had to be doubled.

The author was approached in 1995 for the c/o obsessive compulsions which our patient must have mildly some time ago, but it now reached a level of intolerance. The violence was tamed but only to be replaced by the unmanageable obsessions - all day long he would move around his mother and sister-in-law, setting right their sarees, making them repeat certain lines/words time and that too in a particular manner and tone. If not obliged, he would get angry, start shouting and reel off some other lines himself continuously for a long time, or stamp his feet repeatedly.

If in a happy mood, he would caress people, smell their dresses or tap their heads/shoulders with his fingers constantly, enjoying them squeak with pain. He is fastidious about keeping all the doors and gates locked properly and inspecting them time and again. He has to tightly close all the water taps, the lids and caps of various utensils and bottles. The dresses people wear, the curtains, sofas etc, will all have to be kept right. His "hobby" during "free time" is to peel his skin or pick his nails around the fingers and toes till they become raw and bleed or sit with a needle and thread and stitch invisible tears on his pyjamas! Sometimes, he may not want to sleep at night or go to the loo for days together.

1995 Scope of Homoeopathic Rx: Initially, an attempt was made, whenever his convulsions reduced even a little under the action of Homoeopathic medicines, to reduce the dose of allopathic drugs, but stopping even 1 tablet a day caused an acute exacerbation. Then, since the patient is MR, counseling for his c/o OCN is also ruled out. Hence the scope here in Homoeopathy is palliation.

Various medicines which helped from time to time have been:-

From 09.05.99 to 27.02.2000 patient had gastralgias with 2-3 episodes of haematemesis (? Bleeding G. Ulcer A/F irregular food timings, again due to patient's whimsical state of mind). Nux-v 200 - 10 M and Phos-30 (all single and infrequent doses) also Hamamelis "Q" helped partially. Last dose of Anacardium- 200(on 27.02.2000 did him a great deal of good. The occasional episodes of bleeding piles were helped with Ham 'Q' and 200.

Last on 30.03.2000 - Carcinosin 200- 1 dose was given on the advice of my teacher, Dr Kasim Chimthanawala. The obsessions and convulsions are much less for nearly 2 m. He is under observation. The family members (esp. Mother and Sister-in-law) have been advised not to pay heed to his demands and try to try and train the patient to learn a few things on his own - bathing, dressing etc.

Conclusion: the obsessions have been managed with our medicines from time to time whenever there have been exacerbations. The convulsions have also not worsened since 1993 (when allopathic dosage had to be doubled). Treatment has been palliative all along (for obvious constraints) and the family members are happy and contented. However, the author would be grateful if any of the readers could come up with better suggestions.

Case-2: Cleanliness Is.... Next To Madness?
This is a recent case. Mrs B, aged 75 years, had come to me some 1½ years ago at a charitable dispensary, with an anxiety - wrought face, with c/o typical long-standing syphilitic headaches (Dusk to dawn). Syphilinum 200-infrequently helped her for a long time. Later there was no follow up and patient disappeared.

Recently, after all these yrs, the patient's daughter who stays with her, sought my help again. A hypertensive and hypothyroid, the patient was being shown to a Psychiatrist for quite some time for her C/o Insomnia and some "manias". But of late, her "manias" have been making her daughter go "mad".

Our patient now tends to worry over silly things, anxiety for other family members: when they go to work, she keeps asking for them every minute. If anybody falls ill, then she would keep asking his symptoms! She's become obsessed with cleanliness now - the toilets are cleaned repeatedly during the day, the washed utensils are re-washed and the dusted furniture are again wiped. After the maid has cleaned the floor, our patient would back up with another bucket of water herself, etc. She worries if all the doors and windows are locked properly; because of which, she can't rest peacefully (be it day or night); even a double dose of tranquilizers can't stop her from making an inspection in the middle of the night!

All this history the daughter gave me in the absence of the patient; the patient was not willing to come though she agreed to "try some homoeopathic medicines" for her "disturbed sleep". Her nocturnal headaches have returned and obviously, the daughter also is having a big HA now!

Rubrics selected-

·         Anxiety, trifles over (Cares, trifles over).

·         Anxiety, Hypochondriacal.

·         Fastidiousness.

·         Rest, cannot, when things are not at the right place.

A dose each of Arsenic-alb 200 on 28.04.2000 and 1 M on 5-5 was given. When last reported on 08.05.2000, the patient has already been calmed to 80%.

Conclusion: Complaints were of recent onset, hence the rapid improvement under Homoeopathic treatment. But her anxiety-prone temperament might again cause a relapse under unfavorable circumstances; so, a Psycho-counseling should be advised to be able to deal with daily life and prevent further relapses.

Though both these cases have short follow up, yet considering the nature of their complaints and the response, I felt emboldened to report them.

Editor comments: In cases of these types, a deep -acting anti-psoric, in Hahnemann's language, ie an anti-miasmatic is necessary to strengthen and help the initial prescriptions