Umbilicus rupestris

Case 2.3
By Vera Kopksy from Wadstorie I

In October 1999 a woman consulted me, 65 years old, because of very strange complaints. She has “disturbance” in the stomach region that put her whole body out of balance. It starts suddenly like an electric tension in the stomach and rises up through the neck to the forehead; like the spring of a clock jumping back and forth from the tooth to the head. She feels unwell and insecure, as if she faints. She starts trembling, shaking like a dog. She is pale, cold with perspiration, light in the head; she has a dry mouth and fear of death. Her legs are feeling weak and she can fall down any moment. Sometimes her left leg feels absent, and she would fall to the right side. The only thing she can do is lie down and wait until it’s over. After this she has distension in the abdomen and flatulence.
The attacks last approximately one hour, with a frequence of two or three times a day. It can appear early in the morning, during the day when she is shopping or working at home, or it can wake her up at night. She does not see any relation with stress, physical activity, food intake or weather.
Her complaints started in 1992 on the way to the hospital where she visited her son with a jaw fracture. During a soccer game, he got injured and she was even now still very upset about it. “ Such a hard blow, right in the face. Why is there so much violence in the game? Poor boy!”

The woman has a normal posture, has short blond and grey hair, a firm and sober expression in the face: a realistic no nonsense person. Striking is her slight head tremor, of which she is not aware. She is a chilly person, and usually does not perspire. She fears stormy weather, diseases, and swimming. Her desires are sweets, pastry and fruit.

She is married, a housewife, and has two sons now 29 and 32 years old. When her daughter was 6 years old, she had an accident in the swimming pool. After 12 years of being in coma, she died. She thinks of her daughter regularly when she sees small children or her grand children.
Her husband suffered from two heart attacks in 1995 and February 1999. It happened at home in the bedroom when she was sleeping next to him. She woke up when she heard a strange rattling noise and saw him rising up in pain from the pillow. It was the same rattling noise her father made when he was dying. She thought that her husband would also die. Now she is very anxious about his health and afraid to leave him at home alone.

Medical anamnese: 1977 varices extirpation from her legs.
1993 operation and radiation of mamma carcinoma right.
Family anamnese: Mother and mother’s brother had stomach carcinoma.
Medication: Seresta, Rivotril, Carbamazepine. Since the use of these medicines, the attacks occurre only during the day. The neurological examination, as well as the results of EEG and CT-scan did not reveal any abnormalities.

Analyses:
Behind the firm expression of the face there is lot of grief, pain, anxiety about her family, which is triggered again by her son’s accident.
First prescription October 1999: Ignatia 6 LM once a day
Reaction one month later: nothing changed

The remedy
During repertorisation I found a very bizarre symptom: delusion, body parts absent: Cotyledon
Second prescription November 1999: Cotyledon K 30 once a week
Reaction: she has good days and bad days: one day without attacks, another day the complaints are the same. Now she can feel the ‘disturbance’ coming. The symptom of the missing leg is absent.

Third prescription December 1999: continue Cotyledon K 30 once a week.
Reaction January 2000: Less complaints, the disturbance in the stomach is once or twice a week, the intensity is diminished.
Advice: continue Cotyledon K 30 once a week.
March 2000: she cancelled the consultation due to the hospitalisation of her husband.
In August 2000 I inquired about her health. The complaints have totally disappeared. Since March she does not use any medication anymore.