Cypripedium parviflorum
Remedy code: 3-633.72.02
A 62-year-old woman had previously been prescribed Lobelia-inflata and Ailantes due to muscle pain in her shoulders, bursitis in both shoulders after prolonged use of crutches, stomach issues, and a restless heart, and leg cramps. She was doing well. Then, a few months later, her partner suddenly passed away. Her voice became monotonous, analytical, and searching for the right words (noteworthy because she is a musician). "I am now in the eye of the storm." She again experienced severe leg cramps, so intense at night that she felt it all day. The pain started in the foot and moved upward, lasting all day like a shadow pain. Her neck cracked, and her shoulders were also involved. She was functional but cried a lot and had many things to arrange. She wanted to keep control. She slept very little, waking up after a few hours with a startled realization, "It's true," followed by a sense of urgency. This happened repeatedly, as if she were being woken by a phone call. It all happened so fast. She recounted the story of her partner, detailing everything, becoming fully engrossed, and losing all vocal strength. They had both been volunteers at terminal care, which made it surreal. By evening, she was completely exhausted, overwhelmed by the support and interactions with many people. Her sleep remained poor, sometimes a few hours a night, sometimes none at all. She experienced pain in her foot, fingers, and sensitivity in her jaws, grinding her teeth at night. She feared that once everything settled, it would become even harder to bear. She dreaded what the future would bring. She was alone again, a feeling she knew well, as every few years someone close to her dies, parents, siblings. Usually, she was calm and sad, but she could also have emotional outbursts, throwing things around the room. Her inner foot was painful. She felt aimless. Upon waking, she felt adrenaline and trembling, which persisted in her muscles during the day.
Analysis
Silicon series: What occupies her, what is her world—partner, and family, as an orientation. The theme is family, contact, partner, someone you can touch and feel unity with.
Phase 7: Loss, death.
Subphase 2: Unclear, uncertain (her feelings, future, the bearing).
Stage 2: This is reflected in feelings of powerlessness (Barium), explosions (Magnesium), and feeling overwhelmed (Strontium). Rubric: 'sleepless, thoughts' also suggests the remedy Cypripedium. Argentum metallicum and Radium metallicum had no effect. In the past, she responded well to Argentum cyanatum. Prescription Cypripedium parviflorum C200.
Follow-up
After six weeks, the painful, inflamed finger was better within two days. The cramped feeling was gone; she no longer woke up every morning with jaw clenching and muscle tension. Her sleep improved. Shoulders remained a problem, especially in cold weather. She often still had cramps in her feet and shins, requiring her to get up but then she could sleep well again. She no longer had explosive outbursts, though she still felt irritation but kept it in check. She no longer woke up startled. The inner turmoil persisted; as time passed since her partner's death, she now mentioned his first name for the first time, it had more impact; no longer having conversations or his presence. She struggled with words, restarting sentences multiple times as if she had not yet fully verbalized her grief or talked much about it. Occasionally, she still felt the adrenaline rush, as the sensation of an elevator rising and then suddenly stopping. Recently, she had a few days of bladder pain, but nothing was wrong. She continued to do well, and I did not see her again until two years later for an infection.