Ferrum sulphuricum Case
A 35 year old woman comes because she suffers from tiredness < exertion and in the evening around 10 o’clock. She is also anaemic, more so since pregnancy. Her menses have always been copious, which was worse when she had an IUD.
Sometimes she has a pain in her right lower abdomen and she is constipated from time to time.
Past history: When she was taking her final school exams she got glandular fever, with severe sore throat, which made it almost impossible to swallow. She couldn’t tolerate fat food.
Many ear infections as a child.
Frequent sore throats, < when she is busy. It starts on one side.
General characteristics:
Temperature: changeable: when inside she feels too hot, when outside she feels too cold. She likes fresh air, sea, mountains.
Doesn’t like thunderstorms. Very little perspiration.
Time: < 9 pm.
Desires: spices (2), sweet, meat, eggs. Very thirsty.
Aversion: milk. < fat and sugar. < beans, cabbage, cheese, coffee
(it makes her stomach feel bloated).
Menses: once every three times she gets headaches.
Sleep: difficulty falling asleep during stressful times. Sleeps on her right side.
Relationship: this has been a problem for years. She moved in with her boyfriend and that is when the problems started. Whenever she had an opinion about something important he felt very threatened and emotional. Although he was a very creative and gifted man, he wanted a lot of attention from her. When they had a child she thought that they would both take part in bringing it up. But she had to carry the burden alone and she resented this. She used to get very angry every time he withdrew. In the end she moved out with her child.
She has also had a strange dream. In this dream her friend picked her up from a party and very sneakily took her to the town hall to get married.
She had a previous relationship with a similar type of man: very gifted but making no effort to build up a good relationship. When she said she wanted to finish the relationship he threatened to commit suicide, which he did not do in fact.
Mind: She used to be a wild girl. She came from a very conservative family and her father sometimes slapped her face, calling her a whore.
She can get very angry and start throwing things, particularly when people don’t respect her boundaries, her space.
Analysis
The analysis can be very brief: someone who is anaemic and who has relationship problems, that is Ferrum and Sulphur, therefore Ferr-s. Of course this explanation is not sufficient, but it can serve us to get on to the idea of Ferr-s.
There are several indications for Ferrum: copious menses, red cheeks, desire for meat, < cold and a persevering and strong type of person. The irritability when her boundaries are not respected is also a symptom of Ferrum. For Sulphur we have the confirming symptoms: desire for spices and sweets, outside and the selfish, demanding behaviour.
The theme of the group analysis of Ferrum sulphuricum is quite clear in this case. She is very concerned about the relationship and she works hard to build something up. She knows what she wants and she puts a lot of effort into it, demanding the same from her boyfriend. Her disappointment when the education of their child doesn’t go the way she had envisioned it, is an obvious cause of her complaints. She felt that they should work together bringing up the child, but because he withdrew from his responsibilities she felt that the whole burden rested on her shoulders.
Reaction
After Ferr-s 1M she felt much quieter and less hurried. There is a difference in the way she reacts when something in the relationship doesn’t go the way she wants it. She is now able to be relaxed about it and they have more respect for each other. She can also say no when he demands too much of her attention. Recently she left her child with him for the first time for a whole weekend, while she went out. She sees possibilities that she did not see before. She is not so afraid of her tiredness anymore, she feels that her base is more solid. She feels that she won’t be so irritable anymore.