Page 10 - Summer 14

(continued from page 7)
Rubrics used:-
1 MIND – FEAR – Open spaces; fear of
2 a) MIND – FEAR – Noise, from b) MIND –
SENSITIVE – Noise, to
3 EXTERNAL THROAT – SWELLING
Thyroid gland
4 MIND – MILDNESS
The repertorisation was carried for complete- ness, although it did not play a role in the deci- sion-making of remedy choice. Bob looked like a typical Carcinsosin picture as I understood it, with a gentle mildness; a quiet sympathy; a long history of “parental abuse”; non-competi- tive; sensitive etc. This may have reflected another remedy of the cancer miasm, but, given the presenting pathology and my desire to treat him using Ramakrishnan methodology, I was happy that the remedy Carcinosin would be an appropriate “constitutional remedy” as well as a “cancer- specific”, to run alongside a thyroid- specific remedy.
Carcinosin was chosen as the cancer nosode (with consideration of its appropriateness as a deeper acting remedy for Bob the individual as further indications for its suitability)
Follow-ups
21st April 2010
Brighter, more energy. Quicker reacting at home e.g. when people come to the door, with more barking, especially over the preceding week: “really noticeable”.
Other change is the owner realised he had had a soft cough occasionally when last seen, which had been present for a few weeks, while under owners bed at night, while lying down and if rolling around. This had not been heard for about 2 weeks.
She also confessed to having forgotten to say that he had been stabbed in the region of the right throat [ie close to the thyroid] 4-5 years previously when alone in the woods. He was taken to the vets, “pouring blood”, very upset, “eyes bulging”, head held up.
Question: Effect of stabbing?
Made a full physical recovery but was a lot more worried about going out; quiet and with- drawn. Would not go off on his own for weeks. The improvement in himself had happened really suddenly, about 2 weeks before this appointment. The owner was “really excited”. She felt that he looked better and appeared “less bloated”. He had not been exposed to open spaces or noise, so it was unknown if his fear response had changed.
Thyroid swelling was about the same size (measured as 45mm diameter).
Heart rate was 64/min despite being quietly worried. He also looked overweight (33.4kg). I suggested that the 1st opinion vet check for T4/TSH levels
Treatment
Continue Spongia/Carcinosin as before plus supplements
remedies
This was the last time I actually saw Bob in per- son, all remaining reports were by telephone.
Further telephone reports
31/1/2011 No sign of regrowth. More confident and assertive – in a good way! Still on Transfer Factor and Immunitas, not had homeopathy since the last prescription (i.e. probably stopped all homeopathy at around the end of August).
21/7/2011 No problems. On mushroom (Immunitas) only. Now weighs 28kg. Usual vets call him “the miracle dog!”
7/2/2012 Had episode of vestibular syndrome (“stroke” Sept 2011, recovered quickly. Recent blood test was “good”. Still on K9 Immunitas. No tumour recurrence.
I8/10/2013 He had now had no immune sup- port either for about 18 months. The growth had not recurred, but he was starting to get very stiff. I received a card from the owner to tell me she had taken the decision to euthanase Bob in November 2013 because of his mobility prob- lems. Apart from this problem he had enjoyed good health for the three and a half years since I had last seen him.
Discussion
Thyroid carcinoma
Without the intervention of complementary therapy, Bob was facing a bleak future. The first opinion vets had contacted a specialist oncol- ogy centre. If referred, he was going to face a CT scan to check for lung metastases; an MRI of the neck to assess possible surgical approaches; surgery if it appeared feasible from the MRI and there was no evidence of any spread; then probable radiotherapy/ chemotherapy following this. The mass was rel- atively mobile, although attached to the jugular vein; removal of a mobile thyroid carcinoma which has not metastasised could be “cura- tive”, according to the specialist: those which
As a side issue, I still am not quite happy with the term “constitutional remedy, which I feel is banded about with too much freedom, but further discussion of this is beyond the scope of this article.
Treatment
Rammakrishnan-style alternating Carcinosin 200c / Spongia 200c, qid after plussing as directed, for 5 days each with a one day gap between the remedies.
K9 Immunitas (medicinal mushroom mix) K9 Immune Factor (Transfer Factor) Switch to organic foods
Spongia was chosen as a thyroid specific rem- edy (as recommended by Ramakrishnan); this remedy also has a lot of fear in its mental pic- ture; also being “dependent on an individual, though not wanting to be (according to Mangialavori, quoted in Prisma). Interesting!
28th July 2010
The thyroid test carried out by the first opinion vet had shown a low thyroxine level and raised TSH, consistent with hypothyroidism, so thyroid replacement therapy had been commenced, at 0.6mg bid, shortly after my previous consulta- tion. His weight had fallen by 10% (3kg).
More energy.
More confident; goes ahead more; still wor- ried by bangs.
Owner had not even felt for the lump since I last saw him, as was too worried(!). A friend came and said she could not feel it. Taken to 1st opinion vet who was also unable to find it, only a local “thickening”.
Heart rate 74/min.
No mass palpable at previous site. Possibly some fibrous-type reaction only.
Weight 30.7 (down from 33.9)
Treatment
Continue as before but reduced to bid for both
are firmly attached can survive for up to a year. It would seem unlikely that full excision could have been achieved considering the intimate involvement of the jugular vein. Estimated costs between £6,200 and £7,700, if radiotherapy and chemotherapy were carried out, depending on the costs of surgery (if done). Potential costs to Bob - far greater!
According to Kirk’s Current Veterinary Therapy, if no definitive treatment is undertaken with canine thyroid carcinoma patients, then reported survival rates vary from 1 to 38 weeks, with one study in 2002 suggesting a median survival time of 3 months post diagnosis. As mentioned previously, surgical excision of freely mobile masses can give survival times of 2-3 years (presumably a “cure” in the specialist oncologist’s eyes). If adherent to any adjacent tissues (in this case, the jugular vein) Kirk’s view is that surgery should not be undertaken, as the risk to damage of adjacent tissues is too great
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