Case Histories
Please Note: Information and statements made on this website and all the associated literature are for educational purposes only and are not intended to replace general medical advice received by your health care practitioner or GP. We aim to assess, care for, but not cure any disease. If you have a medical condition, it is recommended that you consult your physician of choice. The case histories on this website are not proof that acupuncture can treat or cure any particular disease, they are merely representative of people’s personal experiences of having acupuncture with Lucy.
Names have been changed and all patients have agreed to having their case history on the website.
Stroke Rehabilitation
September 2011
Erna collapsed and was rushed to hospital in January 2010. She had had a stroke which affected the left side of her body. When I first saw her in July 2011, a year and a half after her stroke, she presented with the following symptoms:
• Difficulty lifting her left arm up
• Weakness of her left arm
• Difficulty moving her left leg (she could bend it very slowly and pull it towards her body)
• Weakness of her left leg
• Poor balance
• Difficulty sitting up
• Dizziness
• Depression
• Fatigue and feeling weak
• Loss of appetite
When I met Erna, she was lying in bed, unable to sit up on her own, let alone get out of bed without help. She had been like this for over a year with no improvement and described her symptoms as slowly getting worse. She looked pale, lethargic and depressed. Her goal was to be able to walk, even if it was very slowly, with the help of a Zimmer frame.
After one session of acupuncture and moxibustion (moxa) she was able to sit up in bed on her own.
After two sessions she felt stronger and better in herself, wasn’t crying anymore, looked a lot brighter and had more strength in her arms and legs.
After five sessions she was eating better, feeling stronger, able to raise her left arm significantly higher than before, had better balance and didn’t feel as ‘giddy’.
After six sessions she is now walking around the living room. She needs two people either side of her to support her and she still doesn’t feel that her left leg is strong enough to hold her weight, but she is up and walking for the first time in a year and a half. More than anything this has given her hope, and with hope, anything is possible (and a bit of magic moxa!).
I continue to see Erna on a regular basis.
Fertility
July 2011
Liz came to me because she and her partner had been trying unsuccessfully for a baby for 1 ½ years. All the tests for her and her partner came back normal and ovulation kits showed that she was ovulating mid-cycle, but she still couldn't get pregnant. She came and had acupuncture, and by her 2nd cycle she was pregnant.
Unfortunately, she miscarried soon after, but she came back to see me in January and within 10 sessions she was pregnant again. She has carried on having acupuncture with me and has just had her 3 month scan and the baby is healthy and doing well. She is over the moon!
Painful Periods, Fertility and IVF
June 2011
Laura came to me because she and her partner had been trying unsuccessfully for a baby for 2 years. She was 30 years old and fit and healthy. All the usual fertility tests hadn’t shown any problems with her or her husband. She had a laparoscopy which showed she had endometriosis which had been treated but she still suffered with incredibly painful periods.
Her periods were heavy and would last 7 days with severe pain 3 days before her period and up to 4 days into it. She came to see me over a few months in which time her periods became less heavy, shorter and much less painful. With her last 3 cycles she only had pain on the first day of her period, and the pain was manageable. Unfortunately she didn’t manage to conceive naturally in that time.
She went for IVF and came to see me for a number of sessions throughout her IVF treatment. She had a successful cycle and is now pregnant.
Diabetes & Cholesterol
March 2011
Mrs. A came to see me with a diagnosis of early onset diabetes type 2 and high cholesterol. Her goal was to lower her cholesterol and blood sugar within 1 ½ months. She came for 3 acupuncture sessions, and although I felt that we would be able to make a difference, I didn’t think that 3 sessions of acupuncture would be enough. I also didn’t think that it was possible to significantly affect cholesterol in such a short time.
Mrs. A was very determined to change her cholesterol and blood sugar levels because she didn’t want to go on medication unless she absolutely had to. She radically changed her diet after trawling through the internet finding out which foods lowered cholesterol, and which foods raised cholesterol. She started doing regular exercise and as a devout Christian, she also used the powers of prayer.
After 1 ½ months of being diagnosed, she was re-tested, and to her delight, and to mine and the doctor’s surprise, she lowered both her cholesterol and blood sugar. She told me that from this she learned that, ‘...one can take charge of one’s life, if you are prepared to take on the battle.’ She is happy to talk to anyone suffering from similar complaints if they would like any advice.
Chronic Pain
December 2010
Miss J. had been suffering from post operative pain for the past 3 years after having an epidermoid tumour removed from her pelvic area in 2007. She had been in pain for a total of 4 years (she suffered from pain before the tumour was removed) which left her unable to work and having to take a cocktail of different pharmaceutical drugs to try to ease her suffering. Despite being on many different pain killers, including morphine, she described being in 10/10 pain (with 10 being excruciating pain). In May 2010 she suffered severe kidney failure due to one of her pain medications, which left her hospitalised and subsequently unable to take care of herself for a number of months.
When I first saw Miss J. in October 2010 she presented with:
- Severe pain in her left buttock
- Pain in her right buttock
- Severe pain in her right leg
- Pain in her right knee
She was experiencing an incredibly high level of pain, which her pain medication was unable to ease. After the first treatment her pain increased for 2 days (which is not an unusual response when treating pain), and then for the first time in 4 years she was pain free for a day and when the pain did come back it was greatly reduced.
After 3 treatments she experienced almost no pain in her right leg or her right knee and the pain in her buttock was greatly reduced giving her long periods of time with no pain at all. She also noticed that she was walking much better. We have now had 6 treatments, and although the pain has been slightly worse due to the cold weather, she continues to improve, and we hope to have her totally pain free very soon.
