Flave

I had a friend and business partner (he was a doctor too) who developed neuropathy due to his diabetes. His symptoms were exactly like House's -- his left leg muscles atrophied to almost nothing (it was almost all skin and bones), he was in constant pain, and he had to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. And he was lucky as he found this fantastic doctor who saved his life by stopping his body's deterioration from the neuropathy. Then, just as things were looking up, he got lung cancer. Even though he didn't smoke and, as a doctor, was on a constant crusade against smoking. To his dying day, he was convinced that the stress of battling the neuropathy lowered his immune system allowing the cancer to form and spread.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that his pain was real and the meds required to deal with it varied a lot. I'm sure psychological factors come into play, but don't kid yourselves, this disease is brutally painful.

He also discovered an interesting thing: The amount of pain medication he had to consume (like House) was pretty high. He did some research and found that it is accepted knowledge (although not necessarily published knowledge) that taking pain meds to combat actual pain does not lead to addiction/dependence. Only taking these meds recreationally (i.e. when there is no pain) leads to these problems.

This is one of the things I love about this show -- they go out of their way to get the science right. So refreshing when compared to shows like 'Surface' whose writing staff seems to be composed of liberal arts majors who wouldn't know a scientific fact if it came up and bit them in the ass.

metman86

Not sure of exact wording but, " You're wife is pregnant, I know because I banged her" that was funny. Good episode, this show is consistently entertaining. Always look forward to watching this show. I miss Cuddy's cleavage, it has been too long.

Meatpants

This is the second or third time this year House and Grey's Anatomy have had patients w/ the same affliciton.

Phil L.

"Hey, are you doing your daughter?!"

WillieTheShakes

I see what you're saying, but it's at odds with the show last night, I think. The point Cuddy and Wilson were making, and confirming with the placebo, was that the pain WAS in House's head, or being produced by his psyche, not by the physical reality of his ailment.

Again, this might be true, but it's at odds with the show and its characters. Last season, House's attempt to prove that he wasn't addicted -- by going cold turkey -- resulted in his realization and admission that he WAS addicted to the drugs. Not that he had a problem, but that he was physically addicted.

Well, exept when the science conflicts with their storytelling.

cornflakeguy

I know House is supposed to be an "ass", but his handling of telling the girl her real affliction seemed too rough for House.

"He's a boy". "After surgery he'll be fine"

Usually House will act like that if he is trying to make a point to the paitient that harms themselves knowingly. In this case the paitient was totally in the dark and it wasn't her fault at all.

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garmonbozia

i agree. House was way too insensitve to the girl. it's funny when he's mean to patients who are lying or doing themselves harm, but I really disliked the ending of this episode.

Patman

I think House was mean and insensitive to the model because he was also tricked by the model's hotness, only to find out that he was lusting after a boy as well.

B.A.

The entire MRI exchange between House and Wilson was great - too bad Wilson didn't say anything once Cuddy came into the room.

cornflakeguy

You very well could have it there. But if that was the intended thought they were trying to convey it skipped me completely. Especially in that 'girls' case, since she was obviously pretty, had boobs and hips, and since she was having all that sex, a fully functioning female reproductive organ.

It's not like she was Pat.

I liked the episode, just not as 'concrete' to me as past eps.

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BDB

I'm not sure if Cameron told House what the model said to her when she asked about the abuse, if she had, then House would have seen that she was pretty manipulative in her own way.

The dad was way over-protective, and didn't want her to know anything asking Chase to not tell her that the induced coma was dangerous. I think that may have been part of why House started to tell her everything, well him/her.

I wonder how many complaints they will recieve for the guys pretty realistic boobs.

johnnysd

House is an awesome show. In this episode two things bothered me:

1. House's character while blunt, never seemed like he would be as mean as he was to the supermodel at the end of the show

2. They also messed up the medicine a bit. When an adult is discovered to have the condition that she has in the show, they DO NOT tell them. In this case they would have removed her "ovaries" and told her that unfortunately she would never have children. Only reason I know is that had a friend that went through medical school and one of the things he told me about was this affliction. It is actually fairly common and hospitals open themselves to malpractice if they inform the patient of their condition.

CKMorpheus

I think we're missing the poin that House is going through so much shit right now. Physical pain, emotional pain, he may have been doped (or placeboed) up, but he was still in pain, and very aggitated and irritable.