Re: OT: Pain control in TV show House (long)

[Guest guest]

> Why is he in pain?

> Pris

They did one episode flashback that explained how he ended up with

such a painful leg. He had some type of infection (I'm not a doctor

so I don't remember the specifics), and they weren't able to diagnose

it very quickly. As a result, by the time they finally figured it

out, the doctors said they had to amputate his leg to save his life.

House adamantly refused to sign the release for amputation, saying he

preferred to die to losing his leg. However, his girlfriend

(the lawyer who's been in some of the episodes) did sign a release

for him to be operated on and remove the infected tissue. This left

him with a big chunk missing from his leg (they showed it once and it

looked pretty bad. Of course this wasn't Hugh Laurie's leg in real

life!). He was angry with when he realized what she'd done and

that's the reason they broke up, and it explains the tension between

them. She believed she was doing the right thing.

Anyway, I've enjoyed hearing everyone's thoughts on this subject. It

really makes me feel better to know that others have some of the same

feelings about it that I do. And I think that people in a group like

ours -- one that has many people in severe chronic pain like 'House'

(and like me) have a different perspective than the average viewer.

House can be a rude jerk, but I've also seen other sides of him,

which makes him a complex and fascinating character. I understand his

anger at being left to live in so much pain when his choice was to

die rather than have the surgery. I understand his desperation when

other doctors have decided that he's had enough pain relief and just

needs to " toughen up " and live with it, when they aren't the one

suffering. I even understand his stealing the oxycontin and taking an

overdose. Extreme pain and being forced to quit a narcotic " cold

turkey " would lead a person to do things they wouldn't ordinarily do.

I guess one of the things I really like about this show is that it's

so different from the average TV show. So many of them never show the

negative sides of the main character - they're too busy making the

character " better " than the average person. I like watching someone

who's not such a good person, but who still tries to do the right

thing by using his brilliant mind to cure hopeless cases and

ultimately helps people. It's got an honesty that I really like.

I just hope that the writers don't " jump the shark " when the show

returns in January. I'd hate to see an inappropriate resolution to

this plot.

Take care,