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Posted 9/30/2007 3:32 AM (GMT 0)
Anyone here watches the TV show "House"?

Wikipedia says:
A running joke in the series is that Lupus is suggested as a cause of the patient's symptoms in many episodes, although invariably this is quickly dismissed. In one episode, House produces some of his secret Vicodin stash from inside a hollowed-out Lupus textbook; by way of explanation, he says, "It's never lupus." Lupus is one of the medical conditions known as The Great Imitator, because it can present with a wide variety of symptoms.

It's true. Every episode lupus has to mentioned at least once. I don't think they actually had a case where the patient had lupus though. Dr House takes his patients only when it's something of a puzzle, to challenge him. I suppose lupus isn't enough of a puzzle for Dr House!
Posted 9/30/2007 9:09 AM (GMT 0)
I actually find that offensive about the show. I really wish they would do a show where it was lupus and it was really hard to diagnose because the labs weren't perfect- like the ANA is negative. It would be great if they could show how bad lupus can get and how hard it is to diagnose.

I went to the forum for HOUSE and posted a general topic about the lupus joke. I think if enough lupus patients post and respond negatively to lupus being made a joke that maybe FOX will take lupus seriously.
Posted 9/30/2007 10:21 AM (GMT 0)
That's really odd. I just made a post last evening mentioning Dr. House!! YES! I have witnessed the sarcastic "Is it Lupus?" remarks. It bothers me as well.
Posted 9/30/2007 12:48 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think it's offensive actually. I really enjoy watching House. He usually takes on cases that are not typical. Most of the time, it's not about an actual condition but about the patient lying about their past and the condition is something out of the ordinary. Lupus, as well as things like cancer, is too ordinary (for lack of a better word) of a puzzle.

I think that they mention lupus in every episode is a good thing. Usually you tell people you have lupus and they never heard of it. At least they're bringing awareness. I was just singling out lupus because it's relates to me (all of us actually), but they always use infection as a diagnosis and that never turns out to be the case either. I don't think people with infections are going to get angry about it.

Sorry if I missed your post on House AlwaysRosie!
Posted 9/30/2007 3:03 PM (GMT 0)

I read that "House" has made a commitment to the LFA by mentioning Lupus on every episode. And they have to explain why or why it's not Lupus. It's supposed to get education and awareness out there in a way that only Dr. House can do. It's not supposed to be offensive. If you think about it Lupus hasn't gotten any tv time until House. And yes he can be offensive but millions watch and hopefully more people are looking up Lupus on the internet. I wish they would actually have a patient be diagnosed with Lupus. They mention it so often then they should eventually have someone with it. They could start with the person being look at for Cancer or something and then end up with a Lupus diagnosis.

kitty

Posted 9/30/2007 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
Actually one person replied and said they don't believe I could have lupus because it is never lupus. Others began a fight over religion so it is worthless to point out to fox that by it never being lupus they are getting a section of the population to believe it could never be lupus. Sadly my mother-in-law is one of them that have become convinced lupus is so rare it couldn't possibly be lupus. Others think the blood work can say definite yes or no to lupus and is 100% accurate. I just wish they would do a show where it is lupus and they show how hard it is to figure out. The lying issue is not always the problem. One episode was about a woman with a rare heart defect. But I digress, maybe they could just have another fox program do a special about lupus.
Posted 10/1/2007 3:09 AM (GMT 0)
I LOVE HOUSE! and i also love how "its not lupus" the season 2 dvd actually has a montoge (i have no clue how to spell that word lol) of all the times they said it lol.

i really think the difference here in ppl thinking its funny and others not, is your personal story. for me, it makes me laugh because of the doctors i have seen. i'd give my left big toe if i could see house, he'd do a "bunch of unnecissary tests" that might actually give me answers. i actually have to go in and tell the doctors i want blood work done, other than that they don't care. i don't have insurance and don't have a regular doctor so i fudge it. basically i get my blood tests, get copies (which i have to pay $10 for each time grrr) and look at them my self because the clinic doctors are so incompitent! so to see house say "its not lupus" because he actually knows what it is and the sypmtoms!
Posted 10/1/2007 4:16 AM (GMT 0)
Melissa . . . no problem . . . I was actually laughing that we both thought of House on the same day!! Not offended in the least. BTW: I enjoy House too. It is one of the few TV programs that I look forward to. It just bothers me the way they throw around the term Lupus . . . but after reading all the other viewpoints here, I think you all have a better way of looking at it. Thanks for your input. Now I can totally enjoy House. Blessings!
Posted 10/1/2007 11:54 AM (GMT 0)
I feel the same way about House starzphalling!
I always get a "Hey they mentioned lupus again on House and I thought of you!" from friends, so thats another plus side to me.

Those people on that forum sound stupid (for lack of a better word), redrose. If House says it's never lupus, thats not enough reason for people to believe that. House is a fictional show, if you're going to take what the characters say on there to heart, then you're just filled with ignorance. I think they should do a little more research on the topic before talking about it. If your only experience on lupus is based on a TV show, then sorry, you don't have enough to bring to the table for a decent conversation on it. I think you should tell them that too.

Glad you can enjoy the show too Rosie! It's my favorite program on TV right now. But then Showtime brought back Dexter... so I don't know if House is going to have some competition now.
Posted 10/1/2007 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hee, hee, hee.....Dexter!
Posted 10/1/2007 9:14 PM (GMT 0)
I usually enjoy House, but am a little sick of the comments from a few family member who watch it and say since it is always so true to real life for the other illnesses that House must be right when they say it's never lupus. The forum at fox proves it's not just the idiots in my family. I would love to see an episode with a case of lupus where none of the labs are what you would expect according to all those idiot doctors I saw over the years. It would be great if they could show how hard it is to diagnose and how much damage it can do without treatment.
Posted 10/6/2007 2:36 AM (GMT 0)
Hello to everyone. I'm just trying to get caught up so getting in a little late on this one. I really enjoy House. My bf and I watch it together and we always look over at each other when they throw out the lupus possibility and we automatically say 'No, it's never lupus". I do think it would be very educational for them to do a show where someone came in who had a case of lupus that was VERY involved. It would be really good if when the team talked to family or went to their home, they discovered a series of "typical" lupus symptoms (that we live with daily) that they have watched for years not knowing the cause (possibly even full of misdiagnosis'). Just my thoughts.
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