mojo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9309
posted
and what did you think.
I laughed out loud when the one doctor suggestion Lyme because of the internal bleeding and the patient improved on steroids. It turned out to be the proper diagnosis!
The only "real" Lyme symptoms I notice was the "arthritis" and the bullseye they found that clinched the diagnosis at the end of the show.
They also contridicted themselves early in the show prior to giving the patient steroids. One dr. said it may be a bad idea if there is infection present as it would supress the immune system.
In the end - I'm happy they showed the Rash and mentioned the disease. People who don't know about Lyme won't remember the steroid stuff.
Posts: 1761 | From USA | Registered: May 2006
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posted
I was so mad that they focused so much on the congenital head anomaly and not on the illness... and then when they finally confirmed the Lyme diagnosis, the show ended literally three seconds later. No follow-up info, no discussion about treatment, nada!
But, like you said, any little thing that helps raise awareness...
Posts: 220 | From central TX | Registered: Jun 2005
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AZURE WISH
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posted
Last week (i think it was last week)scrubs had an episode where the rash ended up being in the pataints hair.
Where the heck did they get that steriods would improve lyme though... i dont think the idsa is even that dumb
No one said.... start him on abx either.
I hope people realize a tv show like that is just entertainment and should not be relied on for research or informing medical opinions concerning there health.
i think they could have made it much more exciting. lyme can present with so many kinds of symptoms (seizures, psych, cognitive, various pains, cardiac etc) and they could have found a coinfection to go with it...
Aniek
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Member # 5374
posted
I posted on general about this.
The heart problems and the twitching are both symptoms of Lyme. I for one have uncontrolled movements from Lyme, including twitching of my pinky finger. It was nice to see that symptom recognized.
But the steroid bit was really screwed up.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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Carol in PA
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posted
I was planning to post about this episode, and title it, Dr. House is an Idiot!
I got so pis$ed off that he ruled out Lyme as a possible diagnosis just because the patient did not have a bullseye rash.
Actually, the writers and medical consultants are the idiots.
What people will remember is that it can't be Lyme unless there is a bullseye rash.
Carol
Editing to add: There are a number of people here who know enough about diagnosing and treating Lyme that they could hire out as a consultant.
[ 14. November 2007, 01:50 AM: Message edited by: Carol in PA ]
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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Exactly !
And to add to Carol's reply . . . that lyme just disappears when you get on to the next order of business.
Let's see: this kid was bleeding out of his stomach. His liver was shot, he had heart problems. they put him on steroids, which would make the lyme blossom, and - oh, my - they do a very complex major surgery and he walks out with a big smile on his face, ready to be normal.
Not one remark about, oh, the rash is not a sure thing. No other questioning or remark about treatment, co-infections check, or long recovery - if very lucky and he has a fortune for a real doctor.
I'm all for good writing and hope the writers, in general, get what their due regarding royalties for web stuff . . . but I hope the writers for " use this time to learn a little about medicine.
Geez. How hard is it to learn a few points that could have made this accurate - and actually taught something ?
If most of the US doctors aren't going to, we do look to the writers to get it right. Sad, but true. What people see and hear on TV really matters. We will hear over turkey, "Just get up and get on with it. That kid did on 'House'" ??!!!
posted
As soon as I heard "heart block," I automatically thought of Lyme disease. Of course, not all heart block is because of Lyme, but I guess it's because I'm consumed by Lyme lol!
-------------------- The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back. -Abigail van Buren (Pauline Esther Friedman) (1918-2002) Posts: 409 | From Florida | Registered: Dec 2005
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CaliforniaLyme
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posted
You know, SOMETIMES steroids are necessary with Lyme- like with bad pseudotumor cerebri with kids sometimes- or to stop someone from going blind- or if they have bad dermyocystis-
But I didn't see it, I am just TRYING to htink positive!!!!!!!!!! I have only seen HOUSE once (I go to bed early & get up early!!) but I really liked it a lot!! I hope the saying Lyme at all made up for the bad stuff- Best wishes, Sarah
-------------------- There is no wealth but life. -John Ruskin
All truth goes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed: then it is violently opposed: finally it is accepted as self evident. - Schopenhauer Posts: 5639 | From Aptos CA USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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Aniek
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Member # 5374
posted
The steroids would probably reduce the symptoms that are a result of the inflammatory process caused by Lyme. However, the downside would be that they would make the infection stronger.
We do have to remember that they need to condense everything into an hour. Lyme was condensed into about 10 minutes of the show. So things will always be wrong because of the time frame they put everything in.
The positive was the recognition of Lyme and the recognition that Lyme can cause heart block, muscle movements and that the bulls eye could be hidden.
The biggest negative was the strong suggestion that you can't have Lyme without a bullseye. This is particularly concerning because the young man was African American, and the rash can appear like a bruise on darker skin.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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posted
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Sarah,
thanks for the reminder that " . . . You know, SOMETIMES steroids are necessary with Lyme- like with bad pseudotumor cerebri with kids sometimes- or to stop someone from going blind- or if they have bad dermyocystis- . . ."
and, it's good to see that most of us get the drill with replies like "But it makes lyme worse" sort of thing.
Steroids can be life-saving at times. However. the treatment guidelines have specific instructions around how to take abx 48 hours prior to any steroids, if possible, and all this under a LLMD, of course, would be best. There is a section on this in the treatment guidelines at www.ilads.org
For newcomers to this site and for those with undiagnosed lyme, whose doctors don't have a clue, therein lies the danger. And, for that reason, the lack of clarity on HOUSE could cause lots of damage out there.
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