3.15 Half-Wit

Hibernia, my understanding is that a great deal of doctors do not understand chronic pain (and many dismiss it outright). It is improving, however. There are pain journals and pain doctors (though I don't think that is a board-certified specialty... just an avenue a doctor might choose to focus on). But yea, you would think that, after almost three years of working for House, that they would understand what he was going for. It's totally within character -- he doesn't look for the approval of others -- but it does him a real disservice. There are plenty of times when spending a few seconds explaining himself would make his life less complicated in the long run. Yea, I agree that it's in character. It's not so much the ducklings' approval I worry about; it's the approval of the casual viewers who probably took Cameron's words at face value. Maybe I'm too obsessed with this show and too protective of House the character.

My understanding is that a great deal of doctors do not understand chronic pain Talk about understatements... Another thing, when I was re-watching this episode, is that they were all very angry at him, for "letting them think he had cancer", but he never once said that. They jumped to conclusions, and of course he could've said them straight, but at no point did he actually lie to them about his condition.

Exactly! As he said to Wilson at the end of the epi... "I didn't make them ! I tried to hide it! You idiots needed to get into my business." Poor House. Though, in a way, he got a taste of his own medicine—the way he often sticks his nose into other people's business. But... the way they all complain about his Vicodin use... you would think they'd be happy he was trying to find another avenue of pain relief! It may have been sneaky and underhanded to do it by fooling a clinical trial researcher, but we all know House is smarter than everyone else yada yada. The point is, he was trying something new.

Right! Well, they all put him off trying anything else again anytime soon. Fine job. You'd think Wilson, of all people, would understand what he was trying to do. But Wilson often is stuck in his own version of House, and forgets he could be (and has been) wrong.

It is right that House said he was looking for cool drugs, and therefore it's not set in stone that he was looking for pain relief. But to me it does lend a lot of weight to the pain relief theory that House was shown in that series of eps to be actively researching alternate pain control, and that faking records, lying to get in an out of town study for a drug that is only experimental and carries risks and may not be a high at all is a pretty silly way to look for drugs to cope with emotional pain. He can get drugs to do that far closer to hand that he knows will work. To me, his words fall into the same category that his alleged disinterest in patients does and his alleged lack of respect for Cuddy does--camouflage for how he really feels.

Yea, I guess I understand why House didn't bother trying to explain. I just wish it had been explained for the viewing public. Because at the risk of seeming condescending... I'm willing to bet that a large percentage of viewers—especially casual viewers—bought Cameron's explanation. I guess I shouldn't care about that. But it sort of offends my sensibilities, for a couple reasons: –There are easier ways to get high. House went to all that trouble in search of pain relief that would be healthier for his liver. –Cameron is not the House-whisperer. In fact, I often think she is the anti-whisperer. I think the viewer is left with the explanation that House's reasoning was enigmatic. I don't think Cameron was even designed to be the House whisperer in that scene. Hugh's acting choice told me that her guess was wrong but he couldn't be bothered to correct her. The same with the following scene when Wilson surmises that House must be depressed. In my personal canon, both Cameron and Wilson were wrong but were meant to throw out a couple of plausible options for why House might do that even though A.) If House wants to get high so badly, there are better, easier methods and B.) If House recognized his depression and actually sought to do something about it, there are, again, better, easier methods for doing so. What I find intriguing, though, is using these two characters to express two such varying options because they do seem to me, generally, to be the two most sympathetic to House's pain, even if they can't truly understand it themselves, not living with chronic pain in their own lives.

you would think they'd be happy he was trying to find another avenue of pain relief! It may have been sneaky and underhanded to do it by fooling a clinical trial researcher, but we all know House is smarter than everyone else yada yada. The point is, he was trying something new. Not to stir up a hornet's nest, but House never said anything about the treatment being something for pain relief. He referred to them as cool drugs they'd inject directly into the pleasure center of the brain and never said anything about pain relief. It's been fan conjecture that he wanted it for pain relief. That was never stated by House or on the show, though of course it is possible to draw that conclusion, just as it's possible to draw the conclusion that House was looking at ways of addressing his emotional issues Exactly, Namaste. He said that he was curious. I know Wilson is far from perfect himself, but I liked his answer. "Are you curious about heroine?" Because he could have tried that as well. We also saw that he was cutting himself in order to relieve the pain. And like bailey said, these are easier ways to forget the pain.Does that mean that these are methods that should be approved of just because they're something other than Vicodin?

Exactly, Namaste. He said that he was curious. I know Wilson is far from perfect himself, but I liked his answer. "Are you curious about heroine?" Because he could have tried that as well. We also saw that he was cutting himself in order to relieve the pain. And like bailey said, these are easier ways to forget the pain.Does that mean that these are methods that should be approved of just because they're something other than Vicodin? To be clear, I'm of the opinion that House was actually researching alternate methods of pain relief, not trying to get high or address his depression. Although House never spells it out, the fact that he spent the previous episode (Insensitive) toying with another extreme approach to pain relief lends credence to this belief. Though, I admit, that theme seems to have been largely abandoned thus far this year. I'm not sure House is actually experiencing any pain at all based on what I've seen.

I think the viewer is left with the explanation that House's reasoning was enigmatic. I don't think Cameron was even designed to be the House whisperer in that scene. Hugh's acting choice told me that her guess was wrong but he couldn't be bothered to correct her. The same with the following scene when Wilson surmises that House must be depressed. FOREMAN: Here's a consent from Boston, for the cancer drug trial. CAMERON: Any description of the process for previous trials? FOREMAN: Yep. CHASE: Any chance it'll work? FOREMAN: No. It's not even designed to work. CAMERON: Why? What're you...? FOREMAN: It's designed to treat depression in terminal cancer patients. Part of the reason opiates are supposed to work is that, although you still feel the pain, you don't care about it. That's why I saw it as House looking for pain relief. Wilson's assumption that House is depressed also makes some sense -- the clinical trial House was scamming his way into was for depression. House does tend to do things by extremes. I could see Wilson thinking he would try something like that if he thought he was depressed. "Getting high" makes no sense to me. Why would a drug that would trigger the pleasure center in patients' brains get people high? I assumed that House read about the trial and thought that the treatment could help him (I thought for pain, Wilson thought for depression). But the trial was for terminal cancer patients. It would be years before it would be available to chronic pain patients -- if ever. So House took a shortcut to get it now. It is hard for me to imagine House wanting unproven brain surgery which had the possibility of damaging the one thing he has. But, in my eyes, like with the Ketamine, he was willing to take that risk in return for a relatively pain-free life.

Wilson's assumption that House is depressed also makes some sense -- the clinical trial House was scamming his way into was for depression. House does tend to do things by extremes. I could see Wilson thinking he would try something like that if he thought he was depressed. It does seem a bit odd to me that Wilson doesn't figure out House's real angle, though. After all, he's the one that ultimately understands what House wants from the can't-feel-pain-girl in "Insensitive." "Getting high" makes no sense to me. Why would a drug that would trigger the pleasure center in patients' brains get people high? Depends on how you trigger it, I suppose. I'm no neurologist, but I'm wondering if a specific trigger can't keep a person indefinitely stimulated or "high". Kind of like the brain-damaged Georgia in "Poison" who was doomed to feeling good and always thinking about Ashton Kutcher. :-)

Not to stir up a hornet's nest, but House never said anything about the treatment being something for pain relief. He referred to them as cool drugs they'd inject directly into the pleasure center of the brain and never said anything about pain relief. It's been fan conjecture that he wanted it for pain relief. That was never stated by House or on the show, though of course it is possible to draw that conclusion, just as it's possible to draw the conclusion that House was looking at ways of addressing his emotional issues. But the "pleasure center of the brain" means the drug would stimulate his brain to release endorphins. Endorphins are the body's pain killers. Narcotic, or opiate, drugs (like Vicodin) are processed by the body into endorphins in the brain. They interfere with the transmission of pain messages to the brain. They can also alter a person's reaction to pain, so that they don't care about the pain. That's a simplistic explanation, but there you have it. If the drug trial was for a more traditional anti-depressant (that just happens to be injected into the brain rather than taken as a pill)... that also works with my theory... because anti-depressants are also said to work for some forms of chronic pain. And not to open yet another hornet's nest... but if House is still taking the antidepressants that Wilson started him on, it could explain why he seems to be in less pain and taking less Vicodin these days. "Getting high" makes no sense to me. Why would a drug that would trigger the pleasure center in patients' brains get people high? Well, that's what getting high is... it's stimulating the pleasure center of your brain (by releasing endorphins). If a person is NOT in pain and takes an opiate, then s/he will get high. But a person like House, who is in constant chronic pain, takes Vicodin and does NOT get high. It's a different effect. The opiates in the Vicodin block his pain (or make him care less about it); they don't make him high. But if there is no pain to block... then a person gets high. And yea, I take this as another of House's extreme plans to help with his pain, along with wanting the spinal nerve from the CIPA patient and trying the ketamine coma.

, it could explain why he seems to be in less pain and taking less Vicodin these days. I'm not sure House is actually experiencing any pain at all based on what I've seen. Just wanted to point out on the vicodin popping, that House is popping about the same amount of vicodin as he ever has. There's not been a lot of dialogue about it, though there's been a bit, mostly from Taub, but he's either had it alluded to or taken it in I think every ep this season. What we haven't had is any break through pain shots where the vicodin isn't working. Of course, we haven't seen House at home except in one ep, and that's where most of those type of shots happen. I think we can surmise House is not feeling as badly as he did when the ketamine failed or during the Tritter arc while detoxing, but we've had no reason to doubt he needs to take several tabs of vicodin every day. I think the viewer is left with the explanation that House's reasoning was enigmatic. I don't think Cameron was even designed to be the House whisperer in that scene. I feel a bit faint and may have to sit down, but I too feel the need to defend Cameron's reaction in that ep. I don't think the viewer was meant to miss the fact that House was much more likely to be hoping for pain relief--it was the ep right after Insensitive--but I think it was quite understandable that Cameron was absolutely floored to find out House was not dying of cancer and was faking to get into the trial. The other two ducks were just as gobsmacked. They'd spent the whole ep dealing with the idea that House was dying and were so thrilled they could tell House it was all a mistake. I remember their bright shiny faces fondly. There's lots of times in this series when I've been annoyed at Cameron's assumptions--heck, even in this ep--but I thought this one was understandable in the heat of the moment. I would hope calmer reflection would offer other alternatives to all the ducks, but of course, we don't get to see those moments.

I would hope calmer reflection would offer other alternatives to all the ducks, but of course, we don't get to see those moments. As much as I HATE this episode, a little follow up would have been nice. But we got nothing. Absolutely nothing. We could have, nay, should have seen some fallout from this. We should have seen the ducklings still being hurt or angry, especially Chase. I didn't think Cameron was right either but in the shock of the moment, I could understand her assumption. Whoa, did you hear that? Hell just froze over.

As much as I HATE this episode, a little follow up would have been nice. But we got nothing. Absolutely nothing. We could have, nay, should have seen some fallout from this. We should have seen the ducklings still being hurt or angry, especially Chase. I think this is so reminiscent of what we were just discussing in the HT thread. The writers don't always give us the logical followthrough of even very important snapshots. We have to fill in the dots ourselves. I think Foreman held a grudge from this incident, which fueled his angry feelings about supposedly turning into House. I think Chase was intuitive enough to figure out what House was up to and not hold a grudge. I think we saw how Cameron used the incident--I think she responded to the seriousness of the situation, first of House dying and then of House being desperate enough to either look for that level of pain relief or escapism, by trying to provoke him into admitting he wanted a relationship with her. I don't think her hospital antics, which followed this ep, were unrelated to what occurred in HW.

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