House Tv Show Will Feature Celiac Disease

[Guhlia]

Anyway....I realize the show is not there to educate, it's just supposed to be a fun drama. I'm really happy that it got out at all, and maybe the public education comes from people talking about the show around the water cooler. I have had so many people today ask me about it, it's crazy! Anything to put out the word for awarenes!!

That is so great that you've gotten the chance to educate a few people about Celiac disease as a result of this show. It may have been an extreme situation portrayed on the show, but if it gets people asking questions, then I'm thankful that it was aired as such. Maybe this will help to show people that celiac isn't just a gastro disorder. Hell, maybe even a few doctors will brush up on their knowledge about Celiac.

[wonkabar]

I'm usually not a part of this forum, but I was compelled to jump in. I'm sooooooooo happy that the words "Celiac Disease" and "gluten" were thrown out on national tv on a program as popular as House!!!Even though my 3 year old son has had the classic symptoms of Celiac since since he was about a year and a half old and has had an amazing dietary response, the ped GI still told us"he's just fine"...it still makes me shake my head.

My heart goes out to each and everyone of you who lived with these miserable symptoms before somebody finally took you seriously and figured out what was wrong. I see what a wicked reaction my son has to gluten and how miserable he is, so I can only imagine how awful it must've been for many of you over the years. We're thankful we figured this out sooner than later and hopeful that we're preventing any additional damage by strictly following a gluten-free diet. Kudos to House for making Celiac Disease part of their storyline...regardless of the reasons why they chose it. I certainly can't appreciate how upsetting and emotional it must've been to see yourself in that woman or feel misrepresented by the extreme in symptoms. But, the bottom line is-----it's out there and public awareness is everything.

I read a few pages back that most people probably forgot the words Celiac Disease five minutes after the show ended....forgive me for not looking for the quote---my kids will up from their nap soon! I absolutely agree. However, I can tell you that, even if it's a handful of people, someone will google Celiac Disease and become informed. My husband and I had never heard of it until last year. We were watching Keith Olberman on MSNBC and he simply noted that money from an ebay sale from his show was being donated to one of the Celiac foundations (I don't remember exactly which one.) We were curious so we googled it. We were stunned when we read about the symptoms and how many of them our, then 2 year old, son had. Had we not been watching tv at that particular moment we would've never figured out what was wrong with our son. I tell everyone and anyone who will listen about Celiac Disease, gluten sensitivities, my son's symptoms and the gluten-free diet. A nationally broadcasted show will raise awareness; we're living proof of just that.

--Kristy

[jenvan]

Encouraging story Kristy...And yes, it worth it if even only a few folks find out about celiac disease! PS: If you think your son has Celiac...take things into your own hands. Some individuals fail to get a conventional diagnosis, even when their body is being damaged by gluten.

[jaten]

A good thing....

I've been a House fan almost since it started. I still do not care for the way last night's script portrayed Celiac disease. I acknowledge that my bias may be because what was portrayed was completely foreign to any experience I've had with Celiac. Am I outraged? Nope. Yes, I know it's just a tv show. Yes, I know that ratings matter. Yes, I know that the tv show doesn't "owe" Celiacs anything. Yes, I know that the purpose of last nite's episode (and any other) wasn't to educate about Celiac. No arguments. I just happen to be with those on here, who do wish that some other plot had been used to grab and hold audience attention.

That said, I had an incredibly positive experience today as a result of last nite's episode! I had a follow up appt with a surgeon today. (Good report btw) He brought up last night's House. Said that he was hanging out waiting to begin a surgery and caught the end of the show. He said he'd never thought about it before that Celiacs need to be careful even of the prescriptions they take! He said, some of the nurses were really talking about it at their station last night, too. As he said that, he began using a pda to research a drug he wanted to prescribe for me!!

We talked for a few more minutes about the episode...he thought it was pretty out there, too. But it opened his eyes. I so appreciate that a dr., a surgeon, was willing to say hey I realize something now, that I hadn't thought about before. And I deeply appreciate a show that brought it to that one surgeon's attention.

[wonkabar]

PS: If you think your son has Celiac...take things into your own hands. Some individuals fail to get a conventional diagnosis, even when their body is being damaged by gluten.

We've done just that. My ped is wonderful, but ped GI is not his area of specialty. He's 100% supportive of following a gluten-free diet, but not willing to Dx Zachary with celiac disease---he's comfortable going with calling it a gluten intolerance at the moment. At least he's recognizing my efforts and their subsequent results!! My son's blood work was negative, and we're not willing to put him through a biopsy as he's only 3. We are considering finding a more qualified ped GI in NJ for a consultation regarding celiac disease, our son's symptoms and the positive dietary response. He was a 32 week preemie and spent the first 4 weeks of his life in the NICU. I often wonder if that was enough "stress" on his system to trigger the problems he absolutely has with gluten. Thanks to MSNBC, we became informed and have done tons of research about Celiac Disease in order to best help our son.

--Kristy

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

We've done just that. My ped is wonderful, but ped GI is not his area of specialty. He's 100% supportive of following a gluten-free diet, but not willing to Dx Zachary with celiac disease---he's comfortable going with calling it a gluten intolerance at the moment. At least he's recognizing my efforts and their subsequent results!! My son's blood work was negative, and we're not willing to put him through a biopsy as he's only 3. We are considering finding a more qualified ped GI in NJ for a consultation regarding celiac disease, our son's symptoms and the positive dietary response. He was a 32 week preemie and spent the first 4 weeks of his life in the NICU. I often wonder if that was enough "stress" on his system to trigger the problems he absolutely has with gluten. Thanks to MSNBC, we became informed and have done tons of research about Celiac Disease in order to best help our son.

--Kristy

that's what I am talking about. One doctor jsut learned something -- I guarantee he was not the only one.

I had two co-workers talk to me about the show and Celiacs and its potential consequences.

The only effect this show has is a positive one for the celiac disease world. The problem is some people want varying levels of how positive it was. For me, this was a step in the right direction and I couldn't be happier.

Awareness is what we want...open lines of communication and dialogue.

[penguin]

I do agree that any publicity is good publicity, but did they really have to go with craziest case scenario?

Couldn't they just have somone starving to death?

I've watched House on and off, and I'm just not a fan. There are better written medical dramas out there (not in terms of accuracy, but in terms of good scripts), IMO. I may be biased in that way, but a lot of people may be biased because they love the show regardless.

[jknnej]

In any case I really enjoyed the episode and I wasn't disappointed at all. I think some people are just biased because it is their disease being featured. Really, House doesn't ever educate anyone on any health issue; so if we're upset, shouldn't every one who has a disease featured on House get upset and complain that it wasn't real enough or explained well enough? Shouldn't we then get angry with ER and Grey's Anatomy everytime they do something wrong medically? I just can't stress enough that this is TV and they don't have to be accurate if they don't feel like it.

I may have mistakenly addressed all of my comments to you, Judy, when all I really should have addressed was the part about you not appreciating my comment. For that one thing I will say that was a mistake on my part. I also never said YOU made that comment; I said someone made it, it may have been you, it might not have.

But I stand by everything I wrote and that's the beauty of opinions.

Thanks, Lorka

BTW if you don't feel someone is acting mature online, the best thing is just to say so instead of being a hypocrite and firing back with a comment of your own, such as "chill."

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

If it makes anyone feel better,

Every "legal" show on television is almost 100% false when comparing it to the real world. Especially the courtroom excerpts. Judges simply don't allow attorneys to "wheel n deal" like they do in Boston Public, Law N Order, etc.

Most courtrooms are pretty boring places and most witness examinations are insufferable to listen to.

I would imagine folks in the medical field feel the same way about medical shows like House, ER or Grey's.

[DingoGirl]

If it makes anyone feel better,

Every "legal" show on television is almost 100% false when comparing it to the real world. Especially the courtroom excerpts. Judges simply don't allow attorneys to "wheel n deal" like they do in Boston Public, Law N Order, etc.

Most courtrooms are pretty boring places and most witness examinations are insufferable to listen to.

I would imagine folks in the medical field feel the same way about medical shows like House, ER or Grey's.

Yup.....they are good shows as they are SO entertaining (Boston Legal) and overly dramatic (ER)....but realistic? Not much of the time....

[Heater]

I really liked the way House portrayed celiac disease. Even though the show didn't give a lot of information about it, there is a section on their website that links to factual information, so maybe some people who watched the show will go to those:

Open Original Shared Link

They haven't put up ones from yesterday's episode yet, but I'm sure they'll be doing that soon.

Heather

[Smunkeemom]

I have recieved a ton of emails and phone calls today because of the show, if nothing else, at least people realize that Celiac disease can be serious if untreated. I think a lot of my friends didn't realize (no matter how much I told them) how very important it is to be gluten free when you are a celiac.

I have had to answer the same question all day long

"Will they really go crazy if they eat gluten?"

and I got to answer it!

"When they eat gluten it stops their body from absorbing food, if you quit eating for a few years, what do you think would happen?"

Then they realize, that if my girls eat gluten, it doesn't matter how much else they eat, they are starving to death, and have all the health problems that come with it. I explained that even a very small amount can harm them, and you could almost see (even though I was on the phone) the little lightbulb go off like they realized why I was "cross contamination Nazi"

(yeah, someone actually called me that once)

[Mango04]

Then they realize, that if my girls eat gluten, it doesn't matter how much else they eat, they are starving to death, and have all the health problems that come with it. I explained that even a very small amount can harm them, and you could almost see (even though I was on the phone) the little lightbulb go off like they realized why I was "cross contamination Nazi"

(yeah, someone actually called me that once)

Ha! That's great. I've decided after reading all this that if I had to chose between people thinking gluten makes me a psychopath....or people thinking I'm a psychopath for avoiding gluten to such an extreme extent...I'd chose the first option

[Guhlia]

Ha! That's great. I've decided after reading all this that if I had to chose between people thinking gluten makes me a psychopath....or people thinking I'm a psychopath for avoiding gluten to such an extreme extent...I'd chose the first option

Amen to that, Mango!!! If that's what it takes to make my family/friends/restaurants extra careful to keep from contaminating me, then that's what it takes.

[Frisco mom]

Is this the very first mainstream coverage (Discovery channels not included) that Celiac disease has gotten?

The series 'Doc' (on PAX) did a more 'classic' story on celiac a few years back. An overachieving teenage girl was suspected of being anorexic even though she insisted that she was not losing weight on purpose.

[jknnej]

That's true, for sure, Broncobux. Real life situations aren't nearly as dramatic, especially with lawyer shows! But, if they didn't make them dramatic no one would watch! lol

I think the new feeling I have for a lot of our country is entitlement. A lot of people felt entitled to a different kind of show than what House came up with.

As a high school teacher I notice it a lot; for example, yesterday my school received a non-credible threat from some kid who wrote on a bathroom wall. The school sent out letters to parents to inform them. Many kids were not here at school today. That part is all fine and dandy. But man, the kids who WERE here were awful, saying things like, "We shouldn't have to do any work today," "Those kids just conned their parents into letting them stay home..we should get extra credit for being here." One kid actually said to me, "I hate this class," because he was SO angry that they didn't get to sit and screw around all class period. When I called him on it he said, "I'm sorry it's just that I am so frustrated because we have to work." Oh, my gosh. When did this happen? Don't know but it's the same kind of reaction I noticed from some of the Celiac sufferers, as if the show House owes them something.

[Smunkeemom]

The series 'Doc' (on PAX) did a more 'classic' story on celiac a few years back. An overachieving teenage girl was suspected of being anorexic even though she insisted that she was not losing weight on purpose.

yeah, there was an episode of ER where it was briefly mentioned also (I notice stuff like that, like on Gimore Girls when Lane was talking about gluten free diets., I could go into the whole conversation but it's off topic)

[jknnej]

Help-does anyone else have troubles getting on the House board at fox. com? Every time I click on Boards it says, error, not found. Has anyone else had this experience and figured out how to get in?

[tarnalberry]

Looks like the mom will be on next week's episode too! Wonder how that will go!

[Nereid]

I can't get into the boards at Fox either and have waited all day to see what they say! If anyone does know how to get in-- maybe I'm blocking cookies or something-- please let me know, thanks.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion about this show. I completely respect that. If I couldn't relate to the symptoms presented on the show, I am a "seizure celiac", it could seem alien and offensive. But as I said last night, to finally have the neurological aspect of this disease presented on national TV is a big, huge, joyful deal for me.

I agree that "House" doesn't owe us anything. It's not like this was a Dateline documentary trying to present the disease, it was an edgy medical drama. I'd just about bet House's lines "a bowl of pasta, a slice of bread, a slosh of soy sauce" came straight from GIG. Those lines right there probably lit up Google like a bonfire.

All this conversation, pro or con is a GOOD thing. I hope people who had problems with it write Fox. I hope people who like it write Fox. I hope people write their local TV stations and bring the episode to their attention. I want this to snowball and become a media frenzy. This is an opportunity for all of us regardless of our viewpoints. How many other opportunities do we get in life to accomplish a greater good while disagreeing on an issue? Any viewpoint we present is generating awareness.

I know a lot of us are already involved in advocacy for our cause. I encourage everyone to be an advocate. If there's more than 2 million Americans with celiac, and 97% of those are undiagnosed, we've got nearly 2 million people to help. This little army, despite our differences, can change the world. Strike while the iron's hot.

Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For indeed that’s all who ever have.

-Margaret Wood

[ladyx]

<Everyone's entitled to their opinion about this show. I completely respect that. If I couldn't relate to the symptoms presented on the show, I am a "seizure celiac", it could seem alien and offensive. But as I said last night, to finally have the neurological aspect of this disease presented on national TV is a big, huge, joyful deal for me.>

my son had seizers everytime he breastfed I was happy to see that gluten and seizures were linked as well

<All this conversation, pro or con is a GOOD thing. I hope people who had problems with it write Fox. I hope people who like it write Fox. I hope people write their local TV stations and bring the episode to their attention. I want this to snowball and become a media frenzy. This is an opportunity for all of us regardless of our viewpoints. How many other opportunities do we get in life to accomplish a greater good while disagreeing on an issue? Any viewpoint we present is generating awareness. >

Anybody know how to write fox or e-mail them. I looked all over on the website but couldn't find anything.

[tarnalberry]

I think it's interesting that we're primarily supporting the show (well, the fact they did one, though we may not really like the approach), but the delphi boards seem to primarily dislike the whole shebang... "Can please everyone all the time..." ;-)

[Guest Viola]

I really like the fact that they brought up the Vitamin K deficency that causes bleeding in many possible places. I for one was bleeding on a daily basis and ended up with a complete hysterectomy, before I was diagnosed. I used to go around with huge bruses to the point where my doctor asked me if I had an abusive husband. There really are as many stories to this disease as there are symtoms. And you must admit that it can cause some very strange mood swings, although I do hope that none of us took it out on our children to that extent

[Nereid]

This is the address available on Fox's website for Fox primetime shows. I'd like to suggest cc'ing your letter, regardless of what it says, to at least one local newspaper, TV station, or hospital. Imagine what would have happened for celiacs in the 60s if JFK's doctors had gone public with his health problems. He was reportedly a celiac with Addison's disease. We don't have a JFK to champion our cause, but we can bring down the house on this one thanks to House.

FOX Broadcasting Co.

P.O. Box 900

Beverly Hills, CA 90213

Babies can have it. Not everyone's celiac gene kicks in later in life. The U.S. should be routinely testing for celiac at birth like some European countries do.

It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope. -Robert F. Kennedy

[Guest nini]

I really like the fact that they brought up the Vitamin K deficency that causes bleeding in many possible places. I for one was bleeding on a daily basis and ended up with a complete hysterectomy, before I was diagnosed. I used to go around with huge bruses to the point where my doctor asked me if I had an abusive husband. There really are as many stories to this disease as there are symtoms. And you must admit that it can cause some very strange mood swings, although I do hope that none of us took it out on our children to that extent

OMG I used to have those weird bruises all over my body too and my Dr.s office even threatened to call the police on my husband! I assured them he never ever laid a hand on me, they backed off but I don't think they ever believed me. I also had nosebleeds on a daily basis, THAT was annoying. And did I mention the seizures? Yeah, those were my most insidious symptom and the first symptom to return when I'm accidentally glutened.

I think it's excellent that House did a show on this and it was in typical House fashion...