☤ forty-three

[as_damaged]

CIPA (Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis) is a rare, inherited condition where the patient is incapable of feeling physical pain or differences in temperature. While this might sound like a stroke of luck to anyone who's ever suffered chronic pain, or even anyone who's had a really bad toothache, it's an extremely dangerous condition that can potentially shorten the lifespan of the affected individual significantly. As numerous others have discussed, the experience of pain, while unpleasant, serves a purpose: it lets us know something is wrong, and often gives us a clue to what the problem might be. Take away that sensitivity, and the individual might never know they're sick or injured to begin with.

Because it's caused by a genetic mutation, CIPA is a lifelong condition and as such presents immediately. Due to their inability to sweat, more than half of all children born with CIPA die of overheating before the age of three. Those surviving are in danger of sustaining injuries, sometimes serious ones, in ways that someone who can feel pain would not; babies are given to chewing on their lips, tongues and extremities or scratching their eyes. Infections and bone fractures are not uncommon, and often go undiagnosed in their early stages because the patient is unaware of them. As such, it is important for the parents of CIPA patients (and for the patients themselves, once they become old enough to understand their condition) to routinely check for damage to their bodies and to avoid situations where overheating or injuries could occur.


[ooc; info from wikipedia & House 3x14 XD Please attribute any errors to my mistake & not Cameron's, and feel free to ping me ooc if you desire; but for IC purposes she ought to be correct. however I am not a doctor and can't swear this is perfectly accurate. <3

edit; sjslgfdsg when did it get this late /passes out |D]

Comments

VIDEO;

[tailchased.livejournal.com]

[Chase has figured out how to turn his network device on. He has not, yet, figured out words. This has lead to communication in the form of interpretive dance, as he trots back and forth in front of the screen before rolling onto his back happily. Tiny fox sign language for good job.]

VIDEO;

[as_damaged]

[It's basically impossible not to smile at that.]

Should I take that as approval?

VIDEO;

[tailchased.livejournal.com]

Yip!

[Chase is on his paws again, wagging his tail. Maybe this is a good time to train her in one yip for yes, two for no.]

VIDEO;

[as_damaged]

[The thought has occurred to her already.]

You could bark in code, that might make it easier to communicate. Once for yes?

VIDEO;

[tailchased.livejournal.com]

Yip!

[Yes! For as much as any of the squeaky-toy noises he makes could be considered barking. Chase runs in a circle to cement the notion that he's down with this plan.]

Aroo-ruff.

[Ask me another.]

VIDEO;

[as_damaged]

You don't remember our CIPA patient, do you?

[They've been here long enough that she can't keep the difference straight, sometimes, but as she recalls he's from before that.]

audio;

[aregulargirl.livejournal.com]

[ this strikes max's interest, since the new bad guys in her life don't feel pain at all. ]

Is it possible to train yourself not to feel pain? I mean, have you ever heard of any cases where that's happened?

[ ooc: i'm so sorry for dropping off in the mermaid post! i've been so distracted & flaky lately. ♥ ]

audio;

[as_damaged]

Well, injuries to the nervous system can inhibit the recognition of pain sensations, as can certain drugs... a number of martial arts traditions and the like claim to be able to train you to feel no pain, but it's likelier a matter of teaching pain endurance, rather than cultivating an actual insensitivity comparable to CIP. A patient with actual CIPA isn't just able to ignore pain-- they don't feel most sensations than you or I would take for granted; the nerves just don't work correctly.


[ooc; no worries, it happens ♥ especially when eljay fail comes into the mix]

audio;

[aregulargirl.livejournal.com]

[ a pause as she takes that in. ]

If someone wanted to guarantee that they or their children would be born with that condition, would they be able to do it?

[ she remembers how members of the familiars in families would "sacrifice" their first two children. for someone asking the types of questions she is, she doesn't sound particularly enthusiastic. there's still a lot she doesn't know about them - stuff she doesn't necessarily want to know, but will possibly need to. ]

[ ooc: and they've been very generous with their fail lately, ugh. ]

audio;

[as_damaged]

I-- [Reasons notwithstanding, Cameron can't help but be a bit horrified by the prospect.]

I should stress, it's not a beneficial condition in any sense. Most patients don't survive into adulthood, and those who do have shortened lives and usually incur a lot of other medical expenses, both precautionary and to treat accidental injuries. We had a CIPA patient with a twenty-five foot parasite in her stomach, and she never would have known if she hadn't been in a car accident.

audio;

[aregulargirl.livejournal.com]

[ don't worry, cameron, max is plenty horrified herself. ]

Oh, no - I'm not asking for...me, not exactly. I was just - there were people at home that I ran into who were - they couldn't feel pain. They were bred not to feel pain. I wondered if CIPA might have factored into that at all.

[neverplay]

Can you really live without pain?

[as_damaged]

As I said, the mortality rate among infants is very high; and few CIPA patients live past the age of 25. The risk of serious injuries going unnoticed is too high.

[neverplay]

I don't mean in technical terms. I mean, even if you survived, it is really living?

[as_damaged]

I think many people would prefer to live without pain. I suspect if you asked House anyone with a chronic pain condition, they'd agree.

[neverplay]

That's only because they're weak.

audio[

[oshutup.livejournal.com]

Have you seen this one firsthand before?

audio[

[as_damaged]

Once, which is somewhat surprising considering how unusual it is. A teenage girl had been in a car accident with her mother. She wasn't injured in the crash, but as it turned out she had a tapeworm. She couldn't feel it, so she might never have known if she hadn't been admitted to the ER.

audio[

[oshutup.livejournal.com]

Fortunate, then.

[pause and not quite the clearing of a throat but some other noncommittal noise]

And, I thought to let you know--- I did receive a token. After cobbling together what I'd had--- Even filtering it through to deities only.

audio[

[as_damaged]

She really was. Her mother came out all right, too.

[She sounds relieved, even in retrospect.]

That's good to know, I'm glad you got it.

audio[

[oshutup.livejournal.com]

I'm glad---for both of them.

I don't---

[And pause again. If rubbing the back of one's neck with the same feeling of a shrug was audible, that would go here too, but since it's not...well.]

Me too---worked well enough as a test anyway.

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Just how shiny is your token?

[as_damaged]

I suppose we won't know until something intolerable comes around.

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Chase will do it first then we'll find out.

[as_damaged]

You think he has a lower threshold for dealing with curses?