Heavy (House)
Encyclopedia
"Heavy" is the sixteenth episode of the first season of House
, which premiered on the Fox
network on March 29, 2005. A 10-year-old obese girl is admitted after suffering a heart attack during gym class at school. House and the team attempt to solve the case while Vogler continues to pressure House to fire a member of his staff.
) complains of chest pains and then has a cardiac attack. As House
announces to his team that Vogler is forcing him to fire one of his staff members, tension rises between them. The team starts with theories related to Jessica's weight. Jessica's mother disputes that Jessica's weight is the issue and claims that she exercises daily and eats healthily.
Throughout the episode, Vogler visits each of the three fellows without House's knowledge and talks to them individually to see how they feel regarding the situation. It is revealed that Chase has been giving him information. Tension worsens as Cameron and Chase try to impress House and accuse each other of medical mistakes.
Jessica develops temporary psychosis
during testing as she apparently becomes hypoglycemic
and the doctors are forced to sedate her. The lab tests prove negative for hypoglycemia
and they suspect she may be taking diet pills
. Foreman investigates Jessica's background and confirms she was taking diet pills. Jessica admits she was taking them so she would not be "disgusting" anymore and they conclude they are responsible, but then starts bleeding from necrosis
on her chest. They think radical mastectomy
, amputation of her breasts, to be the only way to stop the necrosis from spreading.
As they prepare Jessica for surgery, Chase deduces that her obesity
is a symptom
, along with her stunted growth. House then concludes it is Cushing's syndrome
, caused by hyper-cortisol levels. They use an MRI to locate the source of the hyper-cortisolism. They find a tumor on the pituitary gland
that accounts for the symptoms. Using surgery, they successfully remove Jessica's tumor and she starts losing weight.
Meanwhile, House treats a woman who has a 30-pound tumor
on her ovaries, but she does not want it surgically removed because it will not kill her
. House figures out that she is having an affair with someone who likes her body.
A flash forward shows Jessica in an exam room for a follow-up appointment, presumably a few months later. Doctors Chase, Cameron, and Foreman are all present, foreshadowing that the dispute with Vogler will be resolved. In the end of the episode, House tells Vogler that he will fire Chase. However, Vogler refuses and tells him to pick someone else, or else the whole diagnostic department will be shelved.
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
, which premiered on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network on March 29, 2005. A 10-year-old obese girl is admitted after suffering a heart attack during gym class at school. House and the team attempt to solve the case while Vogler continues to pressure House to fire a member of his staff.
Plot
While exercising at school, a 10-year-old morbidly obese girl named Jessica (Jennifer StoneJennifer Stone
Jennifer Lindsay Stone is an American actress best known for playing Harper Finkle on the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place and Harriet Welsh in the Disney Channel film Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars.-Life:...
) complains of chest pains and then has a cardiac attack. As House
Gregory House
Gregory House, M.D., or simply referred to as House, is a fictional antihero and title character of the American television series House, played by Hugh Laurie. He is the Chief of Diagnostic Medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, where he leads a team of diagnosticians...
announces to his team that Vogler is forcing him to fire one of his staff members, tension rises between them. The team starts with theories related to Jessica's weight. Jessica's mother disputes that Jessica's weight is the issue and claims that she exercises daily and eats healthily.
Throughout the episode, Vogler visits each of the three fellows without House's knowledge and talks to them individually to see how they feel regarding the situation. It is revealed that Chase has been giving him information. Tension worsens as Cameron and Chase try to impress House and accuse each other of medical mistakes.
Jessica develops temporary psychosis
Psychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
during testing as she apparently becomes hypoglycemic
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia or hypoglycæmia is the medical term for a state produced by a lower than normal level of blood glucose. The term literally means "under-sweet blood"...
and the doctors are forced to sedate her. The lab tests prove negative for hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia or hypoglycæmia is the medical term for a state produced by a lower than normal level of blood glucose. The term literally means "under-sweet blood"...
and they suspect she may be taking diet pills
Anti-obesity drug
Anti-obesity medication or weight loss drugs are all pharmacological agents that reduce or control weight. These drugs alter one of the fundamental processes of the human body, weight regulation, by either altering appetite, metabolism, or absorption of calories. It is common for them to be tried...
. Foreman investigates Jessica's background and confirms she was taking diet pills. Jessica admits she was taking them so she would not be "disgusting" anymore and they conclude they are responsible, but then starts bleeding from necrosis
Necrosis
Necrosis is the premature death of cells in living tissue. Necrosis is caused by factors external to the cell or tissue, such as infection, toxins, or trauma. This is in contrast to apoptosis, which is a naturally occurring cause of cellular death...
on her chest. They think radical mastectomy
Radical mastectomy
Radical mastectomy is a surgical procedure in which the breast, underlying chest muscle , and lymph nodes of the axilla are removed as a treatment for breast cancer....
, amputation of her breasts, to be the only way to stop the necrosis from spreading.
As they prepare Jessica for surgery, Chase deduces that her obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
is a symptom
Symptom
A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, indicating the presence of disease or abnormality...
, along with her stunted growth. House then concludes it is Cushing's syndrome
Cushing's syndrome
Cushing's syndrome is a hormone disorder caused by high levels of cortisol in the blood. This can be caused by taking glucocorticoid drugs, or by tumors that produce cortisol or adrenocorticotropic hormone or CRH...
, caused by hyper-cortisol levels. They use an MRI to locate the source of the hyper-cortisolism. They find a tumor on the pituitary gland
Pituitary gland
In vertebrate anatomy the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 g , in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, and rests in a small, bony cavity covered by a dural fold...
that accounts for the symptoms. Using surgery, they successfully remove Jessica's tumor and she starts losing weight.
Meanwhile, House treats a woman who has a 30-pound tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
on her ovaries, but she does not want it surgically removed because it will not kill her
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. House figures out that she is having an affair with someone who likes her body.
A flash forward shows Jessica in an exam room for a follow-up appointment, presumably a few months later. Doctors Chase, Cameron, and Foreman are all present, foreshadowing that the dispute with Vogler will be resolved. In the end of the episode, House tells Vogler that he will fire Chase. However, Vogler refuses and tells him to pick someone else, or else the whole diagnostic department will be shelved.
External links
- "Heavy" at Fox.com