h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Dear Scarab, Congratulations on a very good article. The point is that some people are allergic to it as a pain killer and so cannot have it prescribed for them. I know as I am one of them!!. I think I first remember reading about it in Jules Verne's book Round the world in 80 days". But it is so sad that people become so addicted to it that it takes over their lives. Kind regards. AR1

Yeah, I think I'm safe from heroin addiction as I was given a morphine jab after an operation once and it nearky killed me.
Never again, a violent allergic reaction such as that will only happen once as far as I'm concerned.

Hi Orchus. But what is it that makes people like us allergic to it and others addicted to it? That surely should be a question for researchers to investigate in order to help those who get hooked on it Thanks for your observation. I thought I was the only one!! AR1

If we knew that then boy would drug design be easier

It is a subject of ongoing research Allergy is pretty much regarded as a by-product of having an immune system - things like asthma, eczema, hay fever, arthritis etc all are autoimmune diseases - your body's immune system attacking itself. The way the immune system works is not fully understood but our knowledge is slowly improving. Having a slightly difunctional immune system is better than not having one at all though - ask an AIDS patient.

Apparently my morphine allergy symtoms were not typical. As far as I can tell it gave me a heart siezure (although they never fully told me this, I've had to ask medics for their opinions since). I had extreme pain in my diaphragm which caused me to twice pass out - they nearly had to resusitate me apparently.

How did it manifest itself with you if I'm not intruding?

BTW, the addiction is nothing to do with an allergic reaction. The morphine receptors we also have and our own body's endorphins and enkaphalins will still activate them it's just that morphine triggers an allergy in a totally unrelated way.

Orcus

Hi Orchus. It is far more involved that I thought.!! Thank you for the explanation, I thought I was being helpful/original. NO such luck. The first time it manifested itself was when I had to have a huge tumour (which weighed 2 kgs and is now in a bottle at the University lab. of the hospital where it was removed ), and my left lower lobe of my lung removed in 1980. In those days it was quite a heavy op. and I was apparently given morphine. I had every one of my children visiting me, sitting on my bed and chatting to me. And yet I knew that they were in the Uk, Hong Kong, America and Africa.They were certainly not sitting on my bed chatting to me. When I told a friend who came to visit me she reported it to the staff who gave me paracetamol from then onwards and stopped the morphine. In 1994, I had to have emergency heart surgery for an aneurysm in my left coronary artery.I was extremely fortunate that it was diagnosed. After the op I had two horrible days trying to make the floors in a circular building level!! I had been donated the building - so I "thought" as a home for a special project I was involved in. When I said in a tired voice to the nurse that nothing I did would make the floors level they took me off morphine and once again gave me paracetamol. So that is how I now I am "allergic" to it. Now sadly I have a type of arthrtis which can be incredibly painful as I have no cartilage between any of my bones, and the choice of painkillers is not very wide. Anyway, I'm still alive and happy even though it gets a trifle wearisome sometimes. Are you a doctor that you know so much about the auto-immune system? I used to think that I had quite a good one going for me!! Sincerely AR1

I'm an organic chemist by trade and so I do study and work in the chemical side of medicine.

Your reaction was much less extreme than mine then. I think I would probably die if I took it or was given it again However I'll shut up about operations mine was not in the same planet of seriousness than either of those.
Is having a lung lobe removed not considered a heavy op now then?

Glad to see your still happy and alive

Hi again. No I just think that they are far more advanced in technology now than then. When I had it done my husband joked and said that there was no more gardennhose where we were living because it was all around me trying to re-establish the vacuum in my thoracic cavity. And I was on that extraordinary contraption for about two days.My son, who had a thoracotomy about four years ago was up and walking literally the day of the op. Of the two I would rather have the thoracotomy than the open heart. That was an experience which I have vowed never to repeat. Whatever the odds!!I often wonder why I am so horrified about it. So many people have several and most of them seem not to mind. I think that mine was probably far more psychological than physical. I believe thay had trouble getting my heart to start beating again, and so they put in a temporary pacemaker which had to be removed some days later. Also I really did not realise what they were going to do. Just as well.!! Charming isnt it the things that happen to one. I try not to think about it, and am really happy in my wheelchair. I just get very upset when my family and friends want me
to have a double hip replacement. With the rest of me falling to bits it seems a bit pointless. I wish they would accept me as I am. Now I am being very personal and honest and I am burdening you with my problems which I try not to think about. Apologies! Organic chemist. that is interesting. I am a great believer in alternative medcines and take lots of extra things every day. I reckon it is them that have kept me alive. Plus acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Oh well. I am sure you must never have morphine again. The results would be dreadful. Do you have a little badge saying you must not have it. I really would like to know more about the auto-immune systems. Is there a book which you could recommend? I am off to have my lunch now. I look forward to chatting to you again. Regards. AR1

Hi Did I scare you off with alternative medcine or with my long winded story of my"Ops"?. Mostly I never think about them so forgive me for having gone into them in too great detail. It was silly of me. Off for a swim now. Have a good day. Regards. AR1

Oops, sorry, this just dropped off my most recent conversations on the old homepagey thing. Then I forgot about it. I'm involved in quite a few conversations around here as I'm a total h2g2 addict

Hmmm, call it the immune system. Conditions like osteo-arthritis are called autoimmune diseases as it is your own immune system attacking you, kind of 'automatically' I guess. Can't say as I could really recommend a book off the top of my head as I've never really read one myself except for maybe Stryer's 'Biochemistry' text book but that is 1st year undergraduate level biochemistry and is also very expensive. I've really picked up what I know through attendance at myriad science lectures and seminars and through reading the research level science journal most of which are so technical it's pretty pointless reading them unless you have at least a degree in chemistry/biochemistry. Other than that I guess check out http://www.amazon.co.uk

Sorry, that probably wasn't very helpful. I'm really no expert in the field at all I'm afraid.

Oh and no I don't have a little badge but you're not the first to give me that advice. Trouble is I've never been one for jewellery but I guess some sort of bracelet or neck chain *would* be a good plan.

...acupuncture and herbal medicine are fine by me. Acupuncture is very well established and most of us that I know of (including the big Professor I work for) agree that it works. Most (for that read *nearly all*) drugs on the market are derived from natural products, if not being the natural product itself. So they would have originally come from some sort of organism such as a herb in the first place. The only trouble is there are so many charlatans out there and there is *much* less regulation in alternative medicine than there is in the mainstream. Basically, in the mainstream you must provide really thorough and comelling evidence that your new treatment works before it will be licenced these days.

Oops, rambled on a bit there, by for now.

Orcus

PS. don't worry about going on about your operations. I continually bore people with stories about mine

Hi Orchus, Glad I didn't frighten you off!. I have had a full week with a day at the Diabetic Clinic with a super team who examined me from top to toe. Still more things to go into. Seems the immune system is not so hot!!. I am having a super time losing myself in the thrill of the winter Olympic Games. I must admit that I think TV is quite wonderful for people who are not able to get around. I have just been to Australia to watch the tennis and now I am in America watching the Olympic Games!!. I used to have a medicalert bracelet which I wore with all the allergies written on it and my contact number (I think) I am trying to find out if there is such an organisation in England. With affectionate regards AR1

Only joking

Actually I've been rather lucky in terms of olymic timings. The operation I had was to repair ligaments in my ankle that were wrecked playing football and I got originally injured just as the 1988 winter olymipcs began. It saved my sanity I think. My operation to repair things ocurred on the same day as the 1998 World Cup kicked off. Again four weeks on my back in a plaster cast was not nice but alleviated by having something like that to watch.

Hope it's all going OK - I notice us Brits aren't doing too well as usual.

I also wonder about Salt Lake City as a venue. Isn't it in the middle of a desert?

Thanks for the feedback, people.

Dear Scarab, Now you have me foxed!! How come you play football? The carer has just come to bath me - or rather to help me to bath so I must fly. But please enlighten me!!. Sincerely AR1

Scarab?

I used to play football - can't now - or at least I'm advised not to by the doctors who repaired the old ankle.

Don't most young boys of 18 play football?

SLC is in the middle of a continent, and at (and near) rather high elevations, so it is a very COLD desert. Like Antarctica, what little snow falls, does not melt. The Great Salt Lake does have water in it, and this can evaporate with passing warm air systems, to make more snow than general in the North American high desert.

Dear Orchus, Oh dear,Oh dear Oh dear!!. Pardon, Apologies, Forgive me!! I got very confused and I hate to have to admit this but I thought that you were of the opposite gender!!. That brought on the question about football. Though I should not be so sexist because one of my granddaughters plays rugby. To my confusion and shame!!.As for calling you scarab.I am losing my tiny mind. Anyway, now that we have got the gender problem hunky-dory, hopefully we will be able to carry on our correspondence!!.(Which started, rather strangely, on the discussion of the article on heroin) I have just discovered the "thread" of winter sports and am fascinated with the various points of view. I must admit that I think that judging subjective "sports" like ice-skating is is really difficult. Rather like judging a ballet!!. How come you know so much about Salt Lake City? I am sure that you are right and that they used to do do speed racing there. I seem to remember that. I have just been given some super violet plants with fragrant flowers. So will ask my son to help me plant them this afternoon. In the meantime, have a good day, finding lots of interesting things in your laboratory. When I first got this computer I found a web site at the Birmingham University Medical School about the particular psioritic arthritis(arthropophy) which I suffer from. I seem to remember that they told me to go to my doctor, who still was not able to do much for me!!. Do you ever go to concerts of the wonderful Birmingham Symphony Orchestra? I really miss that. Kind regards. AR1