Cynthia (Mariska Hargitay) says about her stockings with a back seam, "I don't know how my mother kept these things straight." Mariska's mom was Jayne Mansfield, a sex symbol from 1950's and 60's films.
Sickle cell anemia is the most common type of sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that affects the shape of red blood cells. Normal red blood cells are round with a concave center and flexible, this allows them to easily travel through blood vessels; however in the case of sickle cell disease the red blood cells are deformed, rigid and can be sticky, they are in the shape of a half moon or a sickle which is where the name comes from. Due to their shape and inflexibility they can become lodged and stuck inside blood vessels, especially small ones, when they get stuck they obstruct blood flow and die quickly. Typically red blood cells live for about 120 days before dying and being replaced, whereas sickle cells die in 10 to 20 days, leaving a shortage of red blood cells which causes sickle cell anemia. A sickle cell pain crisis (technically called a vaso-occlusive crisis) occurs when sickle cells block blood flow in the small blood vessels of the chest, abdomen and joints. The main symptom is pain, which can be anywhere from mild to severe and last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Sickle cell pain crisis, depending on severity, can be treated with NSAID's like naproxen or ketorolac (Toradol) for mild cases, moderate cases can be treated with oral opioid pain medications like codeine, hydrocodone and oxycodone however some episodes can be severe enough to require hospitalization as the only way to adequately control the pain is with intravenous opioids like morphine, hydromorphone (Dilaudid) or fentanyl.