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A spouse (or even the parent of a child over 18 years old) does not have an automatic right to see the medical records. That's why it's so important to fill out an Advance Health Care Directive (sometimes called a "Medical Power of Attorney") and a "HIPPA" waiver ("HIPPA" is an acronym for "Health Insurance Privacy Protection Act").
Without these documents, you may need to be appointed as your husband's conservator by the Probate Court
The above information is for the USA, in Canada check with your doctors or attorney for legal requirements.
Just a pet peeve of mine. It's HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
It's not the doctor's job to prove he's an alcoholic or get him help. You're his wife. You live with him. Find out yourself. I'd be searching the house, micromanaging any money he had access to and if there was any suspicion, I'd make sure he couldn't drive. Ask him how much he's drinking.
If he is drinking, he needs to make the decision to get help, you can't do it for him.
If the doctor spoke to the wife about the alcoholism, it would have been nice if he (dr) had given her some referrals to treatment centers/therapists. There's a lot of woo out there in alcohol treatment. I agree the husband needs to make the decision himself.
In the US we both had to sign paperwork to allow us to get information without the other present.
It was kinda funny though, because I just wanted to discuss the charges on an invoice, that's how we ended up signing the authorizations.
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My father was an alcoholic and he would hide vodka. This was when I was young and in my teens. We would find small medicine bottles hidden all over the house containing vodka. My mother would ask us kids to help search. Because my father knew that she was onto destroying his stash; he would hide even more. My mother finally had enough and took her daughters and left. I stayed home because I was older at that time and most of the time I spent at my grandmother's only a mile away. But it took a good year of missing my mother and I was standing up to my father and telling him I was ashamed of him; before he bottomed out and quit.
Alcoholism is not an easy 'disease' or is there a quick fix. My feeling is that many simply have to seek their lowest level before they look for help. It is very hard to 'help' an alcoholic without becoming an enabler.
To the OP; look for signs around the house that this might be a problem. Does he have his 'own' money to spend and does he frequently go out? If he does go out look for a hidden stash and I would think it might be wise to not disturb it if you find one until you're sure. It could also be drugs?
With my late wife we always accompanied each other into the doctor's office. We also only had one check book and one credit card and we both went over the bills together. But I realize that not everybody has that kind of relationship with their spouse. My feeling is that your attention on this lack of communication should be focused on your husband and not on the doctors. Good luck!
My father was an alcoholic and he would hide vodka. This was when I was young and in my teens. We would find small medicine bottles hidden all over the house containing vodka. My mother would ask us kids to help search. Because my father knew that she was onto destroying his stash; he would hide even more. My mother finally had enough and took her daughters and left. I stayed home because I was older at that time and most of the time I spent at my grandmother's only a mile away. But it took a good year of missing my mother and I was standing up to my father and telling him I was ashamed of him; before he bottomed out and quit.
Alcoholism is not an easy 'disease' or is there a quick fix. My feeling is that many simply have to seek their lowest level before they look for help. It is very hard to 'help' an alcoholic without becoming an enabler.
To the OP; look for signs around the house that this might be a problem. Does he have his 'own' money to spend and does he frequently go out? If he does go out look for a hidden stash and I would think it might be wise to not disturb it if you find one until you're sure. It could also be drugs?
With my late wife we always accompanied each other into the doctor's office. We also only had one check book and one credit card and we both went over the bills together. But I realize that not everybody has that kind of relationship with their spouse. My feeling is that your attention on this lack of communication should be focused on your husband and not on the doctors. Good luck!
Thank you!
We have one for our accounts also. He doesn't go out much and money isn't missing. I've been watching since I originally posted. He drinks 15 cans in one week. I don't consider that a problem.
I think there is another issue that he is feeling angry, and I don't blame him. His struggles to keep a job in an industry that is dying. I think he need a support group to get over it and move forward.
He wasn't using his CPAP machine that he had that was a test to try before we purchased and now, we just purchased one and using it regularly. He still has mood swings and won't talk about it. His job search counsellor and our friends all have the same thought that he isn't an alcoholic but there must be another problem. He rambles, cannot complete his sentence and get frustrated. Could it be a form of depression?
We have one for our accounts also. He doesn't go out much and money isn't missing. I've been watching since I originally posted. He drinks 15 cans in one week. I don't consider that a problem.
I think there is another issue that he is feeling angry, and I don't blame him. His struggles to keep a job in an industry that is dying. I think he need a support group to get over it and move forward.
He wasn't using his CPAP machine that he had that was a test to try before we purchased and now, we just purchased one and using it regularly. He still has mood swings and won't talk about it. His job search counsellor and our friends all have the same thought that he isn't an alcoholic but there must be another problem. He rambles, cannot complete his sentence and get frustrated. Could it be a form of depression?
Oh my - 2 beers a day?! It is a fair amount, especially relative to teetotalers and the recent research showing health risks go up by imbibing ANY alcohol.
However, most people and certainly most professionals would be hard-pressed to call 2 drinks a day indicative of an alcoholic.
OP - did he used to drink more when younger such that alcohol impacts him more strongly because his liver is damaged?
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