Quote:
Originally Posted by Clodfobble
I'm pretty sure HIPAA makes it completely illegal, in fact. But realistically, your friend is going to hear bad news from the doctor either way, and he will probably appreciate having someone there to ask questions that he surely wants to know the answer to but may not be clear-headed enough to think about yet.
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You're right about HIPAA, Clod. I hadn't thought about that. The thing is, unless some member of his family steps in, I'm his main source of emotional support, at the moment. I also go over and cook and clean for him when he's too sick to do for himself.
So, I'd like to know what kind of a ride I'm in for. My friend is experiencing alot of confusion and memory problems right now which makes it hard for him to ask the doctor questions himself.
I think this confusion may be due to a condition called encephalopathy in the med articles. Apparently the brain becomes damaged by the high amount of toxins in the blood of someone with severe liver disease. The condition only worsens from what I can tell from my reading.
My friend is really going to need someone to be his advocate. He seems to think his family won't be very helpful and told me that he wants me to be the one there when he undergoes all the testing, so I hope HIPPA won't prevent the doctor from at least talking to us together. And, yes, B. Serpent, I think he is beginning to go thru the stages Kubler-Ross described.
Thank you, everyone for giving me a sounding board. This is very hard.