I was wondering if there was any way I could find out if my Husband could have possible Prostate Cancer. You see we don't see the same Doctor any more, because our Dr. & I have different views on personal exams & who should be doing them (him or his receptionist) I think him & he thinks his receptionist is qualified I disagree so now I don't have a Doctor for that reason. Any-way because of this the Dr. refuses to discuss any-thing regarding my Husbands health (when he was my Doctor as well there was no problem with any discussions regarding either mine or my Husbands health about each-other). My Husband has been losing a lot of weight, like nearly 40 lbs. with-in the last year & this summer so far when he gets bitten by the Black flies he is swelling up at the bite site, he has "never" swollen up like that before & frankly I'm worried about him, he doesn't want me worrying about him but hey, that's my job I'm his wife & after 23 years together (May 25th.) & counting I'd like us to grow really old "together" & go out together not apart. His appetite has changed as well, he used to be a really big eater now he barely eats a full meal before he says he's full & can't eat any more & he's only eating once a day now instead of three times a day like he used too. His waist line was 32 inches now he'd be lucky to have a 26 inch waist, I don't know what to do & I'm hoping that some-one can help me help him. He is 5' 6" tall (he used to 5" 7" but got injured at work in 1989 & now he has disintegrating discs in his lower lumbar region) & is going to be 60 yrs. old in October of this year 2012. Please can some-body help me.
Sincerely;
Linda J. Wilkinson
Sincerely;
Linda J. Wilkinson
Hi Linda,
First, his doctor has no right to discuss anything with you regarding your husband. If you live in the US it is a HIPAA violation for him to do so. Doctor - patient information is confidential. Just being his wife does not give him legal authority to share ANYTHING with you.
Ask your husband about his medical condition. If he wants to share, great! If not, there is nothing you can do.
It very well could be the disintegrating discs are causing your husband so much pain that he doesn't want to eat. Why do you think it has to be prostate cancer?
If the receptionist is a trained medical assistant then there is no reason she can't do part of the exam. This is a common practice nowadays. The doctor should still discuss the results of the exam with you however.
Frankly, I'm glad your husband is seeing the doctor. But, if he doesn't want to let us know what his current health is then you just need to support him.
Things have changed a lot in the health care industry and not always for the better.