Smokers, Former Smokers, Addiction Pros...

[Spiky Bugger]

Let's say you have. BIL who is a complete moron. He has a LENGTHY history of gastric problems, huge vascular issues, collapsed lung and other pulmonary concerns, etc. He seeks medical care only when his problems interfere with golf.

So when vascular issues got so bad that he could no longer walk, he finally went for his first (seven years ago)...and then his second (five years ago)...bypass.

Then, nine days ago, when he couldn't breathe, he ended up in the hospital. He admitted that every morning when he goes to the Par 3 golf course place, he still has a cigarette...or three.

Well, I used to smoke and MY experience tells me that three cigarettes and then a 23-hour wait ain't gonna cut it. (And maybe that's why he is always willing to run to the grocery store or CVS...taking his ratty old car, the one his wife doesn't ride in, out of the garage...even when "her" better, newer car is in the driveway. You know, for the afternoon fix under the pretext of being helpful.)

Anyway...this time, he can't get released from the hospital until his ZOLL VEST... http://lifevest.zoll.coma ...a defibrillator he will have to wear 24-7 until he has the pacemaker he hasn't yet been told he needs is planned...is delivered.

Anyway, does anyone believe that he smokes only those three cigarettes in the morning? (And, at what point does his wife "enourage" him to give the doctors honest answers?)

 

[DianaCox]

Not a chance. UNLESS the only reason he is smoking them is to stimulate him to take a ****. Maybe.

And his wife is an enabler. She can rat him out to the doctor, in front of him or by a telephone call, without violating HIPAA - the doctor can't TELL her anything about his medical condition, but he can LISTEN to what she tells him.

 

[southernlady]

Back when my Mother broke her elbow, she had me with her at the doctor's office. He gave her pain meds and I straight out asked about drinking alcohol. (Mother was an alcoholic). He turned to her and said while she was taking the med, she was not to drink. She didn't drink anymore, she switched addictions to pain meds.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

Not a chance. UNLESS the only reason he is smoking them is to stimulate him to take a ****. Maybe.

And his wife is an enabler. She can rat him out to the doctor, in front of him or by a telephone call, without violating HIPAA - the doctor can't TELL her anything about his medical condition, but he can LISTEN to what she tells him.

I was not clear. My sister only learned about this FROM the doctor...or from my BIL as he confessed to doctor. She was livid. (She has durable POA for his health care.)

But I'm thinking he's still only giving a partial confession...and I'm wondering who agrees with me.

 

[Susan in Tennessee]

If he's smoking three a morning, he's smoking more throughout the day on the errands, like you said.

 

[southernlady]

But I'm thinking he's still only giving a partial confession

I am sure the doc knows...he may not confront your BIL but I am sure he knows he's being lied to.

 

[DSRIGGS]

My mother spent 2 weeks in cardiac ICU in 1994 or 5 after not being able to breath all night one night. It ended up being found that she had a viral pneumonia, had suffered a mild heart attack and both COPD & CHF were also diagnosed. She was on a vent for over a week and Dr's gave her less than a 25% chance of surviving. Somehow she survived.

Mom was a heavy smoker and RN who started smoking in high school. She didn't smoke for almost a year after being released. She was on oxygen the rest if her life. At about a year post incident she started smoking again and would go outside and take her oxygen off to do so. She was honest about it with everyone. Naturally I talked to her about it, but it did no good. Fast forward 10 years and she would be regularly admitted through the er for excessive fluid build up around her heart and lungs. On one such occasion after being in the er fir 5 hours with her when she got to a room she asked the nurse where they went to smoke. The nurse told her if you smoke you will be kicked out. That morning abut 2 am I got a call from my Aunt saying I needed to pick up Mom because she was caught smoking and was being kicked out. When I got there she wasnt in her room but out in a court yard with other nurses smoking. She looked she saw a ghost because she was expecting my Aunt to pick her up and not me. I read her the riot act on the way home telling her that my boys would like to have their Grandmother around when growing up. She broke down but never changed her behavior. She lived an absolute horrible last 5 years and in a few weeks it will be 6 years now that she has been gone from lung cancer. Had that not gotten her ut would have been her heart within a couple years.

Those *******s are addicting as hell and I bet your BIL is like my Mom and unwilling and unable quit, and has resigned himself to the fact that he won't be around much longer...so he isnt giving up his pleasure.

Sad but it happens. Some people just can't overcome the addiction or want to do so.