4 MONTHES AGO MY BROTHER who has scizophenia and is an x alcoholic was on a life support machine after a kidney stone blocked his kidneys he now needs an operation to prevent this happening again but is refusing the surgeon has said his power of attorney must take over but he has no power of attorney,can i become his power of attorney and overrule his decision? he says it is his choice please help I don't know what to do we have two weeks till his next hospital appointment
I'm not sure I understand either. If a kidney stone blocked his kidneys why didn't the Dr. just dissolve it with laser therapy? Even laproscopic surgery would have been better than life support and even surgery would be overkill for a kidney stone when there are so many other ways to get rid of it.
Is your brother off his meds? Is that why he can't make a decision for himself? Help him get back on his meds and let him take care of this as he sees fit. He should have every opportunity to make decisions.....any decisions.....on his own.
I don't intend to be harsh, but it sounds as if he's dealt with some real challenges in his life and he may just not want to go through with anything more.
Over the years I've heard on the news of someone in the medical community attempting to override a patient's decision not to have surgery, but I would hope that would not happen as it would be very distressing for you and your brother to have unrelated people attempting to control his decisions.
I think Jeanne's idea of meeting with his doctor is a good one, so that you can both be apprised of what's involved in the surgery and the risks if he doesn't have it. Your brother may share some of his thoughts and provide insight into his refusal to have the surgery. There may in fact be risks of which both of you are unaware.
You could go with your brother to his next appointment, and ask the doctor to explain the risks and benefits of having the surgery. Make sure that Brother has the information he should have in making a decision, and then try to accept his decision.
I am very sorry.