A worker suffered a rotator cuff injury. Rotator cuffs can be especially painful and often take a long time to heal. As a healthcare interpreter, I have seen patients who excessively protect their injury. The arm becomes stiff and cannot be raised. Typically, they must sedate him and manipulate the arm. In layperson terms, rip the scar tissue to loosen it again.
That was the case with this patient. He was a friendly older man. When I first began interpreting for him, it took me a while to fully understand him because he tended to mumble. As therapy progressed, his case was very strange because he seemed to get weaker and his mumble more pronounced. He was deteriorating quickly before my very eyes. It made no sense since his injury and treatment were very common.
Testing was ordered to uncover the reason why. It was discovered that he had ALS. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. ALS became famous in 1939 when Lou Gehrig, a beloved and famous Yankee baseball player, was afflicted and brought attention to the disease. To this day many, still call it Lou Gehrig disease.
The motor neurons in the nervous system begin to expire. As a result, the brain is unable to initiate and control muscle movement. Eventually, patients in the later stages of the disease often become completely paralyzed. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to death.
As a result of this new discovery, the workers’ compensation carrier determined that ALS was not job related. The treating doctor determined that based on his circumstances, he had reached Maximum Medical improvement (MMI) Therefore, his case was settled.
Shortly after his case settled, I decided to pay him a visit. Since he no longer required my professional services, I saw no harm in now making a friendly, neighborly visit. Interpreters are encouraged to not become over familiar with patients to avoid compromising neutrality, thereby complying with their professional code of ethics. However, at this stage, I was no longer his interpreter.
His wife welcomed me into his house. She graciously brought me to his room where he was laying in bed. In such a short period of time, he had shriveled and became frail. He was no longer able to speak, and I was told that soon he wouldn’t be able to eat.
They asked me if I would pray for them. I happily obliged. Shortly after the visit, he did indeed pass away. I was saddened that his very kind, gentle, hardworking man lost his life this way. It was also devastating for his family.
I felt honored to serve as his interpreter towards the end of his life. Many people wondered how I could even understand him. All I could say is that I understood him because I was with him during his deterioration and so I was able to adjust accordingly.
No one had any fault in this experience. It was just a tragic, unfortunate event.
