"Doc" was a dying man, whose disease prevented him from speaking and moving, but his mind was still there. He could see us and hear us and follow us with his eyes. Until the end he could force out a smile or even a grimace if he really needed to get a message across. He was dying from ALS, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease, and chose to live out the rest of his life in the comforts of his own home. His muscles slowly ceased to function and it spread throughout his entire body eventually getting to his heart, and what a heart it was. I miss that man.
I was introduced to Doc -- who was not a doctor at all -- about a year ago. I was eventually asked to provide massage to this man who was confined to a bed with life support systems all around him. When someone is bed-bound many complications can arise and some of them can be prevented with or treated with massage therapy. He had excellent medical care and an excellent team caring for him. Still, I was asked to help.
Doc had his own way of telling me when he was uncomfortable and it didn't take me long to understand the different expressions he made with his face to communicate with me. One day I noticed he had some swelling in his hands, called edema. This happened because he was unable to move his body and the lymphatic fluid in his body was unable to move well because of it. This caused the fluid to build up in his extremities, starting with his hands. Common practices to care for edema are to raise the extremity to aid in the fluid flow and continue to watch the body part for signs of improvement. What I did was take Doc's hand and ask him for permission to try something I have been trained to do. I explained to him what lymphatic drainage massage was and how it might help and his facial expression gave me the permission I needed to continue. Within five minutes his swelling was gone and he was smiling. He could feel the difference even though he was unable to see the difference. I had thought ahead though, and had shown him his hand both before and after the massage. His eyes were wide, he looked confused, and then he smiled a big smile. He was clearly impressed.
Some may say this was not a "need". That this was not "medically necessary". Let me ask you, if his nurse had given him a pill for his swelling would that have been a "need" or a "medically necessary" step to take? Sure it would have been, because it would have provided him with relief and would have decreased his chances of developing further complications. It would have helped make sure the condition was under control. It would have provided an effective way of treating the problem. That's all medical necessity is: an effective way of treating a problem. Why then, is massage considered NOT to be medically necessary? Why do some doctors and home care agencies turn the other cheek on massage therapists when we can be of help? I've tried to bring help into homes by approaching the very people who can make it happen and the doors keep closing in my face.
I've helped others besides Doc but I'm choosing to share my story of Doc because there's more to his story than there is to others. I was told not to help Doc. I was told I could not help Doc or I would lose my job. I was told my massage services were not needed by the health care company I worked for. Not needed, really? Right there was the person who was paying them for Doc's care ASKING me to help. Tell me that I'm not needed and I will show you someone in need of relief and a distraught family member who just wants them to feel better -- dying or not! Not needed my behind! Relief IS needed and by many people! Time and time again I helped Doc on my own and provided him with relief with the permission of his primary care provider.
So when I advocate for home care patients to have access to massage it really bothers me when someone says it's not needed, or they don't provide luxuries or gifts to their patients. I have a number assigned to me that allows me to bill insurance. This means I am recognized as a health care provider. I am not providing gifts or luxuries. I am providing all natural therapy. I am providing relief. I am providing comfort. I CAN HELP and help IS needed.
I studied lymphatic drainage massage because of Doc. I knew there was such a therapy & I knew it could help him but I didn't know how to do it so I learned how and I managed to do it before he passed so I was able to help him get through his situation with as little discomfort as possible. Although Doc has passed I continue to advocate for something that I know brought him a lot of relief and that I believe others should be able to benefit from as well.
As I said, Doc wasn't actually a doctor. There was a joke in his family about how he and his wife checked into a hotel one time and he had told them he was a doctor. The hotel welcomed him so nicely and addressed him as "Dr. [enter last name here]". They got the royal treatment! So from then on he was known as, "Dr." even though he wasn't one. He was quite the comic though, and he is missed. This fight is for you Doc, that my efforts will help more than one person get through a difficult time, because I know it would have made you happy to see others cared for the way you were. See you on the other side.
