Update from Gina 10/24/04

Dear Family & Friends,

As Gerry's week at home progressed, the difficulties increased, and the Marinucci family is in urgent need of prayer.

First let me say that Gerry did so well for the first half of the week or so. He has been so alert at times, and we have been amazed at how well he sometimes communicates with his unique sense of humor. He truly has come such a long way, but we realize that sometimes setbacks do occur.

I mentioned in my last update that he was not taking the rest periods that he now needs due to his injury. This lack of rest only increased his agitation in several ways as the days went on. Any suggestions or direction from his wife to rest or relax, no matter how gentle, were not received well. The same resulted when Lori or the girls made a gentle mention of "lunch will be ready in a few minutes" in order to get him to wait because he has the most unusual ravenous appetite. (We don't know if this is a side effect from a prescription or a problem discerning real hunger because of his brain injury). This week and a half at home has confirmed our beliefs that Gerry needs much more therapy, more advanced than he has had thus far.

Last night, Gerry even refused to go to bed at night and stayed on the recliner in the living room. Lori checked on him several times, but he still would not come to bed. She waited in the bedroom with the T.V. on to keep herself awake so that she could check on him again. But she was so exhausted, she fell asleep. At two o'clock in the morning, the doorbell rang, and it was the police with Gerry. He had walked probably a half mile in his pajama bottoms and t-shirt and bare feet. He was disoriented, and only knew his and Lori's first names, and thought he lived in Santa Clara. If it weren't for a teenage neighbor coming home who spotted Gerry on the side of the road with the policeman, who knows what would have happened to him. After the policeman left, and Lori asked Gerry what he was doing, he said he was going to work on his bicycle. The next morning when she questioned him again, he said he just wanted to go for a walk to watch the traffic. (Lori said when Anessa was little, he used to take her for walks and they would count the different color cars) He did not understand the unappropriateness of leaving the house in the middle of the night and not telling anyone, or the fact that he is not safe by himself yet. This experience has been very scary for Lori and the girls, and probably for Gerry, too.

Today we took Gerry to his new rehab living center, which is in Escondido. The plan was to have Gerry stay from Sunday dinner time through Wednesday early evening. This way, Lori could work her 3 ten hour days while the girls are also graciously cared for and homeschooled by dear friends of theirs. Then the girls and Gerry would be home from Wednesday evening through Sunday evening.

May we ask you to join us in prayer to lift up this dear family for the following needs:

***Lori's greatest need and request is for those of you who know Gerry and live in the area to please help out by visiting Gerry. This is the only way she will be able to concentrate on getting her hours in at work, so that we the family can be fully available to be there for her and Gerry and the girls on the weekends. We hope and pray that maybe a rotating visiting schedule can be set up for visitors (Sunday eve , Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday afternoon.) so that hopefully visitors can go once a month or once every two months. Mon,Tues, & Wed. are the most important days.

***Please lift Lori up in prayer for strength and wisdom as she faces so much. She will be on the phone all week battling with the insurance company to get the right treatment for Gerry. The insurance co. discharged Gerry without a further plan for treatment, which almost turned out to be disastrous this week. Lori is paying for Learning Services in-patient care herself at this time because the insurance will not. We believe Gerry needs to see a Neuropsychologist, and pray that we will be able to arrange that this week before he is set to come home Wednesday so that we can have some important answers. Are Gerry's episodes of disorientation simply due to exhaustion (because he did not have this experience before)? Or maybe he needs to have another CT-Scan to see if there are any changes in the brain? And how can Gerry's agitation be dealt with? Through therapy, medication, etc.? We also know that we will need to get their home alarmed this week before he comes home again. The answers to these questions, and much more needs to be considered before we can continue with the plan to bring him back home for the weekend, or we may have to realize that he is not ready to be home yet. If that is the case, then we will need to arrange for full-time in-patient care without the help of insurance.

We believe that with the right answers from the right professionals, we can set up the treatment plan that Gerry needs to work through these very common symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI). We know that we are very blessed, as we've heard that agitation from TBI can be much worse than what Gerry has exhibited this week. We see how Gerry's fighting spirit has brought him back to us this far, and we'll keep pursuing the right help for him so that he can come home to his family for good. I know this was a long message, and thank you for your time and willingness to pray for Gerry, Lori and the girls. Your faithful prayers mean so much to us and we are so very grateful.

God Bless,

Gina