Hi Hockey and Mark-

Thanks for your feedback. I hit my jaw/frontal lobe during a fall and then also back of my head. I was heavily disoriented getting up.
i'm trying to peace together if this was a diffuse axonal injury or MBTI. The CT/MRI/MRA came back negative yet that i know does not say much as those technologies cannot image diffuse axonal image nor concussion injuries.

The most annoying attribute has been Tinnitus which has only been in 1 ear and changed it's tones greatly over 3 months. I believe this is a physical issue where by a blood vessel might have been compressed upon my auditory nerve. I'm considering MVD exploratory surgery to help.

the other issue is over stimuli, crowds, malls, etc. I try to believe that this is due to my state of over exhaustion (lack of sleep) from being unable to sleep more than 2 hours per night.

All else life continues with small walks and a strict vitamin regimen per marks suggestion.

Unless you've endured tinnitus, it's hard to imagine how horrible it can be. Both my ears ring, constantly. I also have shooting pain and intermittent deafness. I struck my head right in the area of my temporal lobe and my auditory nerve is damaged.

I try to manage the tinnitus by distracting myself with white noise. I must say, that I really, really miss moments of genuine silence. If you find an effective treatment for this condition, please share it.

That said, I would caution you from jumping into anything too invasive or experimental. You are relatively early in your recovery, and this problem might still resolve itself spontaneously.

Your symptoms seem too limited to indicate widespread damage. I have problems with vision, memory, speech, seizures, balance, senses of smell, taste and touch, anger, anxiety, depression, focus, motor skills, etc..., etc..., etc...

As you say, these injuries are difficult to image. One of the best way to identify your deficits, and target your therapy/treatment, is to undergo a neuro-psych exam.

TBI can rob us of insight and self-awareness. That means that you could have problems you don't even recognize.

The over-stimulation is VERY common. I doubt a diagnosis if DAI vs simple concussion will change your treatment options. The treatment protocol is usually to treat the symptoms, not the diagnosis.

Lack of sleep can make over-stimulation more of a problem but many of us have over-stim problems even though we get adequate sleep.

Tinnitus is also a common symptom. I would be very hesitant to take on surgery for tinnitus unless there has been a solid diagnosis of an issue treatable by surgery. The side-effect risks from Microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery, also known as the Jannetta procedure, would have me very cautious before going under the knife.

As it's now nearly 4 months post accident I unfortunately consider the Tinnitus in my right ear to be permanent, and thus as Mark states, per doctors suggestion a possible Microvascular decompression surgery to see if a blood vessel might in fact be the culprit.

It seems Tinnitus is very common and painful permanent post concussive symptom. The only reason I'm open to a microvascular decompression is because my Tinnitus squeals with my heart beat and thus my hearing tests have been normal.

As Mark suggests perhaps more diagnosis should be suggested.

@ Hockey i'm so sorry to hear how bad your Tinnitus is. I'm in the same boat. Did the accident also impact your hearing levels?

Yes, I also suffer intermittent deafness. It happens several times a day, but usually only last a few moments. However, once I lost hearing in my right ear for five days - and started to wonder if it was ever coming back. The external tingling is annoying, the stabbing is horrendous and sometimes the pain is so bad that I can't even touch my ears.

jesus, you have it hard. how do you deal with it? I have trouble dealing with my problems and you have some tough ones. what is the trick?

Ha! Ha! My sadistic, twisted neurologist asked a similar question - although far more nastily. He sneered (and I quote), "You are so destroyed that I can't even fathom how you get out of bed in the morning."

My reply was, "That's because you aren't anybody's mommy." (I wanted to add, "dumba$$," but he was writing reports to my insurance company.)

Seriously, I keep going because, as banged up as I am, my child needs me. Without that external motivation, I don't know, quite honestly, if I could carry on.

I feel like a baby after reading all your problems and complaining about mine. I think my fear of what is next behind the corner scared me more than what I have sometimes

This is hard for all of us. Every TBI is unique: because your experience is different than mine doesn't make your suffering any less significant or valid.

Yeah, it's rough, but I've come back a lot further than anyone thought possible. Ironically, I think the severity of my injury helped me work for my recovery. Nobody told me I was going to be better in two months, so I didn't have to go through waiting for that to happen, and then feeling like a failure when it didn't.

For me, every improvement was an unexpected gift. The day I buttoned my own shirt, I was amazed. The things I accomplished, on their own, seemed tiny and insignificant, but they added up until I was again driving, capable of preparing a meal for my family and able to do some volunteer work for my child's sports team.

Is it a struggle? Of course. Do I have TERRIBLE days? You bet. But I'm getting through it - and I'm grateful.