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.