TBI following brain surgery MRI shows nothing

[AlyV]

18 months ago I had a headache, numbness, stumbling. MRI revealed bleed from cavernous angioma in brain stem, left penducle, cerebellum. Angiogram showed bleeding stopped but had surgery to have it removed. There were signs it had bled before. I had never been very coordinated and had also suffered a number of serious knocks on the head including a concussion as a kid. All seemed well post surgery until I went back to work six months later. Since then I have done everything to figure out why, despite "near perfect scans" (my neuro-surgeon's words), I have a brain injury. Planning, word recall, memory, multi-tasking, emotional regulation, impulsivity, no sense of time passage, perseveration are all big problems. Neurologist and neuro-psych eval confirmed a brain injury but why doesn't it show on my MRI? Are there any more accurate tests than an MRI? Are there any less subjective tests than a neuro-psych eval? I am a teacher and I am back at work with support but last year before my diagnosis the symptoms nearly got me fired. Photo is pre-surgery.

[Audrey3265]

My husband had the same tumor and now is having the same symptoms. He was tested by a neuropsych. exam and results indicate there is a deficit in the frontal lobe. Which is the reason he has gotten demoted from his job for the second time. He has problems with some memory, impulsivity, can't take a joke, takes everything litterally, has problems with time, multi-tasking is a problem and is very snippy along with many other problems, it's almost like he has severe ADHD.  All this happened after his surgery. What happened during surgery that could cause this?

[TW2008]

I have a suggestion based on experience. There is a testing system that will show what an MRI cannot. It is called a DESA - Digital Electroencephalogram Spectral Analysis. You can visit www.DESA.US for more info or contact Dr. Andrew Yellen and he will be happy to explain the benefits and the successes that have been achieved.

You'll be happy to note that it is non-invasive.

Good Luck,
TW