[HikerJan]

Hi,
I am not new to neurological conditions after having a shingles outbreak with post-herpetic pain and a lumbar fusion that failed with multiple herniated disks. Last Friday I added to my list of neurological insults. I feel so stupid but I was going to roll the garden hose up on the stand. My husband had put a long 8 inch brass adapter on the end to clean the gutters and left it draped over the privacy fence. I was on the patio two feet below the top of the fence, pulled on the hose too forcefully and the brass adapter flew over the fence and hit me right in the middle of my face. I sustained a non-displaced nasal fracture, bled like crazy, almost passed out but was fortunately caught by my husband who ran around the corner. I went to Urgent Care for facial films. Follow up with my primary diagnosed a concussion. Yesterday, one week post injury, I had a CT as my symptoms were getting worse and it showed no signs of bleeding or mass effect. I have been miserable though. Headaches, which I have never really had, frontal and occipital, neck pain, memory problems, and feeling like I'm in an altered state all the time. I am hoping this is early in the game and things improve but hope to find some support and possible ways to deal with this change. I was hiking two to three times a week and now have no energy or balance to allow that activity and am very depressed with the loss of my favorite activity and hiking pals.
So, here I am. Hope this isn't too long of an intro but feel like I can't complain at home and really concerned about family knowing how bad my memory and cognitive functions are currently.

[Skeezyks]

Hello HikerJan: Welcome to NeuroTalk! I'm sorry you are struggling with so many problems at the moment. Hopefully being here on NT can be of some support as well as comfort. Many years ago, my grandmother had shingles. So I know how painful it can be. I got the shingles vaccine as soon as I turned 65. I have a ruptured disc in my lumbosacral spine. It impinges on the sciatic nerve. So I have sciatica. And I also have had a broken nose. But mine was from getting beat up in high school many years ago. Anyway, I hope you find the time you spend here on NT to be of benefit.

[caroline2]

Goodness sorry to hear about your fusion failure, I hear that so much. I deal with DDD and I'm 78 so a lot of years of back issues. But never a surgery and I talked my brother out of fusion/lam surgery last year. His doctor was so eager, brother was trusting and didn't think it thru or have anyone to talk to. He's doing good enough at 73 and works in golf world and golfs daily and does PT and exercies for his back. He's managing and no surgery.

Anyway, I've not done shingles vaccine but feel the supplements I take keep me healthy and know the B vitamins are important for calming one's body.

I deal with a mess from hip replacement in 2010, so am very very surgery shy again.

I see a D.O. just about weekly for his work and prolotherapy injections in joints.

Hope others will offer stories.