Thank you, Mark.
I was walking fast at dusk to catch a bus home and tripped over thick movie electric cables. They are normally covered to protect against such an accident. I fell flat on my face, broke my nose, black eyes, cuts on cheek and chin; main head injury front right, I think, I don’t believe I lost consciousness but was certainly very dazed. It was 11 years ago so facts are a bit fuzzy.

My sleep is OK now and as far as I know I’m breathing properly. I did have problems while I was supposedly suffering from CFS and took sleeping medication; however, I’ve been off that now for several months.

I’m 74, eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise (walk every day). Since I’ve recovered, I have suffered from anxiety and I think that may exacerbate my mouth. I’ve never had any hormone testing.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

That kind of a fall can cause a subtle upper neck injury as the cervical spine tries to continue moving forward when the skull has stopped. It can also cause whiplash to the neck. It can worsen as the spine ages. Your height has likely changed a bit over the past ten years as the cervical disks get thin. This can cause inflammation that leads to radiculopathy that can impede proper nerve function.

My last head and upper neck/cervical injury was 20 years ago. I had cervical issues for a few years but things stabilized. 2 years ago, at 64, I developed a nerve dysfunction to the part of my tongue that facilitates swallowing. The explanation is the effect aging has on the cartilaginous disks and surfaces in my cervical spine.

Besides my swallowing dysfunction, my cervical spine/brain stem can get inflamed and cause me to stop breathing if I sleep with poor head and neck posture.

I can choke on anything. It gets stuck deep at the back of my throat. I need to have a beverage ready. I can down 3 or 4 glasses of water when I go out to eat. I've had every image study possible. The diagnosis is dysphagia (idiopathic) but my ENT thinks it is a neurological issue from my neck.

I am very careful with sleep posture. I get my best sleep in a recliner. I expect to need an adjustable medical bed in the future.

I had no obvious neck injury at the time but your description and a possible nerve dysfunction does make a lot of sense in regard to my injury and it sounds as if it’s not likely to go away.

Thank you, I appreciate your help and sorry to hear that you have these problems.