Glad to hear you are doing better!
A couple of thoughts on the brake lines... if you can't get close enough to the end to do the 180-degree bends, leave a little slack and bend it away from the fitting, then cut and reflair the end, or have a shop do the initial 180-degree bends and then take it from there. Should make life easier...
Did you slide the nut back away from the flair when you tried to bend it?