That looks AMAZING!! Mine looked awful at the 2-3 week mark like I had a caterpillar on my neck. 
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Great, looks really good! 
3 weeks after surgery. Scar looks good. But my teeth have been really bothering me and my left side is acting up a bit. However, I can think much clearer which I am extremely happy about.
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Iām really excited to know that you have better mental clarity since surgery! Thatās HUGE!! Your incision also looks pretty amazing for being only 3 weeks old. I expect youāll notice the teeth pain will go away over the next 3-4 weeks if not before. As your post op swelling decreases, symptoms that remain or have started since surgery should subside or reduce significantly.
As far as your left side flaring up, thatās also very common in bilateral ES cases. Symptoms caused by the remaining styloid begin to be more pronounced. Weāre not sure why exactly this happens, but it could be because thereās a sort of internal imbalance created when one styloid is gone but the other remains.
I hope the left side symptoms settle down so you can focus on your education. 
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Looks really good in just 3 weeks! Great that some symptoms have improved, & hopefully the others will settle soonā¦best wishes with the rest of your recovery & your studying!
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You are one fast healer! your scar looks like its been a few months from surgery. About 4-6 weeks after surgery my other side kicked up and reminded me it was still there. It was a bit of a set back but thankfully it passed within a week.
I had a little first bite then major jaw problems after first surgery. The first bite went away quickly but took up to 12 weeks for the jaw pain to subside. Everyone is different how they heal. There seems to be an ebb and flow of symptoms after surgery. Usually once you reach the 6 week mark, the worst is behind you. By 12 weeks things seem a lot better and you donāt notice much aside from normal healing.
Just try not to push it too much the next few weeks. Glad you are doing so well.
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@hyperichard your whole jaw might be a bit off not only because it was kept open during the surgery, but also because now there is less restriction near the TMJ.
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Scar 1 month +
Also, my left side is really acting up. Hopefully dr Hepworth will consider doing the left side even though they said he only does that 10% of the time.
Scar looks nice, how about the tissue under the skin, platysma muscle? No āridgeā under the incision?
I would call & get that second surgery scheduled ASAP. I know of at least one member who scheduled her second surgery w/ him before she had her first one, ājust in caseā. It looks like she may need that second one so it was insightful of her to do that.
Ten percent may be an under-estimate. I expect Dr. H will do them as he sees they are needed. Itās just that some of his patients donāt need a second surgery i.e. he wonāt do a second one for an asymptomatic elongated styloid. Some people want that second one out if itās elongated but asymptomatic just because they know itās there. In some cases thatās been a mistake as itās caused permanent post op pain.
I tried to schedule a second one just āin caseā a month ago, but they would not let me. I have an appointment with him in 12 days, so ill ask then.
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I think maybe a small ridge? I am not super sure.
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If youāre not sure, then likely not - fantastic thing, no early signs of any deep scar tissue
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So, I had my doctorās appointment today (Telehealth) and they looked at my new jugular ultrasound and they see that now the āblood flowā problem is lower down in my neck. Essentially removing my right styloid just drove the āblockageā further down my spine. I am sure I am describing this incorrectly but maybe you guys could decipher what I mean, as I donāt remember exactly how the doc described it. It is strange because my pain has gotten worse now on the left side, but also my instability has become worse and the ācrackingā and pain is now lower in the spineā¦ Dr Hepworth said he wants to do the surgery on the left side, but fears that my problem may not just be the styloid and its actually just the stiffness of my neck. I am a little frustrated with this. Maybe some of you could offer some insight. Also here is an updated picture of the scar.
@hyperichard itās possible the stiffness is not in the neck per se but in the thoracic spine, including the joints where the ribs connect to the vertebrae.
In that case the stiffness in the neck might actually be because the neck is too mobile at certain levels (needs to compensate for lack of mobility in the T spine and other places) and muscles work extra hard to hold it in place.
Donāt ask me how I knowā¦
Well my ribs on my right slide shift up and down. Like I can make them move, does this fact support your theory? They basically slide against my scapula and this is why I had my shoulder surgery to tie my ribs to my scapula but the ribs to slide.
And also, what should I do this summer for 4 months while I wait for this left side removal now? I am just in excruciating pain and donāt know what to do anymore its extremely depressing being in this pain and not really having a plan of what to do for the next 4 months to help myself.
Itās hard to say without seeing the āactionā of your scapulae, but this video can give you some clues what healthy scapulae are supposed to move like. Of course people are different, anatomies differ, so movements might differ too, and many people have noticeable differences between the R and L scapulae.
But for the ābaselineāā¦ The video should give you some idea.
Or, do you mean the ribs were not attached to the vertebrae and the sternum at all?..
Talking about your situation, I really am not a doctor/medical professional, but Iād go back to the physio route. Just as with the surgeons, try to find the best physiotherapist who actually listens to you, works with you, and constantly adjusts the routine.
The YouTube channel mentioned above has enormous amount of various 3d movement models, so you can just watch them and check your own body if it moves āaccordinglyā or not. Again ā people are different, so that ānormalā movement varies, but in general you probably got it: if a specific muscle (e.g. supraspinatus) is supposed to initiate your armās movement when lifting the arm up, then it should do that, not just be locked and wait for the deltoid to perform all the job from the very first momentā¦
In general, three things are essential in my opinion: core stability, scapulae dynamics, and rotator cuffs. You really have that advantage of young age, so slowly you should be able to improve the neck/thoracic/lumbar mobility a lot. Just donāt overdo, as hernias can happen at any age, unfortunately.
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The scar looks greatā¦so sorry that your other side has ramped up now & you have to wait to get that done- canāt remember what you tried before but worth again trying the usual things- nerve pain medications, heat/ ice, baclofen (if you can with the instability), lidocaine patchesā¦
Itās such a shame too about the jugular compression- one member posted a video about a really tight SCM muscle I think compressing the jugular, so maybe itās something like that which is causing yoursā¦I know the waiting is frustrating, but you do have a very good surgeon, & from what others have said Dr Hepworth will keep digging until he finds the cause, so hopefully heāll do the same with you to get to the bottom of this.
Thinking of you, itās tough news
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