Sorry if I’m not posting in the right section, I’m not great navigating this website or with technology in general.
I am nearly 3 weeks post op from a bilateral styloidectomy. It has been a crazy couple weeks and I do plan on writing my review about the surgeon/surgery and to provide my outcome with it to help others who may go down this route.
Most of the pain has gone, some tingling sensations in my ears/head on and off but nothing bad and I can now sleep somewhat comfortably. I still have lots of weird symptoms, like my hair falling out (which i think is caused by stress; my hair fell out years ago when I had a minor operation so i did expect it when having major surgery. - but it has been improving the last couple days.)
I also still feel very hot, but I don’t have a fever. When I woke up from surgery I have been hot to touch ever since - again this has started to get better last few days. Sweating more than usual with very light exercises. (Walking up the stairs, etc) - Again this has started to improve the last couple of days.
I think my sinuses have flared up because lately I have a lot of mucus in my throat - post nasal drip. Never had this much before - maybe they are overreacting?
But since surgery my voice has become very hoarse and feels like a lot of effort to speak and to get words out. I do wake up with some pain in my throat in the morning, but this tends to get better after a drink of water, etc. - I still prop myself up with pillows when sleeping. I am drinking religiously 3 litres of water daily, taking my vitamins and now drinking hot tea/honey to help with the mucus.
Is it normal for my voice to still be so hoarse and weak? Lots of people who have this surgery don’t seem to have this issue? Could it be related to the increase of mucus in my throat? Is there anything I could be doing? Or has something gone wrong?
@Happyface12e sounds like it could be glossopharyngeal nerve irritation from surgery. These nerves are essential for speech, as they innervate muscles important in elevating the pharynx. Irritation/damage to this nerve can cause voice hoarseness. Look into glossopharyngeal neuralgia. I think it’s probably just irritation, but could be worth talking with the surgeon about it. Since things seem to be getting better for you the past couple days, perhaps this will too. Nerve irritation can take a while to simmer down though.
@Happyface12e Agreed that it is likely nerve irritation. My voice was weak and hoarse for several weeks, slowly improving each week until back to normal. Because Dr. Nakaji did nerve monitoring he was able to confirm that he was getting a little chatter from that nerve during the surgery.
@Happyface12e - My voice was fine after my surgeries, but after my first surgery, half my tongue was paralyzed. I thought my surgeon said it was due to glossopharyngeal nerve irritation during surgery, but the GPN only affects the back third of the tongue (beside the throat info @TML gave you) so my hypoglossal nerve had to also be involved. It took about 6 months for my tongue to return to more normalcy, but I hope your voice follows the schedule @Chrickychricky’s did.
ES symptoms can come & go for up to a year post op as the nerves heal. It can be discouraging, but the return of some symptoms can be an indication they are healing. Most people feel pretty good by 4-6 mos post op.
That’s interesting, thank you. I have now done some research into this and it does sound like I could have irritation in this nerve. I have googled some exercises, and I am going to start using some warm packs to the area to bring back the blood flow. Thank you. This advice has helped me a lot.
Since posting this last night, I woke up today and i do have the smallest improvement with my voice, definitely noticeable improvement, so I think I need to be patient and allow time to heal. Thank you
Thank you. It’s nice to hear that you had similar issues that healed as the weeks went on. I still do have some inflammation under my chin and throat, so I’m hoping things will get better with time. I think today there has been a small but noticeable improvement with my voice. And I’m going to start with warm compresses again and some gentle exercises I found on YouTube.
Hopefully the others have reassured you that it sounds like an upset nerve; in addition to the tips you’ve found, you could try a high strength B group vitamin supplement daily (obviously check with your doctor if you’re on any other regular medication), as this is supposed to help with nerve healing.
It is very early days still, so this should improve with time
Wow that must have been terrifying having your tounge paralysed. I am so glad that has resolved for you.
When I woke up from surgery I noticed i had a crooked smile which has only just got better the last few days. But it’s scary when you wake up and think are these issues permanent or can I heal from this. It’s the not knowing that is the worst. Massively appreciate the help from this website. Thank you
Thank you Jules. Yes I think I just needed some reassurance. Our minds can be daunting sometimes, especially when having to just wait and rest.
A few days ago I bought I high complex vitamin B supplements, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Omega 3, multi vit, curcumin and different magnesium tablets. I have a schedule throughout the day of when to take them. Slow progress but hopefully it will all be worth it. Thank you
Sounds like a good plan. It takes sometime for the inflammation to go away. I found gentle mobilization of the surrounding tissue to be helpful , avoiding the incision area until the stitches came out.
