Hey guys! I am 1mo out of surgery and not doing as good as I had wished. I am having daily headaches that start at base of skull, jaw, ear and eye. It comes and goes and switches sides. Heat makes it worse. I know it’s only four weeks but still hard to deal with. I go to get remaining stitches out on the 20th of this month so I am hoping he tells me it’s normal and the headaches will go away. Otherwise it’s a different issue I will have to try to figure out. I have been a bit down so I am sorry for the downer post but felt I needed to vent and be real. I am still icing as needed and taking Tylenol and Celebrex daily. My voice has not returned to normal but is a bit easier to understand me now. I feel so tired and noise is a trigger for me. I stay at home with my 4yo daughter who happens to be hyper active so maybe that’s not helping but I have no help with her other than my husband who works 12 hr days. I will try to keep my thoughts as positive as I can but I was really hoping the headaches would have calmed down by now. My incisions are healing nicely and I don’t have a choking feeling anymore. Any experience with this please feel free to share!
Dannib I’m so sorry that you’re finding things tough still, no need to worry about sharing your experience, it’s important for members to hear the positive but the negative too…It is still early days, & you have your hands full with your daughter, so it could well be that healing’s slower as you’re having to do more than is ideal…The tiredness is understandable; often people have found it’s a couple of months before they feel more normal energy levels
I’m just wondering exactly where the pain is that you’re getting; it could be the Trigeminal Nerve is inflamed after surgery & is causing the headaches. Here’s an image of where the nerve branches are so you can see if it corresponds:
It might be worth trying nerve pain medications to see if they work, for example Gabapentin, Amitriptyline, Carbamazepine. Obvs doesn’t explain the base of skull though.
Quite a few members have had migraines with ES, you could use the search function to have a look & see what has helped them…
Good that you don’t have the choking feeling any more, at least that’s one positive! Hopefully you’ll get some insight when you go back in another week.
Sending you a hug & will keep praying the you continue to heal
Yes, that nerve looks like it hits most of everywhere that I feel pain other than base of skull. I am being treated for autoimmune as well. Definitely have endometriosis and they think very likely rheumatoid as well. 
So I may be having issues with that too. I have been trying my best to rest but it’s so hard to when you are needed to run the home and care for the child. I will definitely ask about the nerve meds. It could be helpful. Does it also affect the temple? Looks like it might from that picture. I also have TMJ issues but wear a splint. I’m a mess lol
thank you for the reply. It always makes me feel better and less alone. I am hopeful things will mellow. I will continue to update as I heal.
Hi Dannib,
YES! The trigeminal nerve can cause pain in the temple, forehead, behind the eyes, in the nose, teeth, jaw joints & even ears. I have intermittent trigeminal nerve pain in my nose, eyes, jaw joint, ear & cheek areas & occasionally almost migraine level in my forehead area. I think sometimes it is because of my TMJ issues (I have a splint which I wear at night). I tend to clench my teeth when I’m under pressure, too tired or stressed & that definitely flares up the pain splint or no splint. I need to train myself to stop doing that!!
Does your splint still fit okay? Some members have found that after surgery theirs don’t fit properly, if it’s not too expensive, perhaps you could get that checked out? Quite a few people have found that surgery can cause a pain flare with TMJD, so that might be adding to things.
Thinking of you
Yes, I think she may be right about that nerve and plan to speak to my ENT soon. Also I do know I have a lot of other issues and time to heal.I too clench at night and wear a night splint. I wear a day splint too. I am still curious about pain at the base of my skull.
Jules I wonder if you are right. What’s funny is I just noticed my splint I wear during the day has been uneven in my mouth and has a crack in it. I have an appt to get a new form made and new splint so I guess that could be some of this extra pain. I swear you guys give better advice than doctors on here!! 
thanks for the reply’s Isaiah and Jules!
I had terrible pain at the base of my skull before my ES surgery. I can’t remember about after though. It is possible that if your styloids were removed close to the skull base, you’re getting some residual pain from that.
I am one month out of surgery and I am in constant pain-ears, jaws, throat and neck. Had bilateral intraoral back to skull. I am still having difficulty eating. The ENT says that I am healing nicely but it will take some time for things to get better. I still experience swelling and post op CT scan shows some fluid build-up. Doctor says this should clear up soon. How long will this healing process take? Need a little encouragement from ES family. Thanks.
I’m right there with ya! I have been a bit impatient with healing but my ENT also says I am where I should be healing wise. I don’t have any problems eating but my voice has not come back fully and I too have been having ES pain still. Apparently this is a very long process to heal and get results. I hate that you are still feeling pain too. I hope your recovery goes smooth and you start to feel the benefits of surgery. I hope I do too!!
Hi Dcau,
@Dannib gave you good advice & encouragement. Intraoral ES surgery is slower to recover from in many ways than external, in part, because you have the disadvantage of wounds in your throat, & eating & drinking irritate the wound sites. By two months after surgery you should be feeling significantly better, but it may be 3-4 months before you feel really good again.
Dannib is also right about this healing process being a slow one. It took nearly 12 months after surgery for some of my nerve pain/symptoms to go away completely. Patience & a positive mindset are the order of the day for quickest recovery. I did push myself too hard too soon after surgery as I wanted to get back into living. It was a mistake, & I think it slowed my healing process.
I hope both you & Dannib see little improvements everyday going forward. Recovery can be a forward & backward & forward again process. Don’t get discouraged. Be continually hopeful.
I agree with Isaiah- intra-oral does take a bit longer to recover from, & having both sides done at once is a bigger surgery, so it is still early days. So keep the hope that you will improve with time, sleep semi upright still if you can & don’t overdo things.
Thanks Dannib and Isiah_40_31 for your insight and encouragement. It really helped me to feel a lot better. Thanks again.
Thanks Jules for your insight and encouraging words. My ES family comes through again for me in my time of need. Thanks so much.
Anytime there is something I can help with I am happy to. This forum has been more helpful than I could have imagined and Isaiah and Jules ALWAYS come through to make me feel less panicked and help me step back and realize this is a whole process and to chill out. I find my pain is better when I talk to people who have done this. Seems silly but I think it’s because it calms me. Lol. I would love to see an update soon saying you are making progress! Sending lots of positivity your way. I will continue to update as I go along my healing journey.