Bilateral styloidectomy with Dr. Hackman 01/08/2023. Surgery went well. No temporary facial paresis, no complications. I did get a reaction from the scopolamine anti nausea patch in the form of blurry vision and hallucinations but that has subsided. Ears feel like I have tree logs in them but that’s to be expected due to swelling. Ice and prednisone are helping as well as pain medication around the clock. Limited mouth opening, again due to swelling but I expect it to subside. For now liquid and very soft diet. I’ll update as I’m able to. Thank you to everyone for all the valuable information and great support. Hope you all have a wonderful day 
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Get well soon. Hope you have some resolution of the facial pain.
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Glad you’re through surgery, praying for a speedy recovery & a good outcome 
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WOW! Your incisions look really good so soon after surgery. I can barely see the incisions by your ears! I’m glad you have a pain med & icing routine that are helping a bit. We look forward to hearing more about your surgery when you feel better. I pray that’s soon. 
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Елена скорейшего выздоровления !
Я Олеся тоже из России из Томска
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@Les , we do prefer it if you message in English in the main forum discussion, but feel free to message Elena privately in Russian, you can do that by clicking of her avatar 
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Thank you, incisions do look good but they feel so tight. Today is day 3 post op and holy hell it’s rough. I feel like a swallowed a balloons and being constantly strangled. Feels like internal swelling in the throat and by ears is massive. Mouth opening is very limited and I can’t chew anything even soft stuff like scrambled eggs, my ears feel like I have boulders in them and any chewing motions pulls and moves everything. I hope this gets better as the swelling goes down, this is miserable 
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It is rough when the anesthesia meds wear off ((. Steroids could help and I used a square patch of lidocaine on my cheek with adhesive away from the incision (the 4% patches are over the counter and 5% are prescription).
The way he goes in by the ear is quite painful. He said I could start ibuprofren the day after surgery and I needed it, if it works for you. The ice right on top of the upper incision seemed to bother (what I think is) the trigeminal nerve, so unfortunately that was not an option for me… I don’t know if putting it on the space adjacent to the ear (on the cheek where I put lidocaine) would have worked.
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@Leah thank you, I am on a Medrol dose pack and oxycodone every 4 hours although I really want to cut down on it as it makes me feel completely out of it so I’m thinking about starting back on ibuprofen as per discharge instructions and increase number of hours between taking oxy. I know the first weeks are the hardest but holy hell it’s a challenge. The sensation of throat feeling like a tight balloon is the worst, together with swollen ears and inability to chew. One day at a time 
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@Les Thank you, we should chat when I start feeling better
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Definitely!
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Wishing you a speedy recovery! Your scars look great!
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Definitely rough having both sides done at the same time, but at least it’s done once! I couldn’t open my mouth wide enough to clean my teeth properly or to chew, just had smoothies to start with, I think that lasted a week? Maybe try some popsicles or ice cream to help with throat swelling?
Very gentle hugs & prayers for swift healing
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@Jules Thank you, I’ve been drinking ensure protein drinks, milkshakes, very loose mashed potatoes mixed with broth, tea with honey and lemon. Husband has been taking good care of me. Brushing teeth is definitely an issue but I still try to as well as rinse with Listerine. For those who are yet to get the surgery please don’t repeat my mistake and start on laxative medication even prior to surgery. I was silly enough to refuse laxative when the nurse at the hospital told me I’m due for one post op. I paid for it dearly. Sorry for TMI but today I finally had my first and very painful BM since surgery on Monday after doubling laxative doses several times. Pain medicine induced constipation is real and you don’t want to strain with fresh incisions on your neck.
Today is day 4 post op and incisions are still really tight and uncomfortable, under the chin all the way down the neck is completely numb. Today we had to leave our little Airbnb in Chapel Hill and head back to the campground an hour away. I’m trying to start spacing out pain meds and close to finishing up steroid pack that I’m sure has helped with swelling as well as frequent icing of the area.
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@ectocake thank you, I’m pleasantly surprised with how the scars look too, Dr. Hackman did a great job!
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@Isaiah_40_31 Thank you for the prayers and well wishes, I appreciate them. Recovery especially immediately post op is definitely not easy and requires a lot of patience that I don’t have 
I’m lucky to have my husband who takes great care of me and our 3 year old, he deserves a vacation when I get better and all recovered Incisions are rough to the touch but that’s due to the surgical glue, otherwise I’m pleased with how they look. I’ll try to update as I see any progress. Hopefully my story will help someone else get better
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@Elema - you’re in the period of worst post op swelling - typically days 3-5 or 6 post op. That’s for unilateral surgery. Peak swelling may last a bit longer for bilateral surgery. I highly recommend you keep taking your narcotic pain meds every 4 hrs for another couple of days before beginning to wean off. I lowered my dose on day 3 post op & was in a world of hurt for the following 2 days as I tried to get back on top of the pain.
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@Isaiah_40_31 Yes, you’re right, I’ve learned the hard way as well as I tried lowering it on day 3 too and regretted it big time. I hope swelling starts going down soon, it’s definitely one of the hardest parts of initial recovery. On top of that it’s very uncomfortable to sleep propped up no matter how much I’ve tried and sleep is crucial for recovery, so I’ve been struggling in that respect. I also started exercising jerking motions as I fall asleep including my jaws clasping together so I’ve been biting my tongue in cheek frequently which doesn’t help with overall pain either. Fingers crossed it all gets better soon
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Hope things improve soon, and well done to your husband for all his care. And hope the weather is okay if you’re on a camp ground
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@Elena - I TOTALLY agree that trying to sleep nearly sitting up is very difficult. That was also one of the hardest parts of my recovery. I found I needed the wedge pillow for about 6 weeks post op because my throat would feel like it was swelling closed if I tried to sleep lying on my usual pillow. Many of our members have only needed the wedge for a few days or a week so hopefully that will be the case for you.
I agree w/ @Jules, that it’s really great your husband is helping you so much. You’re very blessed to have him there beside you! I hope your healing progresses quickly.
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