Thank you, I appreciate the recommendation. I’ve been using an all natural scar salve that my friend made, another all natural salve I ordered online made with frankincense and myrrh that has nerve healing properties and a cbd cream. I started gentle facial and neck cupping and other massage modalities to see what helps, sometimes just moving fascia around helps get some relief or change in symptoms 
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Thank you @Leah I have tried lidocaine patches in the past when my nerve pain was more superficial but not that it’s deeper and sometimes in the teeth they don’t really help, plus I can never make them stay on, maybe I should try duck tape 
What I actually found helping is capsaicin patches, I don’t apply them the face but to the occipital and neck area or if I have back pain to the back and it really helps. In the past I even applied capsicum cream directly to my cheek to offset the nerve pain (I don’t recommend this without consulting your doctor).
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I just wanted to pop in adn thank you for documenting your process and recovery so well. As a future surgery patient it is so incredibly helpful to read through threads like yours and take note of things to do and to have on hand pre and post surgery. And i am sorry your recovery is not the fastest, AND it is good to read this as well so that should mine be a little slower I can be prepared for that.
I hope you feel more and more improvements, not just surgery recover, but that you start feeling symptom improvement in time. And that you hold on to that patience that you must be gaining 
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I second AKC. Thank YOU Elena for posting as I’m making preparations for my own surgery with Dr. Hackman, March 22nd.
Request: Have you a link for “all natural salve I ordered online made with frankincense and myrrh” ?? or a specific name please?
Also, WONDERFUL news on the tinnitus!!! I also suffer from it. It’s onset was practically immediate around July of 2021, as was the hearing loss. Has your hearing improved?
Lastly…We appreciate your news on DRIVING. I intend to rent a car while I’m UNC, but plan to have my cousin drive the car back now to Budget, and either Uber or Taxi to the airport versus driving myself. Your experience has extreme practical value --Walking Bear (aka “Happy Bear”)
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@HappyBear Here’s the link to the salve https://www.kingdomcomehome.shop/product-page/frankincense-myrrh-balm
I buy their other products too just because they don’t use any chemicals and only natural safe ingredients, but they are a bit pricey too just fyi.
My hearing hasn’t improved yet and to be honest none of the symptoms has improved yet, pulsatile tinnitus still fluctuates too but it’s not one of my most concerning symptoms either. I don’t want to make any rash conclusions as to whether I needed this surgery or not, I’m just being patient and taking one day at a time, until all of the swelling and inflammation goes down and surgical numbness and tenderness subsides and my understanding it might take up to 6 months and even more. Good luck with your surgery, I’ll be sending positive healing vibes
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Thank you for the link! I’ve gone ahead and ordered 2 of them, and hope they arrive before I leave for NC. I am VERY sorry that your hearing has not improved yet. I agree with you, take your healing one day at a time. Your body has incredible healing abilities, and with those calcified ligaments removed, I believe you will come out ahead. Yes, I got the speech from Dr. Hackman (that I suspect you got too) about not guaranteeing anything. However I believe we are on the right track, and that your hearing will improve. I too will pray for you. As for my own styloids, I am going to try to upload a Cone-Beam image taken June 2023 at Caring Medical. The styloids aren’t elongated, but they are thick.
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Interesting note on your image about C1 bulge @HappyBear ; did you get any answers from Dr Hackman?
Jules, I wasn’t able to ask him. The reason is that I’d gotten severe food poisoning the night before, and was not able to sleep, AND I left my “questions” in the hotel 
HOWEVER I did have a conversation with my osteopath about the issue this week. His opinion was that surgery to “shave down C1 should be avoided.” First, I already have cervical instability. Second, their are a host of ligaments and nerves in the area that can get damaged. I realize this is a “general” response from a non-surgeon…however I WILL ask Dr. Hackman when I see him again either day of surgery or after. Another opinion is from Isaiah_40_31:
“In some cases, getting the styloid cut back close to the skull base is all that’s needed to make extra space for the internal jugular vein so let’s hope that holds true for you & you don’t need a C1 shave.”
Also, for Elena and everyone else with tinnitis…IF your symptoms don’t resolve, you may consider this technology:
article on a Tinnitus cure. Here is the article:
This is the company’s website: https://www.lenire.com/
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You can drive as soon after surgery as you are no longer taking prescription pain meds, but it also depends on how far you can turn your head as you need to be able to look at the side mirrors of the car. If your neck is too stiff, it’s best to have someone else take you to the airport as you suggested. It usually takes a couple of weeks post op for neck mobility to be good enough to drive safely.
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I’ve been playing dutch boy the last 12 hours with intense rain storms. Moving small 2 water pumps around my house…Weather is simply insane 
Anyway, thank you for the info on being able to drive soon after surgery, depending on the amount of head movement. I plan to baby myself to the extreme, so as not to undo any healing. Having had surgery for a vericole seal twice in my life, I’ve come to respect surgery on the body after the fact.
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I sympathize w/ your rain situation. We had our deluge last night with high wind & have been without power since 3:30 pm yesterday & have been informed it will be restored by 10pm tomorrow night. I love to camp, but not in my house!! 
I’m glad you’ve learned good lessons from previous surgeries & have gotten yourself good airplane seats & set up wheelchairs at both ends of your return flight (s).
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Elena,
I’ve been on the phone with UNC trying to figure out from Pre service estimates
(984-215-6899) what is the cost out of pocket that I’m responsible for the stylodectomy, using Medicare. They apparently require a 5 digit CPT Code for that, and I hope to get that information on Monday. For the forums awareness Dr. Ray Osborne in Los Angeles, wanted about $25,500 for EACH side done done weeks apart. In addition to the requirement that a nurse be hired for 24 or 48 hours (I forget). His practice does NOT accept Medicare. With the exception that, he agreed to do the surgery at Cedars Sinai which DOES accept Medicare. However the same $25K fee per styloid applies. The guy did not volunteer that information; instead it was learned from another fellow who had surgery with him, whom I spoke with. All that aside, If I may, are you open to sharing what your hospital out of pocket cost was after the procedure? Or did your insurance cover the whole thing?
@HappyBear My cost after insurance was $5050. My insurance is BCBS of Florida. I’m not sure how Medicare works, it might cover more or less than this, you’re better off checking directly with Medicare. I hope they cover your surgery, good luck 
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Update on this…With Medicare, the out of pocket cost is a little under $6K. I did get this information from UNC.
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2 months post op bilateral styloidectomy with Dr. Hackman.
I have noticed some improvement in the pulsatile tinnitus and the drunk/dissociated feeling. My jaw opening went back to normal and I can even open my mouth wider than before the surgery probably due to the ligaments/muscles detached from the styloids.
Other than that unfortunately no positive improvements so far. Incisions are healing nicely but the more the numbness in the surgical area wears off the more painful it gets. When I move my face or eat it’s pulling on my neck, the area is tight and uncomfortable. Headaches are non stop 24/7 as well as the burning nerve pain/pressure in my face. Medications don’t help very much unfortunately and I hate taking them anyway. The amount of ibuprofen I have taken has probably made a crater in my stomach but so far I’ve been fortunate not to have any GI symptoms. Migraine medication (Maxalt) hasn’t helped much either.
I’m still hoping it’s the “gets worse before gets better” period and maybe I’ll still be able to see some improvements although it’s hard to hold on to this thought after 2 months. But I’m still trying. I know my post isn’t very positive but I feel like we all need to see both sides of the story. Some people wake up from the surgery miraculously cured, some it takes awhile to notice improvements and some don’t improve at all, that sadly happens too. Here’s to keeping hope and not giving up no matter what 
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The incisions have healed really well! If you’ve not been massaging the area around them with oil I’d definitely do that as you’re feeling tight…some members seem to have more trouble with scar tissue than others, so that might be something to look into- cold laser therapy has been mentioned as helpful. It sounds as if there have been some improvements with your tinnitus and the drunk feeling, so that’s good and something positive to hang on to! I know it’s hard if you’ve had constant pain, but there can still be healing up to a year afterwards like we’ve said, keeping the hope is good 
And don’t feel bad that it’s not a positive post, everyone needs to talk and be heard on here and it’s good for members to know the reality of surgery.
Praying your pain will improve and soon 
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Thank you @Jules, I appreciate the kind words. I haven’t really been massaging the incisions as at about 4 weeks post op I started using scar strips 24/7 and only remove them to take a shower. I’ve been wondering if I should stop using them and start massaging with oil/salves. The thing is those strips are a great protection against sunlight as I tan very easily. But on the other hand I might be hindering my scar tissue formation by not doing anything with the incision area.
I’m remaining hopeful and positive about possible improvements. I will update again in a couple of months. Thank you for your support and understanding
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@Elena - I’ve been thinking about you & am so glad you posted. 
Your incisions look remarkably good, but I’m so sorry the headaches are still plaguing you. I hope that as the next month passes, they will start disappearing or at least reducing as some of your other symptoms have. Please continue to keep us updated. 
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Thank you @Isaiah_40_31, I appreciate your thoughts and kindness. I actually had a couple of better days but today I had a dental appointment where I only had a bunch of X-rays and an exam and it triggered a huge pain flareup with a migraine and face pain that I can’t get under control. I’m supposed to go in for deep cleaning and a small cavity repair but after today I’m terrified. I believe it’s very common for dental work to trigger or increase symptoms in facial pain patients but oh boy that’s not much of a consolation 
I hope it passes soon I will keep updating about my journey. I hope you have a wonderful day
@Elena - The results of your dental appointment sound really horrible! 
It certainly seems like an indication that your nerves are still in the midst of healing & can be easily ignited again. I would certainly let your dentist know about the consequences of today’s dental appt. & ask if the cleaning & cavity filling can be put off for another month or two so you can have a bit more healing time before facing those.
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