I just answered in the other post where you asked this question:
https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/1-mo-post-op-osborne/19957/30
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My local ent wouldnât prescribe Gabapentin and Dr Cognetti canât until he sees me in December if he does gabpentin? So my psychiatrist had me try it couple months ago 100 mg 3 times a day for 1 week then bumped up to 200 mg 3 times a day but I only took that for a couple days and stopped. Any thoughts maybe I should have taken it longer to really see. I need it to help my throat sensation thatâs what is given my panic. Do you think it would help. The psychiatrist obviously doesnât know about eagle and they always think Iâm creating all these symptoms? Iâm already taking antidepressant and benzo which has not helped symptoms at all!
The nerve pain meds can take a few weeks to see if they work, so it is best to take them for longer & see. A low dose should be tried to start with, & increase it gradually if it doesnât. I did a quick look online & that seems to be a good starting dose⌠Benzo doesnât often help with ES, there are other nerve pain medications which can help if the Gabapentin doesnât, although the throat sensation doesnât always respond to the meds. Would your PCP not be able to prescribe for you? Although depending what antidepressant youâre on I guess there could be contra-indications , as some of the nerve pain meds are antidepressants too.
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@musclecarguy I just came across a research article discussing what typically causes the onset of ES symptoms. I know you were bringing up that anxieties came after tooth extraction, and this article specifically says that ES symptoms can onset following tooth extraction:
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Yes thank you I remember reading something about wisdom teeth extraction triggering it. Problem I having more recently is upper crown done 4 months ago been fine is now getting agrevated and there is no thing wrong with crown. Slept last night on left side of face and woke up this morning crown throbbing face tingling and throat on left very irritated took shower 50% better. My anxiety is def making my throat way more reactive too. Which is only adding to confusion. My voice feels sounds like I was at a concert hoarse. I havenât talked all day. It gets a little better in evening when Iâm tired. Anyone get this throat crap. I drink tons of water with lemon bc of kidney stones a lot.
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My teeth hurt periodically too, but when I go to the dentist thereâs no cavities. Mine are mostly the bottom left molars, and my left styloid is my problem. So I think it must be irritating nerves that supply the teeth, but not sure
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@musclecarguy - It sounds like your trigeminal nerve is irritated & may be causing the symptoms in your crown. That nerve is often affected by ES, & dental work can make it cause pain to flare up in the teeth, face, nose, & ears. Your coarse voice is a vagus nerve problem. Weâve had quite a number of members whoâve had weakened voices, vocal changes, or total vocal loss. Their voices returned to normal once their styloids were removed.
Here is a drawing of where the trigeminal nerve is & below it is a link to an image of where the vagus nerve is in the body:
Vagus Nerve Image.docx (81.7 KB)
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I use hydrocortisone 1% and rub it behind ear and below ear. It seems to work really well, but I am also on Lyrica so that is probably doing most of the work. I have other peripheral nerve problems near the skin and hydrocortisone always relieves most of the pain. I have some kind of diffuse amplified muscoskeletal issue where my tissue gets inflamed and nerves get trapped. I think this is safer than getting kenalog injections as well, but obviously an injection would target nerve better and last longer.
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As @Isaiah_40_31 says itâs more than likely the TN, I have aching in my bottom left molars particularly, I had one filling replaced before ES was diagnosed as I thought the filling was the issueâŚitâs improved since surgery but does still ache a bit.
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So there was a cancellation today for dr Cognetti so I was able to see him 2 months sooner. Great visit really like him. He said my calcification on ligaments is most likely causing my left throat sensation. Talked about my anxiety def making things worse but understood my panic. Said there was no guarantee that removal of calcified section by moving muscle around it out of the way would solve sensation but said there was no real other option for relief. Said it was my choice.
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Iâm glad that you were able to get in sooner! Has he reassured you about surgery, do you think youâll opt for it?
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Glad to hear that you got to meet with him earlier!
WOW! @musclecarguy - Thatâs amazing that your appt was jumped to two months earlier! Iâm glad you were able to see Dr. Cognetti on short notice. No doctor will guarantee a surgical outcome. They only forecast the expected results based on what other patients have experienced from the same surgery.
I have the same question - Do you think youâll go ahead and have the surgery or are you still thinking about it? Did Dr. Cognetti suggest a how long till he could do your surgery?
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So surgery is scheduled for December. The issue is we donât know if it causing the sensation. My anxiety is def making things worse been that way for a year. I donât want more issues after surgery in my throat bc I canât handle what I have. He said the calcified ligament is close to throat wall on both sides like 2 mm even symptoms are only left. He said he doesnât need to go high up on ligament bc the bone at skull is almost not there? He only needs to remove calcified spot. I donât know what to do Iâm shaking! What if itâs all created by anxiety and Iâm making a huge mistake?? I donât trust my judgement anymore. Iâve had an anxiety my whole life but used to be very confident and composed. I have tried to figure out if my mind is doing this bc of my previous panic attacks last year on top molar extraction. I just donât know what it is??
I think surgery will help you a lot, @musclecarguy. Iâm sure weâve mentioned that vagus nerve irritation by elongated styloids or calcified sections of stylohyoid ligament are very common. The vagus nerve is a main controller of our anxiety levels. with your calcified areas being so close to your throat, thereâs a very good chance your vagus nerve is also suffering along w/ the nerves causing the feeling in your throat. Surgery is your best chance to be rid of the throat sensation & to reduce your anxiety level, but obviously itâs up to you to make the final decision. It may be one of those cases where once you have the surgery, & symptoms are slipping away, you wonder to yourself, âWhy did I wait so long?!â
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I donât know if the info that @Kiki67 posted about how surgeons & surgeries are monitored to ensure theyâre not unnecessary might help you decide/ trust your doctor?
Surgery scheduled - General - Living with Eagle
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I still need help from everyone that has sensation in throat what theirs feels like. Mine doesnât hurt. It just feels like something is there on left like below left tonsil tiny bit when I swallow saliva food kinda of masks it. If I get anxious it could throb without swallowing. Then it will back off some. Makes me feel like on going to suffocate all the time.
Dr cognetti said he would push the muscle fibers away at the lower hardened area for removal and up top bc the bone is almost not there (he said I essentially donât have a styloid bone) he doesnât have to go up that high to release that area. Maybe 4.6 mm total calcified. I just donât understand is the calcification pushing throat beings itâs 2mm away and how does it get detached along the travel.does it all have to be separated from throat by cutting pushing or is just the bottom & top adhered to something like muscle fibers? Im surprised itâs not painful that close which makes me wonder if it is the cause or will help!
As you move about or swallow, it shifts everything in the neck- itâs a really tight, cramped space with many important blood vessels and nerves, so even small calcifications can cause pain or strange sensations⌠ES symptoms can vary so much that theyâre often quite individual; I can understand your anxiety about wanting to know for sure that the surgery will help, but I think you may never get that answer! Unfortunately for many of us we have to just make the decision & accept that itâs our only chance of a potential cure- and by having surgery with a very experienced doctor like Dr Cognetti is your best chance. I guess you have to accept that youâre going to have the surgery or live with the symptoms, nobody can give you a definite yes or no Iâm afraid 
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I think doctor cognetti is very good
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