Hi everyone! Just got to my hospital room. Surgery went well! A little slowness in my left eye but it’s already getting better. My lip is a bit funny. You can’t see it really . I have to talk a little slower. It will get better. I’m icing and got pain meds. My incisions and around my jaw hurt a lot. The drains are very u comfortable on the right side.
And… I can rotate my neck to the left and right all the way with no pain!!! I don’t think I feel the stiffness either. I can literally feel that the Styloid isn’t there. My TOS pain is drastically less but that may be due to the anesthesia. No occipital pain either but also could be due to anesthesia. Tinnitus is still there. I know that could take a while if it’s from Eagles. Throat is very sore and a little painful. Numbness in some area under my neck.
So pleased that you’re through the surgery & have noticed one improvement already, that’s great! I hope you see more in the days to come & that you eye & lip ease soon too.
Thanks for letting us know how you are- will keep praying & sending you hugs
I’m impressed that you did both at once. I’m glad that you’re seeing some good results already, and hope that your recovery goes smoothly.
I have to say, I feel like it’s helpful to post pictures. People can skip them, but it can be a real relief to know what the incisions look like, and that you can still manage a smile immediately post op.
You just went through a VERY MAJOR surgery @Danielle1. You look really good considering that. Great news about your degree of head rotation improving already. Even if some of the other symptoms are only gone temporarily, consider this a snapshot of what’s to come. Those old symptoms may come & go for some months as the nerves heal but they will go away as time passes. I’m so glad you have fared well so far. May your recovery go smoothly & as quickly as possible!
I am so glad to you are on the other side!! I trust you have made it back to your hotel now and are settled in? I hope that you are doing the best you can be and wishing you safe travels home tomorrow!!! Looking forward to following you along your healing journey
How are you feeling? I am about 3-4 weeks ahead of you w/ my bilateral surgery w/ Dr. Hackman. I have my first post-op appointment tomorrow. Those pictures brought back some very recent memories… the early days were tough and for me it got better pretty quickly. Things are already feeling so different for me on this side of surgery; I hope you have a similar experience. Rest, ice, and take meds when needed!!!
@SamiA@Ddmarie The swelling is a little better today but my jaw is really hurting. It’s worse when I talk too. Very stiff to open my mouth from the jaw too. Does Dr. Hackman do something to the jaw during surgery?
My jaw was sore too. It still is a bit sore but nothing like it was after surgery. I figure mine is from the extra muscle they removed as well as some jaw manipulation they probably have to do to get to the styloids. I also think mine was manipulated even more than normal that’s why I came through in recovery with a neck bra on. I don’t know the exact extent though of what happened. I do have TMJ prior to surgery. So that definitely flared up even more so after. Not sure if you have checked the portal yet but there should be some notes in there from the surgery and possibly even some photos of your styloids. My surgery notes seemed more like maybe a template that they use for this surgery so it was very basic and high level. Maybe yours will be more detailed possibly? Keep on icing girlfriend and definitely try to stick to soft foods and protein shakes/drinks for a while to give your jaw a chance to settle down. This too shall pass.
It has been mentioned on here that in some cases, the surgeon dislocates the jaw to fully access the styloid. I don’t know if Dr. Hackman does that or not. It is a technique Dr. Samji uses. I didn’t learn that he does that until years after he did my surgeries, but I it explains why the muscles on the right side of my jaw are still weaker than the left ones. My right side surgery took almost 2 hrs because of a complication so perhaps that caused the muscles to be more compromised. I do have TMJ (since childhood), but fortunately, I don’t have pain in my jaw joint. It’s noisy when I chew, but I’ll take that over pain any day!!
@Ddmarie My notes seemed like a template as well with a change in styloid length and pictures of them. Nothing specific was noted. I had some minor TMJ before the surgery but nothing like this pain. I’m icing. Probably should try not to talk so much. Talking and eating make it worse unless it’s soft food. Thanks girl!
My jaw was really sore too initially and then less sore but rather stiff for over a week after… in fact, my friends would, all in fun, joke about how stiff it was based on the height of food I could get in… we celebrated with a pizza party when I could finally open the height of a piece of pizza.
I am not sure why the jaw pain was particularly bad but that was something I too was surprised by. By this point I have zero jaw pain and full range of food height abilities ;o)
Ice was a constant companion just rotating to different parts of my head and face. I also continued my Diclofinac (Sp?) for the first two weeks after surgery which I felt helped. Not sure if you were on that as a pre-surgical option.
Also of note, it looks like your surgery was a little more extensive than mine… looks like they did the whole thing in one go for you. For me, this was the second round because I had a very inexperienced surgeon do a very poor job removing my left styloid along with my tonsils a year ago so this time there was a lot less to go in and get… so try to be patient if your healing takes longer than some of what you hear from me or others… everyone’s journey is different… you had a BIG surgery!
. I have to talk a little slower. It will get better. I’m icing and got pain meds. My incisions and around my jaw hurt a lot. The drains are very u comfortable on the right side.
