Thanks for all the answers. Everything very clear. I thank you infinitely.
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What great idea about the YouTube channel!!! I am watching you!!!
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You had 2 different surgeries!!!
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Thanks Kimberly,
Sure i am sore, but doing so much better so far.
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@Barrootz incision is in the early healing stage It will be nearly invisible once itâs fully healed.
Thank you for documenting your journey through the YouTube videos! I am scheduled for surgery with Dr. C and Dr. Tobias on December 4th and I have found the information that you shared extremely helpful! One of the other doctors on my case expressed some concern about having the surgery performed in Stamford because it is a smaller hospital. But after hearing your experience, I feel much more comfortable proceeding with the surgery there. The symptoms that you were experiencing mimic mine for the most part. So to hear that you felt the fog lifted, and that you were relieved of the dizziness so early after the surgery makes me extremely hopeful. Thank you again for sharing so much extremely useful information for all of us. May you continue to heal and hopefully you will be playing tennis again in no time!
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Iâve had three surgeries performed at Stamford. They have really upped their game in the past ten years. Very low post-surgery infection rates, wonderful staff, and world-class surgeons utilizing them.
Iâm glad my videos were helpful to you. It took me so long to get here, and I wanted to help others.
Iâll be thinking of you and sending good thoughts and prayers your way.
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Also, here is some news on Stamford Hospital to settle your nerves.
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Hi @Barrootz i have occipital artery strangling mine too. I am wondering what they did to the occipital artery in your case. Did they relocate it? I know they canât remove an artery because blood supply will be compromised in where-ever the artery supplies.
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I think it all depends on if it is the full artery or just a branch off of it. I thought he told me he removed it, but I was pretty loopyâŚhe may have said moved it. I see him in a week for my final visit. Iâm gonna see if I can get before and after pics. I do clearly remember him saying it was way up highâŚ.and not easy to get to.
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Thanks I really appreciated. I am thinking he moved it out of the way but will see how what the Dr. says
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Hi Barootz,
I am so happy you appear to be doing so well so soon! May God bless your recovery and healing that you will not have future issues!
I have a Virtual appointment with Dr. Constantino on February 8 (I live in Central Florida). Was wondering the best way to explain my situation to Dr. Constantino. Not sure if you are familiar with my story; here is the short version:
I was awakened out of a sound sleep on April 10, 2020; I felt like the flow of blood to my brain was being cut off; a quick BP reading was over 170 (systolic); we wrote this off as untreated hypertension until it happened again 2 weeks later. After 2 trips to the ER the same day, I was told the same thing - I have untreated hypertension and to see a PCP. PCP put me on BP medication, but after this happened again and my BP was normal, imaging was done. Long story short, after seeing more than 40 doctors and specialists and after numerous testing (no one did a CTA), no one could help me. I was told by my ENT that Metoprolol Succinate has helped a patient similar to me, so I have been on that since June, 2021. Because this med keeps BP down, I believe it helped keep the BP spikes I would have at bay to a degree, because they stopped for 2 years (after having close 2 160 attacks), but returned this past September after I decided to stop the med due to finding strands of my hair falling out. Not sure if that was the reason or not, because in September, I, too, decided to see a Chiropractor, since no one else was helping me. After 5 or 6 successful adjustments that took nearly all my other symptoms away that I have been having since 2020 at various degrees of intensities, all of a sudden the BP attacks started again. My worse one was just about 2 weeks ago - 219/192. I was also given Clonidine to get BP attacks down quickly, but NOTHING worked that day of that attack and my BP continued to rise over 4 hours to this number. The Chiropractor, at my first visit, did a CT Cone Beam X-Ray, which is when he told me I have elongated styloids of 3.8 right side and 3.7 on the left that he said could be causing the symptoms I have been having (pounding pain, throbbing, pulsating feeling, and vibration feelings in the lower back of my head with 24/7 tinnitus and brain fog). Itâs hard to âthinkâ straight and I feel light-headed and just donât feel good. I also get eye phosphenes (where when you close your eyes you âseeâ - not feel - âjumpyâ things, like twitching without the feel of the twitching, if you know what I mean. In addition to all this, if my BP goes over 170 during an attack, my body (whole or different areas, mainly hands) can start shaking; after seeing a YouTube video of Jim Beaver (patient) and Dr. Ryan Osborne (California), I am thinking this could be âdystonic stormsâ happening, similar to Jim Beaver in that video. The shaking does not happen with every BP attack over 170, though. The EXTREME BP attacks I have are SUDDEN and very UNPREDICTABLE, so I feel like something is pressing on something keeping blood from reaching my brain. MRI and MRA have shown âTORTUOUS VERTEBRAL ARTERIESâ, Vertebral Artery Compression Syndrome, and compression of medulla, yet NO ONE thinks I have a problem. So, after nearly 4 years, I have been enduring these symptoms with no help and no direction until I learned I have elongated styloids from my local Chiropractor. Unfortunately, I believe the last adjustment I had, coupled with stopping Metoprolol Succinate, brought on the extreme BP attacks again. I have restarted the medication, but this is only a band-aid, so I plan to see Dr. Constantino as I said.
Any advice you can offer, especially how to start the conversation with Dr. Constantino February 8? I really want him to listen to me so I donât want to say anything wrong. Is he okay with telling him what you think, i.e., like when you said you can bring up Venous Outflow Obstruction or that you think there is an ES Vascular Component, or do you think it will not matter with Dr. Constantino because he understands all this?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Julie
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Hi Julie, I am so sorry youâre going through all of this. The good news is you have an appointment with Dr. Costantino! He is absolutely brilliant! As a matter fact, I just saw him today (1/18/24).
Tell him what youâve been struggling with, and what your symptoms are, talk about the imaging that youâve had done and even mention the elongated styloid because he should know that. You can absolutely let him know that you and I have been in conversation. My name is Barrett, and believe or not, he mentioned that a number of patients stated they have been communicating with me.
Share with him all of your symptoms, and what youâve done so far, if you have any imaging, you can pre-loaded up to their system www.bssny.com there is a link to upload Imaging.
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Did you ask him about what he did to Occipital artery? move, relocateâŚetc.
He told me that he cut a segment out of it that wasnât needed, and was compressing the IJV.
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mmâŚinteresting. I thought the Occipital artery supplies blood to a number of important structures. I just googled and found the following. Well I know these doctors know what they are doing but I find strange just to cut and remove artery like that. Small veins can be sacrificed but not artery according to my limited knowledge.
The occipital artery supplies blood to the back of the scalp, sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, deep muscles of the back, and dura mater of the posterior cranial fossa .
Do you feel any onset of new symptoms at the back of the head or at the side where OC artery has been resected?
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He didnât take the whole arteryâŚjust a small segment that wasnât needed and was compressing the IJV.
I have No issues with back of head, scalp, etc.
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I am trying to imagine what he did. If they cut a segment out and stitch the rest together, it would even be tighter. AnywaysâŚinteresting how they can remove segment without compromising blood flowâŚnot a doctor but hard to get my head around it.
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I guess there should be some sufficient redundancy.
Though the study above also confirms itâs better not to touch it.
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I saw that study and other ones that show that they sometimes harvest OC artery in surgeriesâŚ
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