Hi sjlash!
As far as pain goes, I know you cannot take NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen - Advil, Motrin, Aleve & the like) for at least 2 weeks pre-op because they are blood thinners, but you CAN take acetaminophen (Tylenol) right up to the day of surgery pending your doctor’s approval. Though it’s not an anti-inflammatory, it should help reduce pain. In many cases, people have found icing the neck helps reduce inflammation & pain, & in others, heat works better.
As far as anti-inflammatory diets go, low to no sugar & low carbs i.e. Paleo or Ketogenic type diets are both in that category. In both of these, carbs come from fruits & veggies instead of grains, legumes & dairy. As with any diet program there are extremes. For research purposes, I recommend Mark Sisson’s blogs marksdailyapple.com &/or primalblueprint.com for the ketogenic approach. For Paleo, Diane Sanfilippo’s blog: balancedbites.com along w/ her book Practical Paleo. Another good Paleo blog is nomnompaleo.com. Michelle Tam, who co-wrote the book/cookbook Nom Nom Paleo is an entertaining author. I think all three of these people have more moderate & realistic approaches to these types of diets. Should you elect to continue as you are, then just reducing or eliminating refined sugar & highly processed foods & drinks from your diet, for the time being, will help. There is also a thought that red meat is more inflammatory than other types so going w/ “white” meats & fish for awhile might also be helpful.
seamom put together a good list of things to buy to prepare for post op recovery. You can find it here: Surgery shopping list
I’m so glad you have surgery soon. Having 5 cm styloids is pretty significant. I hope you find reduction in symptoms immediately after surgery & progressively as you heal!