Doing eagle syndrome surgery

General
, ,
1

Hi Guys,

So I found out I got eagle syndrome since 2019 I’ve been ignoring to do the surgery because I’ve been suffering from other chronic medical conditions and having IV antibiotics at hospital for years .

Now that I’m somewhat treated from this condition I was planning to fix my ES and also my deviated septum .

I did my tonsil removal with Mr Hughes in London couple years ago and it went smoothly .

Now I was booked in for deviated septum surgery first then my ES symptoms wasn’t good so decided to change the surgery to ES instead .

Mr Hughes recommended to do the deviated septum first but I told him I’d like to do the ES.

I was supposed to do it 23rd May but Mr Hughes had to postpone it to 6th of June.

Just 2 days ago I started to get flu symptoms, chills body ache sore throat etc so he told me it’s best to cancel can’t do it while having flu.

I just feel more scared now and don’t know if I should do it at all .

I don’t know if the symptoms I get is even related to ES.

So the ES symptoms I get is like stabbing sensation weird nerve pain.

The other symptoms don’t know if it’s related:

Chest pain difficulty breathing

Pain down to shoulder / nerve pain

Pain on right side of body always. So down to shoulder , sides , pelvic , legs , knees and feet. Left Side not that much. (Keep in mind the ES is on the right side )

Can pinched nerves from the ES cause all that ? Did anyone here ever had these symptoms?

Also I flare up when having relations with my partner can’t have relations anymore.

I seen in one of Dr. Ryan F. Osborne videos , one patient couldn’t have relations with his wife because of the ES.

The other thing I’m afraid of is the pain, would it be sever pain after the surgery? Bearable ?

I had multiple surgeries in past and got trauma from the pain I had experienced. Tend to avoid surgeries from now on, even when I did the tonsils with him I was panicking and my heart rate was up they tried to calm me down .

I had removed tonsils once in my home country but he left a small part in both sides so had to be done again so when I did it in my home country they don’t give you pain killers at all just Panadol so it was a lot of pain. That’s why I was panicking when I had to do it again.

One last thing, my quality of life is horrible, I can’t exercise at all everytime I do I get a lot of flare up and I stop , I gained so much weight I eat very unhealthy because I’m always depressed because of my symptoms, my sleep is bad , I wake up 4am all them time sleep at 10pm.

When I take any supplements I get flare ups up to my throat where my ES is located , it tightens up and feels irritated even if it’s just vitamin C, don’t know if any of you ever had that.

Work I can’t even work full time so I try to find part time contract as much as I can the entertainment industry is demanding so not much part time.

I just feel stuck in life in where I’m at.

Also I keep thinking if it’s worth it to do the surgery will it fix all that ?

Or will I do it for nothing??

Tried to attach scans and report it won’t let me

2

Hi @OMM9420 - Welcome to our forum! I’m glad you’re here.

Based on what you’ve said about your symptoms,

The answer is that those are all symptoms we have seen with ES. The chest pain & breathing difficulty can be from the vagus nerve being irritated by your elongated styloid(s)
Shoulder pain is usually related to the spinal accessory nerve being irritated by the elongated styloid
Right side body pain can come more from the spinal nerves which are being irritated because your cervical spine is compromised by elongated styloids. Our bodies work to try to keep everything functional so when one part isn’t working correctly, other parts try to take up the slack but that means they are doing tasks they weren’t meant to do so pain & weakness can be the result. We have had members who’ve had similar pain along one side of their bodies. In some cases it did go away after their styloidectomies.

I’m sorry for this problem. We have had members besides the one who saw Dr. Osborn who have experienced this. I think it’s at least in part because of the hormone release & enhanced blood flow that take place which cause the increase in symptoms. That problem should go away once you have your styloids shortened.

The first week after ES surgery is when the pain is the worst, however, the doctors in the UK & US do give a prescription for pain medication. Some also give a prescription for a tapering dose of steroids (10-14 day course) which helps reduce the post op swelling. We recommend icing your neck for 15-20 min every 2 hrs after surgery for at least the first week & sleeping/resting with your head elevated to about 30º for the first week or two. Taking your pain meds on schedule, sleeping w/ head elevation & using ice on your neck will go far toward helping your post op pain be bearable.

ES does make quality of life horrible & exercise can make symptoms much worse (I experienced this, too). Eating poorly can increase inflammation in your body which will make your symptoms worse, too. You can look up anti-inflammatory diets online. Trying to eat better by following one of those programs could also help reduce your symptoms to some degree.

Not being able to sleep makes symptoms worse & life harder. Try icing your neck (20 min on & 2 hrs off using a thin towel between your neck & the ice). If ice doesn’t help try heat. Also try sleeping w/ your head elevated to see if that helps. It may reduce the swelling in your neck enough to reduce symptoms.

You can also request an Rx for a nerve pain medication (Gabapentin, Amitriptyline, Carbamazepine) from Mr. Hughes which could help if you decide to wait a while before setting up another surgery date.

Based on what you’ve said, I believe getting your right styloid shortened could help relieve your symptoms & help you get your life back. With bilateral ES, we’ve found that when one side is removed, often the remaining styloid will start acting up so you may need to have both shortened to get the best results.

I’ve checked your account, & since you posted your message, your account has been upgraded so you can now add your pictures next time you post. Our software is set up so a new member can’t add pictures until at least one message has been posted on the forum.

3

Thank you so much @Isaiah_40_31 for your prompt response, appreciate it :folded_hands:

Ya I guess I do have to do it .

Do you recommend taking steroid injection ? Would it help ?

Also I tried Amitriptyline made me sick , any medication/pills makes me sick even if it’s just vitamin C aggravates all my symptoms .

IMG_1181
IMG_11811126×1254 148 KB

IMG_1182
IMG_11821206×1399 150 KB

IMG_1179
IMG_11791206×1367 79.3 KB

IMG_1180
IMG_11801206×1326 83.5 KB

4

Oh my goodness, that’s got to be one of the worst styloids I’ve ever seen :scream: No wonder you’re feeling bad! The right side is obviously longer & thicker, the left side does look pretty long & angled too… I would imagine you’ll feel better for having it removed, I think reading the report as it mentions the styloid is in contact with the external carotid artery, this would be a concern for me, as it could potentially partially block the artery with different head positions, which can cause fainting, and if it was really blocking the artery then potentially a stroke. It also mentions at the end of the report it’s also in contact with the right Internal carotid artery, along with the pain you’re experiencing if left this might cause more issues for you. Having the deviated septum operated on in my opinion would be less of a priority, being intubated for surgery and having your head moved about during the procedure could also be a cause for concern given how long and angled your styloids are.
I would discuss your concerns about being in pain with Mr Hughes before surgery; you should be given pain relief having surgery here in the UK, apparently having a tonsillectomy as an adult is really painful, hopefully ES surgery won’t be as painful. You can use the search function to look up discussions about surgery with Mr Hughes, each doctor’s approach is slightly different so recovery will vary…
There’s a section in the Newbies Guide about surgery, there’s some ideas of what to expect & get ready beforehand, here’s a link:
ES Information- Treatment: Surgery - Welcome / Newbies Guide to Eagle Syndrome - Living with Eagle
It is worth being prepared for your other side to possibly feel more painful after surgery, it sometimes does that, so it might be at some point you’ll need surgery for that too…
Also, I don’t know whether you’ve tried much for you nose, my husband has a deviated septum & sinus problems, he struggled to sleep, but tried this product which has really helped him:
Airmax Nasal Dilator - Anti snoring Devices - Nose Dilator, Sleep aid and Snore Stopper - Breathe Right Through The Nose - Snoring aids for Men and Women - with Free Storage Box - 1 Pack - Small Blue : Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care

5

Thanks for your advice Jules :folded_hands:

Mr Hughes said for now we should do the right one no concern for left one for now.

Mr Hughes mentioned that he won’t be removing this part : Immediately anterior to the tip of the right stylohyoid ligament lies another calcified body that makes contact with the superior cortex of the right side of the hyoid bone.

Actually when I removed my tonsils with Mr Hughes and gave me painkillers I didn’t feel anything at all even after I woke up from surgery. Recovery was very smooth

The deviated septum is not that good either :frowning:

IMG_1200
IMG_12001206×1386 200 KB

IMG_1201
IMG_12011006×1026 53.8 KB

1 Like
6

:scream: :scream: :scream: :double_exclamation_mark: :double_exclamation_mark: I totally agree w/ @Jules! That is one really gnarly looking (also the worst I’ve seen) styloid. You should feel MUCH better with that huge thing taken out of your neck!! Getting your deviated septum repaired should also go far toward helping you feel better. I also agree w/ Jules about the danger of leaving that humongous styloid in place since it’s compromising your ECA & ICA & that your left styloid is long enough & curved enough that may cause symptoms after the right side is removed so you may eventually need that one shortened as well for the best overall results.

A steroid injection into the tonsil area of your w/ ultrasound guidance can be helpful in reducing pain/symptoms but for some people it’s actually made symptoms worse so you’ll need to decide if you want to take the risk.

The referral letter you have from Dr. Cascarini is a very nice confirmation of what the radiologist noted in her report. I’m glad he’s gone to bat for you as well.

I hope you’re able to get your surgery back on Mr. Hughes schedule ASAP. Please let us know when you have a surgery date. :hugs:

1 Like
7

So I had talk with Mr Hughes yesterday he doesn’t seem very concerned, he told me cancel the surgery until you recover from the flu.

He’s like it’s not that really important surgery to do unless it’s causing symptoms because I’m the one who told him I want to do it. He wanted to do the septum first .

I told him I saw a gastroenterologist yesterday and she told me she wants to do endoscopy he told me yes do that first but recover from the flu first .

He said to the eagle syndrome put it aside for now.

I don’t know which one do start with honestly septum or ES.

I feel kinda stuck. I was hoping to do it tomorrow but also was very nervous I think maybe that’s what made me get sick , I couldn’t sleep from Monday just have night sweats and chills .

I was hoping to do it and see if I’ll get my life back as in work exercise etc.

Now I don’t know what to do about the work , I’m in the entertainment industry doing visual effects and they are all looking for full time there isn’t a lot part time so I’ll still be sitting around doing nothing wanting to do something but unable too .

My depression is kicking in again, I’m actually thinking of giving up just go back to my home country if I’m unable to work and get this sorted .

One last thing Mr Hughes suggested the endoscopy so we can rule out everything else and just be sure that the ES is the one that is causing all the problems because I get stomach problems too

Also he suggested doing the septum surgery first a while back so my breathing would be good when I’m having the ES surgery

8

I don’t know much about the septum surgery, so can’t say anything about that, if Mr Hughes feels it will improve breathing then you might want to be guided by him, I wouldn’t want to go against his advice, but if you’re in pain from the ES then it’s rotten to have to wait…I hope you get over the flu if that’s what you have, very soon & can schedule the surgery…

2 Likes
9

You have a tough decision about which surgery to have done first. Getting your deviated septum fixed prior to ES surgery does make a lot of sense since being able to breathe & sleep better after your ES surgery could help the recovery to be easier.

I also hope your body fights off your current illness so you can move forward w/ the bigger health issues that are holding you back in life. :folded_hands:

2 Likes
10

@Isaiah_40_31 @Jules thank you so much! you have been very helpful and supportive

2 Likes