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Great that you have a date for surgery! And external surgery is safer than intra-oral surgery so good that he’s doing it this way…I think we all feel anxious about the surgery, but like you say, there are risks with any surgery. Obviously it is a bit more tricky with this area of the neck because there’s blood vessels and nerves in a cramped space, but as you’re seeing an experienced surgeon he’ll be used to working in this area. The facial nerve and the spinal accessory nerve are the ones which can get irritated during surgery- if the facial nerve is affected you can have some facial paralysis, weakness and sometimes a droopy smile or eyelid, but this improves with time and there are techniques to help if it happens. The spinal accessory nerve can cause weakness or pain in the arm or shoulder, again this usually resolves with time, or sometimes members have had to have PT. It’s not as risky as open heart surgery, but with any surgery there’s a slight risk of bleeding or a stroke! There’s info about the surgery and what to prepare for it in this section:
ES Information- Treatment: Surgery - Welcome / Newbies Guide to Eagle Syndrome - Living with Eagle
The surgery shouldn’t be undertaken lightly, but most of us get to the point where the symptoms are affecting our quality of life so much that it’s an easy decision, and for some, with Vascular ES especially, there are risks to leaving the styloids in.
It’s really good that you don’t have far to travel, and that you’ll have someone with you. You’ll likely be a bit tired afterwards, pain levels vary so if you are in pain then take your meds regularly to keep on top of it. But not everyone needs strong medication. Swelling can be an issue, so using ice packs helps with that, and resting and sleeping propped up helps. You might have trouble chewing or opening your mouth wide to start with, so it’s a good idea to get smoothies or soft food in ready. Some people get ‘first bite syndrome’ which is where you get a sharp pain in your cheek at the first mouthful of food; this usually improves quite quickly and keeping hydrated helps.
I’ll pray that you’re surgery goes well 
