I am newly diagnosed and really just looking for some encouragement and positive stories. I have had many symptoms ( throat pain, foreign body or stuck in throat sensation, tongue pain, dizziness etc) over the last 6-7 mos and finally discovered ES a few weeks ago. I’ve had a " soft diagnosis" from an ENT who confirmed calcified styloid ligament via CT and am being sent to Dr.Hackman in about a month so that he can confirm and treat.
I also have chronic sinusitis for which I’ve had three sinus surgeries and am wondering if anyone has had improved " sinus pain" after styloid surgery? I’m starting to wonder if these issues are connected. Also just looking for any encouragement you want to give or any surgery success stories, esp with Dr.Hackman at UNC. I am very lucky to live 5 minutes from his office so I’m counting that as a blessing! Thank you in advance as this has already been a wonderful resource for me. Take care everyone.
Welcome to our forum! We do have other members who’ve had significant sinus issues as part of their ES symptoms. For many, having ES surgery has either resolved or significantly reduced those symptoms. It may be that at least part of the sinus pain is being caused by the trigeminal nerve which is one of the cranial nerves often negatively impacted by Eagle Syndrome. Once the styloid(s) are gone, the nerve can recover & symptoms abate.
You can search for discussions about sinus pain/sinusitis by clicking on the magnifying glass icon above & typing sinus pain or sinusitis in the search box.
Shalom Ashley,
I want to encourage you in this journey you are going through. It took 17 years for me to get diagnosed with ES. All I know is that after all that time, I was exhausted! Yes, I made my rounds with many doctors and I was also told that I had Post Partum Depression because the onset of ES happened on Christmas Eve 1987. I had just had a baby boy on December 8, 1987.
I finally left Houston, TX and moved to Yukon, OK (OKC) and that’s when I found Dr. Greg Krempl at Univ. of OK Physicians at the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic. That was in 2004, My symptoms were, headaches sometimes, dizziness and a constant poking under my tongue in the back of my throat. I looked normal on the outside but, on the inside, I was dying.
After I had the surgery, my salivary glands in my mouth went crazy and I had to walk around with a cloth to keep my saliva from falling out of my mouth. With ES, you produce allot of saliva. Even now, I cannot wear a dental guard because I would wake up with a wet pillow! It’s okay and I just don’t wear one. I dealt with the cloth for about a month and then everything went back to normal.
I feel like I was one of the lucky ES survivor because my surgery was a success. I no longer suffer with poking or food getting stuck. So, I want to encourage you today to pursue…your healing. Stay close to God and stay communicating with the people on this website. We are all on different levels
of healing but, people are very helpful and encouraging on this site. Blessings and this too shall pass.
Getting the ES diagnosis is half the battle.