So 3 years after right side surgery (with remaining glossopharyn and Trigiminal neuropathy) lately I’m getting shooting pain on left side along side my face and focusing on ear pain. It’s sharp and it happens if I bend over to do something or lean over or turn my neck a certain way. What’s got me nervous today is after a bunch of super sharp pain around my ear my hearing feels off on left. I had surgery on just right side since at the time i had no symptoms on left and 50 percent chance of never having any. I think my luck has run out. Anybody with similar issues? Feels different that referred pain from right pain in left armpit too. Also we’re in very bad air for days now in California . Today’s number 167 air quality - affects my blood a lot. More pain all over.
Hi Gail,
Good to hear from you again, but I’m sorry for the reason you’re posting. Those darn styloids have a habit of letting us know they’re there when elongated. The symptoms you’re describing sure sound like the left side is starting to proclaim it’s existence especially since you’re noticing it in certain positions. Those are most likely the positions that bring the styloid into contact w/ the trigeminal nerve which can affect your ear & even potentially hearing as there are smaller nerves off of the trigeminal nerve that affect the inner ear. Also the pain into your armpit is likely coming from the accessory nerve which is also affected by ES.
I recommend you watch the Two Minute Neuroscience series on YouTube for the trigeminal, glossopharyngeal, & accessory nerves. If you want to cover all the cranial nerves that can be affected by ES then also watch the videos for the facial, hypoglossal & vagus nerves. These short videos give location, function & symptoms of dysfunction of each nerve. They are concise & informative.
I totally sympathize w/ the air quality issues. I hope the fires can all be contained & eliminated soon!
I hope this info helps!
Hi, & sorry that you’re back because the other side is playing up 
Sounds like a new CT might be in order to see what’s going on? It is actually quite common for the 2nd side to play up after the 1st side is removed, so having a 3 year gap is quite unusual & lucky, in a way! I hope that you’re able to get things moving & see if it is the styloid- who did your last surgery, was it Dr Samji?
Yes Dr Samji did my right side surgery and if i need the left I’ll be going again to him. Luckily his south San Jose office is 10 min from my house.
That’s good, at least you know he’ll do a good job if you do need a second surgery…
Thanks - I’ll watch the tube video’s.
Yeah it’s a bummer that I’m having symptoms on left. The ct/scan with contrast showed even longer calcification but no symptoms until a few weeks ago and now in last few days horrible. Hearing on left going in and out like being on an airplane - pain, then ear feels full and more pain. Subsides on and off. Totally sucks but will be calling dr Samji’ s office for what to do. These days he may send me for the test first then see him. Not sure if he’s doing video appt’s because of COVID or not yet.
Dr. Samji is in full swing. He restarted doing ES surgeries in late March. He/his office is following very strict COVID protocols as is the surgery center.
The ear pain and all your other symptoms familiar to me. The only thing I was able to do in the short term was to get injections of steriods to calm down the inflammation and reduce the pain. Initially I was able to take a 10 day loading dose of dexamethasone which helped a few times.
I do think your time has run out. Mine started on one side and moved to the other and got real painful. I had dr samji do the owrst side end of April and now getting ready to schedule the other side. Ive debated about putting it off but every once in awhile I get the shooting pain up the neck to my ear to remind me it is still there on the right side. I had so much problems with jaw/ear pre and post op. Ive decided to not put off the other side in hopes that post-op I will have less recovery and pain. Ill let you all know if that works.
Dr. Samji is doing video appts.