ES Surgery Post Op Questions

There’s some info in the Newbies Guide Section about surgery; here’s a link:
ES Information- Treatment: Surgery - Welcome / Newbies Guide to Eagle Syndrome - Living with Eagle
Sleeping propped up will definitely help with swelling- a wedge pillow is a good idea, and/ or a V shaped orthopaedic pillow. Icing your neck with a pack wrapped in a towel on & off will help, and some members have found popsicles are good. Some doctors do prescribe steroids routinely but not sure that Dr Hackman does.
I couldn’t open my mouth wide & it was really uncomfortable to chew, so I had smoothies etc for about 10 days I think after my first surgery, but had no problems at all with my second surgery, with the same doctor! So difficult to tell!
Good advice is to keep up with the pain meds as if you leave a longer gap then it can be difficult to get under control again, and to have something ready in case you get constipated as some of the pain meds can cause this…
Expect to feel tired for a while, & be prepared for ups and downs, recovery isn’t always smooth & sometimes symptoms can come back for a bit. Sometimes the nerves can be stretched/ irritated during surgery, so some members have had a droopy smile or eyelid, occasionally tongue weakness or arm/ shoulder weakness. This generally comes back quickly. You might be temporarily a bit numb around your ear & jaw too, that seems to be quite common.
I hope this helps & that others who’ve seen Dr Hackman chip in too!

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