So i have my appointment next wed with the ent surgeon i saw 6 months ago,this appointment is to determine whether i want to go through with the surgery. Wierdly i have been in much more pain the last week so am just ready to try anything! I would like to gonfor the external approach after reading stuff on here and researching online. Are there any questions i need to ask next week to determine whether this guy is the right person to be doing this procedure? If i go through with this i really want it to be done properly then if it doesn’t help i know that my pain is definitely not due to eagles.
Hello Steph
I have been making a list of questions as well. A lot of them I got from others suggestions on this site. How many times have you performed this surgery? How much of the SP will you remove and do you smooth the end after cutting? Do you also remove the S-Ligament? Do you electronically monitor the nerves and vascular tissue during surgery? Where will you make the incision? How long after the 1st side do I need to wait until the 2nd side (if this is applicable)? Will I be required to stay overnite in the hospital? What is the expected recovery time (time off work)? Though I know a lot of the answers to this already from folks here, I want to ask the doctor anyway to check his knowledge and I want them to know that I know a thing or two about it as well. Hope this is helpful and I’m sure you will get other helpful responses from those in the know!
Well, I think that’s pretty much covered it! You could ask about swelling- some doctors prescribe steroids to help with that, some put a drain in overnight. Not saying that it would put me off surgery if he doesn’t, but something to bear in mind & get ice packs ready afterwards. Also ask about risks & success rates as kize6159 says to judge his knowledge- research suggests quite high success rates if enough of the styloid is removed. Some doctors occasionally gloss over the risks which would be worrying.
Let us know how you get on!
Steph,
You also need to bear in mind that if you have bilateral ES & this surgeon removes only one styloid at a time, you’re liable to have symptoms that remain until styloid 2 is removed because it’s still in place & causing irritation. There are people who assume their first ES surgery has been a failure because they aren’t symptom-free afterward & so elect not to have the second surgery. BIG mistake. There are others who feel surgery has been a failure if they still have pain/symptoms a couple of weeks after surgery. ES surgery requires a longer recovery time than you might expect. Some symptoms can take up to a year to slip away.
Thanks guys, i feel prepared for tomorrow but also very apprehensive.
Please let us know what the surgeon says. Hoping he supports you & helps you feel that whatever decision you make regarding surgery is the right one for you.
Well that appointment was rediculous! I asked what the length of the styloid process was and he said that that didn’t matter, he tried to find the styloid process/ calcified ligament on the ct scan in front of me and couldn’t find it, i actually felt embarrased for him! He said he didn’t think thye had gone deep enough to see the sp but i told him that that was thw purpose of the ct scan! He then read the radiographers comments that said there was a elongated ap and clcifeid ligament. Long stroy short, i told him that i was concerned how negative he was with regards to a eagles diadnosis and asked if he would be the one performing the surgery. He said “well yeah but i havent done one for years and it would involve removing your tonsil” This is when i told him that i would prefer to go with the external route if possible due to the advantages of visibility etc. He just said " well you’ve obviously been reading online" anyway he is going to refer me on for a second opinion to a neck and throat surgeon and also speak to the radiologist to double check the results of the ct scan. Inreally feel that it couldn’t have gone much worse, this guy was awful. He didn’t have a clue, no wonder he doesn’t want to do the surgery. He was completely incompitant. God knows how long it will take now for a second opinion.
WOW, Steph! That’s really sad. So sorry that you felt your time was wasted, but GOOD FOR YOU for being informed & confident of the information you have. Hopefully the second opinion doctor will serve you better. I’ll pray for that so you can move on w/ surgery & recovery.
Try sending a private email to Pumpkin as she lives in your country & has had a successful ES surgery there. She might be willing to share the name of her surgeon with you.
Sorry that you had such a bad experience, this doctor sounds like he hasn’t a clue about ES… I hope that you’re able to find another doctor & don’t have to wait too long.
Unfortunately, I think most of us have been through these types of Dr’s appointments. I would suggest you get a copy of your CT scan by calling or going to the facility that did it and requesting it on disk. Once you have it you can download a free 3d slicer program at www.slicer.org and following snappleofdiscord’s tutorial at Making Your Own 3D Images from CT Scan- 3D Slicer Tutorial. It’s a little confusing at first and it’s slow to run so it takes some time but you can get views of the SP from the sides and you can remove the jaw and see them from the front (anterior) view. You can then show these pictures to your doctor if you want. Below is a picture of mine from the anterior view.
