I had my Visit today with the Specialist that was on the Top of my List… I like him, but the beginning of the Appointment didnt go so smooth and I didnt think I was going to make it out of there level-headed… before speaking with the DR, I spokenwith someone who works alongside him, and after going through my Grocery List of Symptoms, she continued to ask me about my Mental Health/Psychiatric/Depression/Anxiety OVER and OVER as if she was going to try and lean more towards that being the cause of this agony that I am living in!! Once the DR came into the Room, the Tone did change, but now Im just on the fence about things… its so hard for me to connect with a DR and it drives me nuts, but I am so desperate for relief!! So, the DR wants to perform the Styloidectomy, but he wants me to see a Neurologist first to ensure that I didnt suffer any other severe Trauma that is causing my Neurological Symptoms… Should I seek a 3rd Opinion? Or d
Your right side looks to be broken off with a nearly completely calcified styloid ligament which is why it appears to go to your hyoid (the s-h) ligament attaches to the tip of the styloid & lesser horn of the hyoid). The left side is somewhat long but also thick & quite curved. Both features play into causing symptoms.
You’re definitely a candidate for surgery though checking in w/ a neurologist first isn’t a bad idea in light of your neck injury. I can’t help but think that getting the styloids’ pressure off those nerves will only help w/ nerve recovery regardless of whatever else might be causing their decline.
They certainly look like they’re capable of causing symptoms! And I second what @Isaiah_40_31 has said about seeing a neuro- they may be able to prescribe some meds to help if you’ve not already tried any, as long as it’s not too long a wait…well done keeping calm, must’ve been hard not to leave when you were being grilled by the first doctor! If you feel confident with the specialist & he’s experienced, then probably another opinion isn’t worth pursuing, just see the Neuro?
Correct, Im pretty sure that side is broken off from the punch that i received to the neck in my attack… in reading over my After Visit Notes, the Surgeon believes that I have a TBI, which is causing all of the Neurological issues that Im going through, and causing my Quality of Life to just spiral Downhill… Good News-I finally got my Surgery Date today, even though he said he wanted to waiy until after my Neurology Appointment for Surgery… buy Neurology cant see me until October 18 and theres just no way that I cant wait that long!! So, September 26 with be Surgery #1, just not sure which one hes planning on taking out-Left is my more Symptomatic but both HAVE GOT TO GO!!!
Hey Mamabear,
Having medicos directing people towards Mental Health/Psychiatric/Depression/Anxiety OVER and OVER is very common, especially in regard to rare conditions. I too have had similar diagnosis. My situation is not Eagles related, but rather neurological and although there can clearly be some correlation between neurological and psychological, using psychological as the ‘default’ diagnosis does nobody any favours. I had 2 decades of misdiagnosis and misdirection. It wasn’t until I had a major incident that they then decided to investigate a bit further.
Through all of this one thing I learnt was to be a strong self advocate. I obtained differing opinions, then returned to the Dr’s and fed those 2nd opinions back to him. “What about …??” Some dr’s didn’t like me questioning at all, in fact some became rather anti, but this is about our health, not their precious ego. And for me… …I need answers and I will stand my ground to get those answers. This is about me, not them.
Makes sense that your styloid got broken during a neck assault. That one in particular is so long & thin thus more easily fractured.
So great that your surgery isn’t too far off. I’m glad Dr. Bunnell is willing to do this w/o you having a neuro appt. first. Since your styloids are obviously affecting nerves, you will likely get at least some symptoms relief just by getting the first styloid removed. The remainder will hopefully go w/ the second one. I’ll be praying for that. Your surgery date is on my calendar & I’ll pray for you that day, too.
From the beginning i was sort of allowing myself to be pushed around because I truly had no idea what was going on, plus dealing with the Trauma of the Attack amongst losing my Job and trying to raise 6 Kids on my own and piece my life together and the ultimate fear of leaving my House… It was practically impossible for me to advocate for myself at first!! After my last 2 Hospital visit where they treated me like scum of the Earth while Inliterally begged, pleaded and cried to them, telling them that I can feel my body shutting down on me, and they completely dismissed me with “a Sinus Infection” and the othet Hospital gave me a Number to call that might could help me with my Trauma… at that point, I truly did give up!! But, one of those sleepless nights where I felt that if I went to sleep, I wasnt going to wake up… I stayed up all night researching EVERYTHING Ive been given, everything Ive read, everythingnIve overheard the DRs mention, every Medical Term thrown my way… I refused to stop until I found an answer… i produced my Findings to my DR, she set me ip with Shands who confirmed ES but would only do Intraoral, so i scheduled 2nd Opinion with Shands in Jacksonville who also confirmed ES and Surgery is on 26 but also will be seeing Neuro on Oct 18 to see whats going on Neurologically… i am my own best Advocate!!
So good that you kept pushing & have gotten answers @MamaBear6…I hope that everything settles down for you so that you can prepare for surgery! Have you got family or friends to help you afterwards?
WOW! You’re totally AMAZING! I couldn’t have raised 6 kids even w/o any of the trauma you’ve suffered (attack, ES, nerve injury…).
I’m so glad your diligence in researching & putting the pieces together have paid off. Surgery is nearly around the corner.
The neuro follow-up may not be as productive as you hope because you’ll still be in early recovery from ES surgery & nerves affected by that will still be “in shock” as they work to function normally after being irritated/compressed for some time. I hope the Neuro is able to work around that situation & do an accurate assessment.
Hey Mamabear,
I want to give a big, HUGE, MASSIVE + to @Isaiah_40_31 comments especially
When it comes to neurology a large portion is theoretically based because they can’t actually see the brain. They can do scans and tests, but they can’t quantify the impact for that specific patient. One thing they do look for is ‘contributing factors’. Surgery for Eagles could easily be considered a contributing factor. So they may minimise it as just a side effect of Eagles. As I stated earlier, my situation is neurological and neurosurgical. I’ve had no end of medicos trying to find alternative options for my symptoms. Why? because post surgery the surgeons opinion was ‘We operated. We fixed’, but it’s all far from anything like fixed.
My recommendation: Go along to your neurology appointment, but along with an open mind, without any expectation of obtaining answers. If you get an answer, that’s a bonus. I’ve gone to neuro appointments with expectations only to find my expectations didn’t get met and I fell into a hole filled with disappointment.
I have people that say theyre going to help… but, Im not going to hold my breath, we will just leave it at that!! Just going to think positive and hope for the best!!
Thank you… my Babies are the only reason I truly havent thrown in the towel!! When I said it rains it pours in my life-I was not joking!! I literally JUST settled a $10,000 Lawsuit on the 20th of September for an OnGoing Lawsuit from 6 Months ago that this Man continue to Harass us with over a Wreck that my Daughter was not at Fault for, but this Man would not leave us alone, so I just paid him off to leave us alone so I could focus on my health right now!! But… SURGERY is in less than 12 Hours away and, well, i should be sleeping… but I feel like Ive disappeared for a bit and just wanted to pop in and say thank you all!! I will keep you updated with my progress
This is amazing advice and thankful for the both of you for sharing this with me!! I DO KNOW that Neurologically, something is not right… and Im going to a Neurologist that works side-by-side with my Surgeon so hopefully they understand?
I will be praying for you & your surgeon tomorrow & that your friends who’ve offered to help you post op will be there for you. You deserve some good to come your way after what you’ve been through over the last couple of years. I’m sorry for that substantial loss of money just before surgery. That had to hurt, but it’s good it’s behind you.
