I’d like to add another California surgeon to the list. Dr. Kaicheng L Yen, MD. Phd. From UC davis medical center. He has the touch of an angel. I am 29 years old and just had about 4cm removed from my left styloid yesterday morning. I am left with a little over a cm of styloid left because my nerves wrapped around it. I have about a 3.5 to 4 in incision. I have never been happier. Like a cloud lifted over my mind. I had a lot of vascular compression that was immediately improved by surgery. I ,believe it or not, have had nothing other than tylenol for pain. Honestly my back was feeling worse because of an old fracture on my L5 that was agitated by the thin hospital beds. I have no facial nerve issues and some on my left ear is numb but coming back to feeling as the hours pass. Looking forward to healing and spreading the word of his good work.
One weird side effect was my sense of smell came back immediately when I woke up. Haven’t been able to smell much for years.
This was the first day. 1/3/22
That’s great news Bluemaple! So happy your surgery went very well. Be forewarned that the first couple of days post op, you are still “under the influence” of anesthesia & other meds used during surgery. Inflammation reaches its peak on days 3-6 post op so don’t be alarmed if you’re a bit more uncomfy over the next few days. That said, I hope you continue as you are. You’re young so there is a good chance that will happen!
Thank you for giving us another name for our doctor’s list. The more resources we have, the better!
I hear you on the inflammation up rise. I had my tonsils taken out 2020 without pain management as well. Day 5-7 was the worst part. I have always had a high pain tolerance and I have a pretty bad reaction to opioids so I couldn’t take them if I wanted to. Even IV painkillers make my stomach mad. I’ve been walking and drinking water like crazy to get the anesthesia out, but I can still feel the effects after two days. A little jittery, but doing well. I know when the area thaws out I will ache because my styloid was apparently “chunky”. Had bone marrow and everything. It’s gone now though.
I just can’t say enough nice words for your and this sites support. You are just the greatest.
I forgot to say that your incision looks really great! Dr. Yen did an amazing job! I had the same problem during my ES surgery - nerve wrapped around styloid so some styloid was left behind. I’ve had no ill consequences from what’s left, & I’m VERY THANKFUL!!
I know it’s hard to see from the pictures, but he really did a good job lining up my incision with a neck fold that I already have so I’m sure it will look great. Thanks for the vote of confidence on some styloid left behind. I was really worried about it going into the surgery because we knew beforehand that it would be too dangerous to take it all the way up. I know its only been two days, but this is the best I’ve felt in so long.
I just tried to find Dr. Yen’s contact info so I can add him to our Drs. list, but all I can find is a general UC Davis Med Ctr website. Would you please share his office number & address & if he has a specific website, that info, too? Thank you so much!
That’s great news! I hope that you continue to do well! Make sure you don’t overdo things, healing can be a bit up & down especially if you do a bit much…very interesting that your sense of smell has come back!
Its day 3 for me now. I’m really dizzy but no pain so far. Icing helps the dizziness so I’m doing that. Its really very strange to be able to smell again honestly. Its a bit overwhelming. I’m sure the dizziness doesn’t help. So far I’m walking after icing and trying to drink lots of water. I took a tylenol but I might skip it until the nerves wake up. I can feel everything but my lower jaw and the incision now. I feel completely overjoyed.
We’ve recently had other members who mentioned they became dizzy a few days post op. It’s likely got to do w/ the inflammation created by surgery & as that subsides (as you noticed - after you ice which reduces swelling), the dizziness should go away completely. Hopefully it won’t bother you for long and I’m glad you’ve found that ice is helping to control it somewhat.
As far as skipping Tylenol goes, I don’t recommend skipping pain meds especially on days 3-6 post op as that’s when the swelling & pain tend to be the worst. It’s best to keep on top of the pain so you don’t have to play catch up & try to knock it out later. That said, since you haven’t really had any pain, maybe it’s worth a try?
I am being careful and am still taking normal tylenol so far. I guess I’m waiting for some pain to happen. I’m just not sure what it will emerge as. The dizziness is easy to manage if I get the swelling down around my ear. I guess I got lucky so far but it seems to be numb where it should hurt and my shoulder is only slightly bruised. Most of my symptoms were vascular related so maybe I’ll be ok. I am grateful for all the advice. Thank you so much!
I know I looked at peoples pics before surgery to feel better so I’ll include another.
Your incision looks amazingly good for being 3 days post op. I’m so, so glad you’re doing really great! We have had members who had very little pain & recovered very quickly from surgery. I hope you’ll be added to that club.
The dizziness has subsided a bit, but I think its mostly me getting used to the normal amount of blood flow. I’m day 6 now and I stopped taking tylenol yesterday because I never really developed any pain. Only sensation is a little tightness when I move my head. I have been icing it on and off everyday so the swelling has gone down a lot.
I’ve been reading that people use scar away creams and films to keep from getting a noticeable line. I’m wondering when you start using them? What is the protocol? Do you just follow the directions on the cream. I’m just not sure. My surgical glue is still holding tight and I’m not going to touch it. I just wanted to get familiar with the process ahead of time. Thanks!
I was wondering if it was after the skin already healed. I use colloidal strips for cuts while they were still healling sometimes so I wasn’t sure. Thanks for the recommendation.
The colloidal strips would probably be fine to use on your incision. I think they mostly keep the wound moist which helps it heal a little more slowly which also can reduce scar tissue. You could ask Dr.Yen about that. Erring on the side of caution isn’t a bad thing, though. As Jules said, Bio Oil worked for her. Some people have used vitamin E oil or coconut oil & some people have gotten good results w/ silicone scar strips. I used Mederma w/ sunscreen which is what Dr. Samji recommends. Either I healed well on my own or it helped a lot (or a little of both) as my scars are nearly invisible.
Your incision continues to look really great! I’m so glad the dizziness is gone. I suspect you’re right about it being caused by increased blood circulation to your brain.
I’ve been walking and drinking water like crazy to get the anesthesia out, but I can still feel the effects after two days. A little jittery, but doing well. I know when the area thaws out I will ache because my styloid was apparently “chunky”. Had bone marrow and everything. 
It’s gone now though.
