Thank you, Christy for your great Q & A info. It will be helpful for many others who read it. Interesting thought on chiropractic care. I have continued to see a chiropractor since I had ES surgery 4.5 years ago & have had no problems but perhaps I’m just fortunate. It seems like a good idea to err on the side of caution.
I’m so glad you now have a solid diagnosis & are set for surgery. The countdown toward regaining your life can begin!!
That’s brilliant news Christy, so pleased that he’s put your mind at rest about surgery, & that you have a date not too far away!
The Q&As are helpful too- good to know he’s thinks causes are the same as we’ve seen & read on here too. I had some pretty agressive traction & manipulation done on my neck years ago after a whiplash injury (back then I blindly trusted doctors, not now, lol!) I don’t think that helped at all, I was in so much pain afterwards! I know some members have been helped by chiropractors but I would be very wary.
And it’s good too that he’s cautious about offering a complete cure!
So hang in there, not too long to wait!
Wow Christy! You’re one tough cookie! You have persevered through so much! Yesterday was YOUR day! You walked out of there with an appointment for surgery! You were treated how you should have been treated all along. Thank the Lord you never gave up! I want to give you a hug, a high five and share a chocolate milkshake with you right now! 
How old is your daughter? I know she wants her Mommy to get better. You’ll have to do something early for her special day. I love all these questions and answers. I’ve had no trauma my whole life (well physical trauma anyway, who doesn’t have lots of emotional trauma? Lol!!!) so I always wondered why in the world I got this calcification. My very bright cousin in San Jose, CA who is a doctor said, “that’s the problem with being small like you - you don’t have enough padding in that area so you really feel things”. Notice the problem of Eagle syndrome is in the neck area, NOT the hips 
Excited for you! Will be counting down with you!!! Way to go, girl!
My neck’s the same! But also sadly I have the same problem with padding on the hips as you! 
Hey, we’re women. We are designed to keep our race going, & baby delivery is generally easier w/ wide hips 
. Also, we have more body fat than men. That makes us more huggable 
& softer for our babies 
so they can snuggle in. 
Christy,
To Do:
Hello Everyone
So sorry for dropping off the last few days! Things have been super hectic gearing up for my upcoming surgery plus all my symptoms have been very debilitating and I’m super exhausted by it all! April 29th can’t come soon enough! Thanks for all the encouraging words, support, and much needed humor! @SewMomma, my daughter will be turning 12 on my surgery day and yes, this is the best gift I could possibly give her! She’s been so concerned by seeing me in pain and not engaging/participating in life as much! She remembers a time when I was much more involved and active! She like everyone else in my family are praying that I will gain much relief and a new found quality of life back! Also, I forgot to mention that Dr. Samji said that ES can be triggered by something as simple as exercise. He gave me an example of a patient who was a yoga teacher and she twerked her neck just so during an inverted pose and that was enough to trigger her symptoms. So, God only knows how this condition evolves! One thing that goes through my mind is, where else is my body calcifying? Could there be other places? Why just there? Hmmm! Dr. Samji didn’t have an answer for this!
And, I’m TOTALLY getting an Instant Pot! My Hubby is not entirely sold but since he’s the primary chef in the family I sure this will become his new BFF! LOL
Hi Christy ~
I’m so glad you’re able to give your daughter a truly meaningful gift for her birthday this year. Please prepare her though that it will be a couple of months after each surgery before you’ll really be back up to speed. It would be totally awesome to walk away from ES surgery feeling spectacular, but it’s a major surgery so can be somewhat slow to fully recover from. The best knews is that you WILL recover & feel good again & be able to get back to life as you once knew it.
Interesting info you got from Dr. Samji about what simple things can trigger ES. It’s so interesting how our bodies respond to stress.
You do bring up an interesting question about what other calcification might be happening in your (our) body(ies). Now that I’m older, osteoarthritis is setting in. Osteoarthritis causes calcium deposits in joints as a protective device, but as w/ ES those deposits cause pain. Fortunately. arthritis usually doesn’t require a surgical repair & can be treated somewhat by joint mobilization. Even more reason we need to stay physically active as we age.
The calcification thing has been raised before as a few members have had bone spurs in other places. Metabolic disorders are a possible cause of ES.
I love all the information you share! Keep it coming!
You’re daughter sounds sweet. The Lord only knows what this experience will do to form her in some way for her future. You’re being a very good example for her the way you are handling it with so much grace.
The instant pot is, for me, a lifesaver because of the speed. I know right after recovery, all I could eat was really soft oatmeal in those packets Since I got the instant pot at the end of January after the surgery - I now have mastered making oatmeal from my own canister of oats rather than the packets. I add some milk and water and a little sugar and some spices. Delish. I now have a section in my pantry where I bag up the dry ingredients including the oats in quart size bags and just grab one and toss it in with the milk/water. I have about 20 of these bags lined up for the next surgery in May, lol. By the way, I got the 8qt instant pot because we are a household of 6 but the 6 qt would have been just fine too. 8qt is large. I also put cut-up potatoes in it and when they come out you just mash them with a potato masher and add milk and s&p. I plan on doing that next time in recovery too. Basically it’s a way to get soft foods quickly!
Under 3 weeks to go now!!!
I have often wondered about other calcium deposits and what may cause ES. Three years ago I had an emergency appendectomy. I was told that it was rare for someone in their 50’s for this to happen. Interesting that they found calcium deposits in the cavity surrounding the appendix. Doctors didn’t seem bothered by it. Before my appendectomy I was taking a calcium supplement in powered form that I stopped when they found the calcium deposits. Women have a higher percentage of suffering from ES than men - is it that we take calcium supplements?
One theory I have come across is that head/neck trauma can trigger ES. I was in a car accident in my early 20’s and ended up with severe whiplash. Maybe it was that or maybe the calcium I took - who really knows?? Has anyone here on this site done a (non-scientific) survey on what each ES sufferer thinks may have contributed to their ES?
All the best.
BG
Yep, I’m totally sold on the Instant Pot! @SewMomma, I love the bagged oatmeal idea! I’m totally doing this 
Regarding other calcium deposits happening elsewhere in the body, I’m sure it’s not out of the question. On my CT report it did mention that I had a 8.5mm subcutaneous calcification in the inferior posterior right neck. I’m pretty sure I know the spot it’s referring to. For 15yrs+ I’ve had what feels like a hard cyst. In fact when I’ve asked my PCP’s about it that’s what they said it was. So, I just left it alone. It’s solid hard to the touch but doesn’t seem to be causing problems. I asked Dr.Samji but he said he’s not the Dr. to talk to about this since he’s strictly ENT. So, who knows; It’s a mystery.
Hi BrooklynGirl,
It has long been thought that ES is the result of “injury” of some sort but there is also evidence of a hereditary component in some people. Dr. Eagle speculated it was from scar tissue build up as the result of a tonsillectomy but many people who still have their tonsils have been diagnosed w/ ES. There are several members on this forum who have ES & at least some of their children have been diagnosed w/ it as well. I believe there are multiple possible causes of ES from surgery to injury to disease to heredity to some other predisposition such as having body chemistry that collects & deposits calcium in useless places for unknown reasons.
I don’t believe anyone has done a survey on this forum regarding what people think caused their ES. There have, however, been a couple of ES symptoms surveys done.
Like you, I was in a car accident in my 20s & ended up w/ pretty significant whiplash. When I learned I had ES in my late 50s & heard it could be caused by an accident that’s the first thing that came to my mind. I also fell off my bike when I was 13 & landed on my head fracturing my skull & receiving a severe concussion. (Bike helmets were unheard of back then.) That accident could have been the start of ES for me & the whiplash incident just added insult to injury. God alone knows.
It’s interesting that a number of people w/ ES also have thyroid issues & TMJD problems. Are these all related or just incidental? I’m not sure we’ll ever know as this syndrome isn’t common enough for anyone to put big money into researching it. Fortunately, there have been a number of papers written about ES so there are some curious medical professionals out there.
I had a pretty bad whiplash injury over 20 years ago, & have had neck problems ever since… Had traction & manipulation treatment for that which made it worse- I think it could well be the cause, as my identical twin sis doesn’t have ES.
There was a discussion a while back, but no survey; neck trauma came out quite high.
It’s interesting hearing about a possible car accident connection. Now that I think about it I was in two car accidents one in 2004 and the other in 2013. I suffered from whiplash in both accidents as I was hit pretty hard from behind. I thought I recovered pretty well but I guess there can always be residual affects. My ES symptoms started in 2015. It would be interesting to view my panoramic x-rays prior to the accidents to see if it shows elongated styloids 
I have not really had any serious accidents that I could blame for ES, but I do have some “moderate” disc disease in my neck. I can think of several iffy events that come to mind involving neck trauma (bad roller coaster ride, minor car accident, minor assault involving neck…all at much younger age), but I’m doubtful about these. I know for a fact though that my styloids have grown longer just over the past year since the back of my throat began to look different during that time, with the left side bulging inward. I am suspicious of several things in the past 1-2 years that may have contributed to this growth. 1) I’ve had some long regimens of high-dose (60 mg) prednisone for extended periods of time for an unrelated condition (prednisone is horrible for your bones and would lead to calcium flux), 2) I’ve had some long periods of extreme inactivity due to work schedule, other health problems, and just exhaustion over the past couple years (inactivity/bedrest also contributes to bone resorption), 3) although my hormone levels check out fine, my cycles have become altered and I wonder if it is the beginning of my body thinking about menopause (accelerated bone loss), and 4) I had a recent bout of terrible joint pain…possibly related to a separate condition (additional degradation?). However, my calcium levels are always in normal range when checked.
Interesting info, redbird773. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I suspect we will never know the exact causes of ES but it’s good to consider all possibilities, & you presented some intriguing thoughts.
As I was reading your post, I began to recall other incidents of neck injury in my life & suspect that the cumulative effect of them all was ES.
I also have this crazy thought that since my posture is so horrible (I’ve heard several other members say the same), that my body is trying to build more bone in that area for stabilization (whether that actually makes any sense from an anatomical standpoint is a different question…the body doesn’t always do what’s best for itself) or for protection of vital structures (this part makes sense to me since poor posture would allow for a larger gap between the back of the jaw and the neck, creating greater exposure of the jugular and carotid). In other words, the body might be trying to create a shield for this “exposed” area and then it just gets carried away. Just some off-the-wall ideas.
redbird773,
None of your thoughts have been crazy. I love it when people think outside of the box. It’s how great discoveries & inventions come to fruition! Our bodies do react to the stresses put on them in various ways. Our bones respond to stress by laying down extra calcium. As you suggested, poor posture does put stress in certain places & reduces it in others. Some muscles get stretched long & are weak because they can’t achieve normal resting length while others become short & tight, unable to stretch when they need to. (Google Janda’s Upper & Lower Crossed Syndromes for more information.) Since our muscles are directly attached to our bones, muscle tension/weakness will cause stress on the affected skeletal areas which in turn could respond by laying down extra reinforcing calcium but sometimes at the detriment to normal body function.
Our bodies are very intricate. No human will ever be able to fully comprehend them.
Hello All,
I finally made it to my much anticipated surgery date as it’s happening this Monday at 8:45am. I think I have everything I need but take a look and let me know if there’s anything I’m missing that helped you with post-op healing. Thanks 
Instant Pot
Wedge pillow
Ice packs/frozen veggie bags
Smoothie fixings