From ENT to dentist

Hi melb777,

I second everything Jules said & will add that your symptoms can get worse & the calcification of your s-h ligament can continue. Will that happen? Only time will tell. I think erring on the side of caution & wanting to get treated now rather than waiting for your situation to worsen is wise.

You’re very fortunate to have had no major injuries or surgeries so far in your life. Don’t worry about being fearful of dealing w/ this. Surgery is never fun no matter what the expected outcome. Some people do elect to wait to have ES surgery until their symptoms are truly debilitating while others take the first opportunity to get rid of it.

Your diagnosis along w/ the clarification made by the radiologist will be helpful in getting a more solid diagnosis/opinion. I am sorry that you haven’t been able to find someone closer to home to help you. It would be a good idea for you to follow Emma’s advice & send your CT scan & reports to the doctors she recommended especially since they’re closer to home for you. Getting opinions from more experienced surgeons may help to calm your nerves & “light your path” as far as helping you make what feels like the right decision for you at this time.

Please continue to post your thoughts so we can encourage you & help you think things through.

No-one can say if it will continue to get worse or grow, but quite often symptoms worsen with age- possibly as the connective tissues aren’t as strong & structures shift slightly. So there’s something to be said for having surgery when you can rather than leave it & possibly damage nerves more if they become more compressed, but equally there are some risks to surgery (but lessened if you see an experienced surgeon) so lots of members get to the point where symptoms are so bad they’re glad to have it done!
If you’re nervous about it read up on here about what to expect- there’s lots of post op stories & success stories to encourage you. I found it wasn’t as bad as I expected, but I’d had a couple of other surgeries. I think if you see how many members end up having both sides done, it shows it’s worth doing!!