Got my CTs to view thought I’d share

I don’t know if this is a good spot for this but I have already shared my story and have surgery scheduled but finally I get to view these myself. CT tech says not elongated and ENT says yes they are for my size (5’2) and angle and calcified ligaments. This dr has been doing this for 50yrs and is the only one in our state that even seems to know anything about ES. I am going with his opinion and having intra oral bilateral surgery. Any thoughts or advice are welcomed.


Yes, they are pretty angled, & long for your height!

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Totally agree with Jules. They do look long & angled. I’d sure go with your ENT’s opinion.

Bilateral surgery in general is tough. Bilateral intraoral surgery is really tough. You’ll have an extremely sore & swollen throat for several weeks & swallowing will be very difficult. You need to ask your surgeon how your throat swelling will be handled after surgery. Will he give you Prednisone or some sort of pressure, drain or ice system to help reduce swelling? I assume you’ll be in the hospital at least over night which is good. You can also request that your pain meds be dispensed in liquid form to make them easier to take initially.

You’ll need to have ice packs (gel are best) & a soft or liquid diet ready at home. If you take opioid pain meds, you’ll also need to start on a stool softener & laxative soon after surgery. Sleeping & resting with your head elevated to about 30° will help reduce your post op swelling. A wedge pillow will help with that.

I hope you’re able to have your surgery soon. :heart:

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Thank you for all the advice and just sharing information in general. It’s so difficult because nobody else knows what I am going through so having this community has been relieving. I will definitely give updates! Thanks ladies!

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@Dannib,

I forgot to add that you should discuss w/ your surgeon before surgery how much of your styloids he intends to remove & if he removes any sections of the stylohyoid ligaments that are calcified apart from the elongated styloids (some people have both but not everyone). Cutting them back as close to the skull base as possible is the best, but many surgeons do leave as much as 1 cm behind. Also, make sure he smooths the tips off after they are shortened. Leaving sharp ends on the cut styloids can be problematic.

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