Frustrating that the surgery didn’t fix my issues but at least I can have hope again now that they’re attempting to figure things out.
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Maybe surgery did help some but there’s still a bit of “tweaking” necessary to give you the desired end results. I will keep praying for you, @stuuke! We all want to see a happy ending to this for you!! 
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Definitely hoping the best for you ! Better days ahead my friend!
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Just a little venting but I’m kind of annoyed that they had evidence of my infection from my CT scan back in November and just let me know about it now.
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Completely understandable I would be annoyed and venting too. This is why we always have to be our advocate as exhausting as it is.
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So what would cause blockage further up in my head from a whiplash or concussion?
It is typically a deviation in your personal anatomy from my understanding.
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Brilinta is over $500 
Another reason it would have been nice for them to show up to my December appointment. Does anyone know if there is a generic? I called my insurance and they were unaware of any and I haven’t found any on google.
I was able to get it for ~$40 with this link, my pharmacy matched this price.
Everyone’s insurance coverage is different, doctor offices do not check this for you.
You can also ask for Plavix which is also an anticoagulant instead.
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I also can attest to GoodRx being a far cheaper route for getting Rxes. It took me awhile to figure out how to use their system (not sure I understand yet). You look up the medication on their website & see which local pharmacies offer the best price through GoodRx then you have the doctor send the Rx there. You pay out of pocket w/ GoodRx & DO NOT use your Rx insurance. I had an Rx for Celebrex after my hip replacement surgery last year. I paid over $200 for a 3 mos supply from CVS w/ Rx insurance. I got it refilled at Costco after learning about Good Rx & paid $17.
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Not seeing it for under $430 there but I might be using it wrong. I’ve heard good things about it.
@stuuke - Here’s a video I found that gives a simple explanation about using GoodRx, however, you will have to have an Rx script in hand to follow their instructions. I did my research then called my doctor’s ofc & had them fax, email, call (however they do it now) my Rx to a pharmacy that had a better price than the one my insurance covers. When I went to pick up my Rx the gal at the register told me the Rx cost, then said, “Wait a minute, there’s a better GoodRx coupon.”, & the price went down significantly more. I was amazed at how inexpensive my very expensive Rx became.
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For anyone else that need Brilinta here is a link that helped take it down to $5. I have no idea how or why it works but I’ll take the discount.
https://www.brilinta.com/brilinta-coupon-savings/savings-support.html
You have to answer a couple of questions about heart attacks which doesn’t really apply to our use.
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Great job sleuthing this out, @stuuke! That’s a huge price difference!!
So glad your surgery went well and you’re incision looked amazing especially for so soon after…Mine looked crazy for the first month or so and then it got better but I have some pretty significant scars on both side of my neck I never reply wet my hair up because people stare… I haven’t been on here in a while but been dealing with some recurring issues with pain due to swollen lymph nodes in my neck going to make a
Post to see if anyone else experiencing these problems I’m so glad your ok…How long did it take you to get diagnosed and was the surgery successful for you?
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Swollen lymph nodes are not an uncommon symptom prior to ES surgery, but it’s been a few years since you had your surgery so I think your plan to have a follow-up appt is a good idea. Requesting a follow-up CT scan would also be a good idea as some of our members have experienced styloid regrowth. Knowing how your styloids look now would be helpful.
I’m sorry your incision scars aren’t discreet. I think doctors try to leave as little evidence of surgery as possible but they can’t predict how a persons body will heal.
Please keep us updated if you get an answer about your lymph glands &/or styloids. 
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I saw Dr. Hepworth yesterday. He mostly checked on the healing in my sinuses from the leak repair and gave me some suggestions for accelerating that process. Dr. Case said that they sent Dr. H’s office a request to have additional imaging taken but they said they had not received anything from Dr. Case. They’re going to call them and find out what’s going on but I’m pretty much at a standstill until Dr. Case agrees to take me on as a patient or not. Dr. H still thinks that I have blockage further up in my head and thinks a venogram would confirm it followed by a stent. Do we have any good threads discussing stents after having a styloid removed?
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@stuuke, we have several members in your situation who are awaiting an appt. w/ Dr. Case or someone else. I know we’ve had members who’ve had stents placed after ES surgery but mostly in their jugular veins. I typed “stent” in the search box & a lot of posts came up, but I didn’t have time to look at all of them to see if there’s anyone who had stenting done at a deeper level than IJVs. If you have time, you might search for that while you wait for a response from others.
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I’ll do some searching. I read some of the more recent patients had been rejected by Dr. Case. I know in the past that Dr. Hepworth referred some patients to NY, Maryland and NC but I’m not sure if that was for stents.
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A little update on my case. I spoke to Dr. Case’s office today and they said they have requested additional information multiple times Dr. Hepworth’s office and received no response. They closed my referral. They said they would need a lumbar puncture and I would have to be evaluated by a neuro-ophthalmologist before they would see me. I’ve been trying to get a response from Dr. H for a couple of months now with no luck so my care is at a standstill.
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