I had styloidectomies on both sides this year with Dr. Cognetti. The most recent surgery was in March of 2013. Overall, I've been thrilled with the results, but I do have occasional twinges of pain, which are always corrected by eating popsicles, so I know they are related to swelling at the surgical sites.
These past couple of weeks, I've gotten something new. I've lost about 50% of my hearing from my right ear (the most recent surgical site). It happened after/during a very active, busy week. I ate a bunch of ice cream last night, and the symptom didn't go away. I'm going to try popsicles today.
A few times while the hearing was impaired I also had a tinnitus/whirring sound in that ear. I never had these symptoms when my styloids were elongated, so it seems a little weird that I have them now, but I still suspect they are related to Eagle syndrome.
Has anyone who had styloidectomies had this symptom after the fact? I hope it's just due to swelling around the surgical site, but I am also worried that maybe scar tissue or a growing styloid could be to blame.
I have no idea if this is what you may have, but coincidentally I was just talking to someone today who told me that his wife was losing her hearing and it turned out to be that the bone that normally vibrates by the ear got calcified and stopped vibrating. I dont know if I got it right, but thats what i understood him to say. A simple operation cured her. I think he said the doctor was from the House of Hearing in california - LA I think. I can text him tomorrow and see if he can ask her the name of the problem. It struck me because it sounded somewhat similar to eagles.
Yes, that does sound similar to eagles. Thank you so much for the tip, Heidemt. I'm feeling really nervous because everything I find online says to seek immediate help with sudden hearing loss, and I've already gone for about 6-7 days.
If this does turn out to be the same thing or something similar, I hope the doctor is in LA. I'm about to move near there.
I get this on and off all the time. I have it now. I get it after tensing my right shoulder for a long time, or tilting my head over to the right for a long time. Almost every time I do pushups or burpees, I get it. It sticks around for as long as a month, or goes away in a day.
When my styloid first started poking my throat (2 months ago it started, even though I've been purely a pain-free vascular case for a year), I got a very red area on the inside of my throat along the tonsil, and the ear plugged for a month. I don't lose all hearing; it just sounds like there is water in there, and noises are muffled. I do sometimes get the whooshing with heartbeat noise, like I can hear my own bloodflow pulsing past/near ear area.
I think the eustachian gets physically smushed closed somewhat by the styloid, and then any fluid sometimes might cause a little infection. Or maybe the poking itself is causing some little infection or just swelling part of the eustachian. That's my guess on it? It's painful for me to try to clear them via the valsalva maneuver (where you hold your nose and blow to open your ears, as you would do when flying to equalize pressure)
I think the thing Heidemt is talking about is with the stapes, a tiny bone in the ear. There are 3 tiny, vibrating bones in the middle ear. They are all connected and all need to be able to vibrate to transmit sound. The base of one of them can get deposits, which sort of cements it at its base, and doesn't let it vibrate. Hearing loss then happens. The surgery for that one is done by a laser and is pretty successful.
I think the thing Heidemt is talking about is with the stapes, a tiny bone in the ear. There are 3 tiny, vibrating bones in the middle ear. They are all connected and all need to be able to vibrate to transmit sound. The base of one of them can get deposits, which sort of cements it at its base, and doesn't let it vibrate. Hearing loss then happens. The surgery for that one is done by a laser and is pretty successful.
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Eagleheaart, that guy hasn't gotten back to me yet, but im pretty sure this is what he was talking about. Shaw went to a really good doctor in LA. He would be a good place to start. This sounds pretty nerve-wracking. I hope it can be fixed without too much hassle.
Thank you so much for your advice and help, Heidemt, and Tee. I'm embarrassed but relieved to say that it was just a buildup of ear wax. :) I hear fine again now. Sorry for the false alarm, and best wishes to those of you who still have this type of symptom from eagle syndrome. (Slinks away, blushing.)
Hey Eagleheart, I'm glad that it was something simple and easy to fix. But please don't be embarrassed. It's so hard to know with Eagles because we don't know all the symptoms it can cause. And it can cause symptoms that are normally caused by other things too. It's a very confusing and frustrating condition to have.
That's true, Heidemt. And thanks for the support. :)
heidemt said:
Hey Eagleheart, I'm glad that it was something simple and easy to fix. But please don't be embarrassed. It's so hard to know with Eagles because we don't know all the symptoms it can cause. And it can cause symptoms that are normally caused by other things too. It's a very confusing and frustrating condition to have.
Hi eagleheart and to you Heidemt (I hope you are doing well bugs and all)
I've read these and if its the Rose Hearing institute I went to them 4-5 years ago and they were very nice but ES was not their thing.
Tee-Yes it sounds like a Eustachian pinched off-my styloid caused that and I felt like I was just off and airplane and had continuous infections. The pressure wouldn't equalize-the pressure was 10 times greater across the eardrum that on the right side or what my doctor called normal.
That is all gone now it seems.
Eagleheart, if you are near LA my doctor works out of Cedars. He was very good and did my surgery right away without all the hemming and hawing-he was interested in the symptoms and causes too.
Eagleheart---how did you get rid of the wax? That might be a lingering thing with me. But nowhere like before the surgery. Now I'm getting a bit picky about any pain after 15 years. I'll settle for reduced pain but I'd like pain free--is that possible? So did that mean you are moving here? Where is near?
Excellent to hear that! Good to know and you are great for updating about what it was! I had my surgery and will update in a few days. It got busy and the Internet here is very unreliable! I have tried to post this a few times…argh still trying to post this…
Shawn, I went to the convenience care clinic and she had the nurses clean my ears out. They gave me the syringe to use at home. It was just a regular syringe like they use to give liquid medicine to babies. She filled it with warm water, slowly emptied it into my ear and then let it come back out of my ear, carrying wax. It was very uncomfortable, but definitely not painful. I think I won't do it in the future, but I'll allow water to enter my ears on a regular basis in the shower.
We're not sure where we're moving yet, but it will be in the general LA/San Diego area. I'm glad you have a good surgeon waiting there for me. Thanks! :) (Although the current plan is to never need another styloidectomy again, it doesn't always work out that way.)