Its my first registration on this site and I am still searcing how to use the site. So please excuse my mistakes.
I am Maja from Slovenia and as I tried to find people from my country with similar issues and could not find them I was so glad to find this site.
Since then I read some topics that were really usefull.
I have never heard of the eagle syndrom before this July so I had mixed feeling when I found myself with symptoms described as common for the syndrome.
I have been having some problems with my right side of throat, muscles, jaw and ear for. But they were mild and coming and gowing so I did not pay much attention. But then this june I have started having real toothache and the dentist supposed tooth granuloma on my 6th tooth down right. For a month or so I have been feeling this strange tigthness or like something is stuck in my right side of throat right beside more behind the tonsil (i still have them and never had problems with them). And the strange feeling does not cause problems swalling i just feel it when I am not eating and when swallowing saliva. Because the above mentioned supposed granuloma the dentist gave me antibiotics and sent me to panoramic dental x ray. (The dentist is on holiday so he did not see the x ray yet but I did) Luckily or not and found something other online x rays did not have…2 sticks from my jaws but there were no signs of granuloma inflamation near the tooth (from my point of view).
Just to mention I have acid relux and therefore I sometimes use medicatation for that and because I am very sensible person have also anxiety issues.
I have not seen the ent specialist yet due holidays and I was hoping to get an appointment after August 12, and bring the x ray with me, but I am very skeptic if he will buy my styloid theory (not to mention that I am very afraid of the appointment thinking what else may he find…cancer et all). In Slovenia there are not many case or they are not familiar with it.
I would really appretiate If you would take a look at my x ray and tell what you think (I know you are not doctors
Hi Maja
Your symptoms do sound like eagles syndrome. Something stuck in throat, ear and jaw pain and feeling something when swallowing saliva are similar to my problems.
Sometimes acid reflux is not real, but from the nerves in your throat making you feel that way and sometimes from the vagus nerve which is behind
your ear. Most doctors will not believe about the acid reflux.
I think I see long styloids on both sides, but as you said, we are not doctors.
The symptoms that you want to tell your doctor about are ear, jaw, the area near the to tonsils and the feeling of something stuck i the throat. If your doctor knows abput Eagles syndrome those are the symptoms that are most common. Skip the acid reflux unless he brings it up.
I am sorry to say that some doctors may even say you have acid reflux if they do not know about Eagles syndrome.
This does often make your teeth hurt. There are many nerves near the ear that affect your face, jaw and throat. The styloid and sometimes the stylohyoid ligament put pressure on these nerves.
I hope that your appointment goes well.
There is plenty of information for you to read on this website.
I hope others will welcome you.
Your English is fine.
Hi!
The pointy things you can see either side of the jaw are the styloid processes; they do look longer than the average, & quite angled too (there is research which shows that the angle of the styloids can cause symptoms too). But as emma says, we’re not doctors.
I agree with emma that you should stick to the common symptoms when you talk to the doctor, but for your info, the styloids can press on nerves including the Trigeminal nerve, which has different branches, one goes to the teeth. I was diagnosed after investigations for tooth pain. If you get an appointment, there are medications for nerve pain which you could ask for. Also the vagus nerve can be affected by the styloids, which helps with digestion, so if this happens then you could get symptoms like reflux, but this isn’t recognised by doctors very often!
Hope you get an appointment soon!
@emma& @Jules thank you both for your opinions and advices. I will definitelly talk with the doctor about the main symptoms leaving the problems with reflux.
I really did not knov that all those nerves can affect many body system.
I actually found 2 scientific slovenian articles about eagle syndrome, so I have some hope they will take a look on my x ray. Or I will ignorantly ask him what the hack ar those sticks
Great that you’ve found some research papers; could you look up the doctors & see if it’s possible to get an appointment with them? Sorry, I don’t know what the health care system is in Slovenia!
Sometimes, ignorantly asking is best. If you feel around in the back of your mouth where the tonsils are, you may find a hard lump. If you do, you can ask what that is. Sometimes you can feel it inside the mouth. Some people can feel it under the jaw from outside. Not everyone can feel it so do not worry if you cannot.
It is great that you found Slovenian articles.
The internet can be a great tool for patients to find care. So glad you found this forum.
My grandfather grew up in Slovenia! I never knew him as he died before I was born. He lived there in the late 1800s & early 1900s then moved to Germany when he was 18. Soooo long ago!
I completely agree w/ what Emma & Jules have said, both about your styloids & how to approach the ENT when you meet him.
The advice to try to get an appointment with one of the doctors who wrote the Slovenian research articles on ES is also good. If they’re researching it, then they should know about it & what to do to help cure it (i.e. surgery). If you get stuck with no doctor to help, we have learned that skull based surgeons (they are often ENTs w/ cancer specialty) are the type of doctors who know that part of the neck and can do successful ES surgeries. You could research to see if there is anyone in your area who is in that specialty.
Hoping you get good results & good support from your ENT appointment. A CT scan will give a better picture of your styloids (as was previously mentioned). Ask the ENT about ordering one for you.
I will try to make an appointment with one of the writters of the article, since they are 2 surgeons, radiologist and and a general/familiy doctor and the research was made on cases/patients from Slovenia, I might have chances. And the article is pretty fresh (2017).
If they wont even cobsider that the cause of my problems are styloid processes I will search further.
@Isaiah_40_31 so great about your roots from Slovenia, so you know the coutry?
Sadly, I don’t know the country. I have been to Austria & Hungary but our trip did not include your country. I only recently learned that my grandfather came from Slovenia. When I was growing up, I was always told he came from Austria but some distant relative did research on Ancestry.com & found he was really from Slovenia.
but there were no signs of granuloma inflamation near the tooth (from my point of view).
