What if the ENT surgeon refuses, then what will I do?
We’ll cross that bridge if it comes.
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If your surgeon refuses, then that’s something you could ask Dr Osborne about. Or if you consider surgery on the right side with someone else, like Dr Costantino…
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Good morning. I met my pain mgmt doctor yesterday. We had a long talk. He is rooting for me to seek an ES surgeon outside my area. I told him about the ongoing ES symptoms, despite one of the ENT team members doing the thin tube (not sure what to call it) inside my nose to throat, and said it looked normal while I was in observation at the hospital the last time. I also told the ENT specialist that this process was not going to validate with ES, and the pain and compression come from the outside of my throat and neck, as well as my ears. I think doing this was a waste of time for this ENT team. But the ENT specialist was dismissive with me. I asked her if she understood what the ES would do. She said she was not familiar with ES, but only the surface. Anyway, I am moving forward to what Dr. O will say after the CT with and without contrast (scheduled for next Tuesday). At this point, I notice each time I move my neck, my ears, throat/tongue, and face, they compress/pull/throb and hurt/pain. Crazy and weird. I hope you all in this group have a good day.
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@bdys I’m glad your CT scan is coming up soon. I hope it holds the answers you need so you can move forward to get resolution from your pain.
Quick question:
Can eagle syndrome cause pain in the upper right back of the head when touching, rubbing, or moving the neck? It started a couple of days ago. Of course, the back of my neck is sore, and I now have a headache. Weird. I can’t believe I am dealing with pain from my head to neck/throat to upper back pain, even radiating from neck to up and down, as well as pinching on my right lower neck and upper back. I am getting sick of the head noise and the ringing in my right ear, like tinnitus, but it gets louder. I am sure I am not the only one or first. Is anyone here similar to mine? I just took Methocarbamol, Gabapentin, and Hydrocodone with Acetamin. I have a PT coming to my home soon to work on my left weakness. She won’t touch anything with ES. Later today, I plan to type my heartfelt letter to Dr Osborne.
Please see the attached (that specific area became sensitive to touch a couple of days ago). Hope this will go away.
@Isaiah_40_31 Me, too. I will keep you all posted on the CT scan’s result with and without contrast and whatever else he has to say.
Question: For financial help, if I get the best surgeon from out of state, will the GoFundMe help? I hate to do this and have never done it before. A lady named Maribel, who works for Dr O, said there is a possibility that someone from finance will work with my health insurance to get the out-of-network into in-network if Dr O takes my case. I do not fully understand how this works. My husband and I had the remediation, a new HVAC/AC unit, new ducts in our home, and a new roof replacement. We still owe them money. This forces me to work from home and may need to get a second income from working from home. My husband and I are fighting in court with our previous home insurance company over whether they should pay for the water and hail damage on the roof. We may lose the case because I can’t find a lawyer who will take our case, unless I am wrong.
I’m glad your pain management doctor listened to you even if the ENT didn’t!
The trigeminal nerve goes up to the top of the scalp & can cause pain there, plus pain at the back of your head can be the occipital nerve. Sometimes if there’s IJV compression, nerves at the back of your head/ neck area can swell (collateral nerves they’re called) to help take the blood away & this can cause pressure on the ON & cause pain. Also just being in pain & being tense from that & stress can trap nerves amongst the tight muscles. Here’s some images of the trigeminal & occipital nerves:
Regarding the cost, there have been some discussions about appealing / fighting your case with the insurance company if you need to see someone out of network:
[Update …final appeal - General - Living with Eagle]
Dr Osborne- Blue Cross Blue Shield Out of Network Waiver-2025 - Welcome / New User Help - Living with Eagle(Update ....final appeal)
I hope these help… hope your CT goes well, & I’m sorry that your dealing with all this hassle with your house insurance too! Hugs
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Thank you. I read the attachment. Wow. I am not good at wording and explaining to my health insurance. Should I call my health insurance and tell them about possibly having ES procedures (out of state) to resolve many symptoms? Plus, I am still stunned after @TML, who helped me find the post-op with the left styloidectomy with CC1 transverse (?), but too many surgical clips that perhaps irritate the ES symptoms when moving my neck. You sent me the link of a beautiful letter or statement the husband sent to his wife’s ins. I don’t know where or what I will go from there. My face, neck/throat/and tongue are sore and painful. I feel something in the back of my tongue, and the swallowing movement hurts like soreness. My ears and neck feel compression. It hurts. The PT wanted me to focus on exercising the left side of my leg weakness, but not the neck and ES. I hope you understand what I am talking about.
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I’m really trying to concentrate that I need to do, but I feel my head is heavy and my neck flares up and feels like burning behind my ears to neck and throbbing on my tongue. The back of my neck is pain, plus the pinching While I was hospitalized, this is what ENT checked inside my throat and said nothing is there, but I told that these are not justified for ES. See attached. Gosh.
You can see that there was a patient from the other country had totally styloid removed. See attached.
I’m so much ready for a betterment.
There is still a styloid nub.
And here is your nub that looks same length:
They are not going to touch your nub, I can almost guarantee it. You can fight for them to, but I don’t think it’s going to change any of your symptoms because the nub is not in contact with anything. The average styloid in healthy population is 2-2.5cm. Your left styloid nub is way smaller than that and those healthy people don’t have symptoms. I don’t think your symptoms are coming from the nub on the left, I am 99.99% sure the weakness is coming from the clips. Your right side is obviously needs done though if it’s causing nerve issues on the right side of your face/throat.
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Okay. I see that the clips seem to be punctured on the veins and/or arteries. Also, the shortened styloid seems to compress the vein or artery because I can feel the pain when I move my neck, which will pull up and push down the clips. The right styloid is painful when I move my neck. So what can I do to tell Dr O? There are too many surgical clips. I am wondering if I should be tested to see if there is an allergic reaction. I hope Dr O and his team will be able to help. I feel a little dopey.. Sigh. I feel like an 80-year-old, but I am much younger.
I read about the clips removal if:
- Allergic reaction
- Clip migration
- Interference with diagnostic imaging
- Infection
- and what else?
I think maybe clip migration is the most relevant. The biggest and most important thing that I saw throughout your whole imaging is that there are clips in direct contact with your internal carotid artery, in a specific area of the artery where there are important nerves that regulate blood pressure and heart rate. So that is the most important thing to bring up in your meeting.
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Thank you. I will bring this up. I do fear for any possibility of dismissals and/or ignorance from whoever the surgeon or doctor is. I just woke up with soreness (upper left ear/neck/throat to left collarbone to a specific spot of left trapezius (sharp pain) from left side sleep and my left arm/hand. When drinking water, I notice sharp pain and soreness in a specific spot on the outside of my left lower throat when swallowing. It hurts to breathe when inhaling, despite my oxygen level being okay.. Weird moment to feel when waking up. While swallowing, there is a sharp poking and pulling the vein or artery on the left side. I am not good at describing the anatomy. I took Gabapentin, Methocarbamol, and Hydrocone Acetamin. Now it is masking the pain. I’m ready to sleep.. Good night.
I hope that you’re able to get some sleep… everything feels even worse when you can’t
Good morning. I typed the search engine on the internet by saying:
“can the outside of left throat irritation, inflammation, and soreness from swallowing movement when there are multiple clips there on one side after shortened styloid, elongated styloid on the other side, ears pain, neck pain, and throat pain”
Answer:
- Yes, your described symptoms—left-sided throat irritation, inflammation, soreness with movement, plus ear and neck pain, combined with surgical clips and a shortened styloid process on one side and an elongated one on the other—strongly suggest you are experiencing Eagle Syndrome. This condition arises from an elongated or abnormal styloid process, which can compress surrounding nerves and blood vessels, causing pain and other symptoms, especially when the neck is moved or the throat is stimulated, as in swallowing.
How the Anatomy Leads to Your Symptoms
Elongated Styloid Process:
The styloid process is a bone-like structure in the skull. An abnormally long or calcified styloid process can irritate nearby nerves and blood vessels.
Shortened Styloid Process and Clips:
While less common, a shortened styloid process combined with surgical clips from a prior surgery can create an anatomical abnormality or scar tissue that also irritates nearby structures.
Swallowing and Movement:
Turning the neck and swallowing involve movement in the throat and carotid region, which can further compress the nerves and vessels affected by the abnormal styloid process or scar tissue, leading to pain and irritation.
I don’t read much on the internet, though. Right now, I am up and can feel my upper neck compressing from ear to ear. When I swallow coffee or water, my ears experience discomfort and irritation. Each day is unpredictable and cycling. The ES symptoms remain. I hope I get some relief and get my quality of life back before long. Any of you experience like what I am dealing with? I did look up about the neck fusions and ES. Now, I can’t find it. It says that ES is the first step to take care of and then take care of the fusions I have. I saw that in one of the medical journals. Good day.
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@Jules Indeed, i was able to get some sleep. I know the nerves are yet to be healed. I am trying to stay awake. Right now, i feel my ears are compressed that affects to my throat and tongue. That started two or three weeks ago. Weird. All the medications I have been taking are not doing anything but masking temporarily. I prefer a fixable solution based on the root of the cause. 
That is a very specific google search and google would have no good data to actually compare your search with. I can almost guarantee there is no other human on earth who has a shortened left styloid in combination with surgical clips rubbing against their internal carotid artery. You are a unique case so google isn’t really going to be helpful.
Intuitively, it makes sense that clips rubbing against your carotids are causing your weakness and stroke-like symptoms because there is nothing else on the left side of your neck that can be causing it based on your extensive imaging. I think we have found the answer and just need a surgeon to get in there and remove the clips (and probably perform styloidectomy on your right side)
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@TML, what you said sounds reasonable. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the surgeon, like Dr O, can remove the clips and, of course, the right styloid. I hope I am not the only one, as you said, who is unique. I am sure there is someone in this group who may have similar. I didn’t have the ear compression until a few weeks ago (post op left styloid surgery). However, the rest of the ES symptoms remain. My husband wanted me to see an ES surgeon who is an expert and knowledgeable with his many ES patients. It means outside of my local ones. I am still in hope.
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Question. Does anyone with ES experience with nausea for a moment?