Hi all. Had surgery for styloidectomy (partial) February 2019.
I had some ear pain initially after surgery but resolved within 3 weeks but…
still fast heart rate, anxiety… that would mean still pressure on vagus nerve or relates to something else?
Has anyone seen changes later regarding lower heart rate/vagus nerve?
Any thoughts/experiences are appreciated so much. Thank you.
Nerves can take even up to a year to keep healing, so improvements are still possible even after February.
Did you have bilateral elongated styloid processes/ calcified ligaments? If the right side is elongated it could still be causing symptoms?
I didn’t have any heart symptoms so can’t say personally, hopefully others might be able to help, but I did find some nerve improvements took a long time.
Hi Jules,
Thank you for your response. I really appreciate this website and the information/support.
Just left side showed elongation. It makes one wonder.
I remember reading some Eagles on the website saying they had the fast heart rate/anxiety and wondered if they noticed change immediately or perhaps later.
Hi Davli,
I had heart palpitations before surgery but was much worse post-op. My anxiety went through the roof as well. I attributed all to a disturbed and angry vagus nerve. I found that continued use of my ice pack from my neck to by chest and abdomen helped to calm the nerve down. I took the anxiety out of my head and put it squarely on the irritated nerves. Whether it was healing time or the ice or both I can say I am better and calmer.
I also perfected deep slow exhales, which slows the heart rate down. Breathe deep through nose into your abdomen, not lungs (your shoulders should not raise on the breathe and your “belly” should fill with air) for count of 4-5 and exhale out for a count of 6-7. The exhale part of this is the key.
All the best to you,
BG
Great advice, BG. Thank you for sharing this. Using deep breathing for therapy, whether for stress or healing or both, is a great strategy. It’s amazing how the different types of breathing we do can have such different physiological effects in our bodies.