Hi:
I will have ES surgery in 10 days at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. Dr. Cognetti is my surgeon. I am worried about the post-op recovery time and related issues, and would appreciate any information that might be helpful to me.
Thank you.
I am 4 weeks out from surgery and feeling good. First two weeks were not fun. Depending on your job, you might want to plan for two weeks off.
I'm 2 weeks post op. Are you having external or intra-oral? I think intra-oral takes longer as there's more soreness from the tonsillectomy too. I had external, and just had codeine for pain relief for a few days, I was okay after that. Eating was difficult as I found it really uncomfortable to open my mouth much and chew, and if you have intra-oral it will be even more so, so plan for smoothies, soups, juices rather than solid food. Several people have found that they get first bite syndrome afterwards- I have it a bit.
I was told to take it easy for 10 days or so- I've avoided lifting anything too much still. I'm also finding driving uncomfortable as it feels tight around the scar to turn my head one way. Otherwise I'm feeling really good! It can take at least 3 months apparently for nerves to settle, so be prepared that you may not feel the benefits of the surgery straight away!
Good luck, and please keep us posted!
Bear Al,
I had intraoral surgery on May 13. I had to use the pain medication for about 5 days and then onto Extra Strength Tylenol. I am going back to work on May 26. I have found that I tire easily and my jaw still aches from time to time. I drank a lot of smoothies the first week. I also found that Italian Ice was very soothing. My throat did not hurt at all, the only soreness was in my jaw and where the sutures were. My post op is on May 28th, and believe that we will discuss doing the other side soon. Good luck.
Good luck to you bear_al! I’m having both mine out June 3. I have no tonsils so I’m hoping it will be ok. Getting both over with at once because I have to travel out of state!
I am seven days out and mine was external. I am doing so much better today than even yesterday. I am swallowing without pain but still have pain in my neck from the incision and the deep stitches. I am able to eat soft food which has been great as I have been on smoothies & soup. I do tire out by the afternoon. It just seems like I run out of energy. A little rest seems to help. I work from home and so three days after surgery I was working. I only worked 2 hours then rested, then worked another 3 hours. I would give yourself at least two weeks.
Best of luck and I pray you will have a quick recovery!
I had surgery in March 2013 and the second one in October 2013. I have to be honest I did not rest very well after surgery. I stayed with a friend I hadn’t seen in over 10 years and we honestly just did the tourist thing. After I had surgery #1 I felt so much better immediately after that we ran around and toured some museums and shops in philly. We had a great time, although I felt quite tired! Took a few weeks off after I got back home and began to slowly feel better every day. I still wasn’t back to “normal” tho and wanted to get the 2nd surgery over. I went back to philly dr Cognetti for surgery #2. Will admit the 2nd surgery was a lot rougher than the first, this one took me a few weeks to feel like getting out and doing things, but it did gradually get better every week. Honestly in that time I had a lot of family stressors going on and I think that kept me less focused on getting well. Things settled in life and about a yr after my 2nd surgery I honestly can say I feel very little of the ES symptoms. My scars are not even visible unless I lift my neck and point them out to people (and I don’t have a lot of “extra skin” to hide them!) Dr Cognetti did a phenomenal job. All the hospital staff were amazing. I never felt like just another patient or person off the street. I always felt they sincerely cared and wanted to help ME! I will warn you the ONLY part of the entire thing that is not painless is the preop lab work. That is the slowest process and both times we were there it took Us FIVE hours to get thru it. It seemed to be a long wait times between people we needed to see. Maybe they have streamlined that process. I am hopeful for all future patients this is remedied, but despite this I would certainly return to Jefferson and Dr Cognetti. They treated me better than any doctor or hospital ever has and I would trust them with my life. So be confident with the hospital and the surgeon. I try to not place Dr Cognetti on a pedestal but he is almost “godlike” in his skill to help people with eagle syndrome get their lives back. But when it’s time for preop testing…just saying… bring a lunch… If you have any other questions please feel free to add me as a friend and send PM. I am an open book about this stuff!! (no I am not a family member of dr. Cognetti. I am a real patient that he really fixed!!) any questions, please let me know. I’ll do my best to answer. Hope your surgery goes well.
My son had both sides done externally. Each one 3 months apart in 2014. After the first one, the night was rough but he felt much better the next day. He couldn't open his jaw so he ate soft foods. He ate mostly pudding and small pieces of soft muffins. He enjoyed slipping potato chips in his slit of a mouth opening too! He was able to eat normal in a few days. I remember he had a slice of pizza the Friday after his Monday surgery and he was in heaven. He said food never tasted so good. He was completely fine in less than 2 weeks except for numbness in his jawline and under his chin which is still there almost a year later. Surgery #2, also external, was a little different. He felt great just a few days after surgery. both times he took Oxycodone in the hospital, but when he got home he didn't take any pain meds other than Tylenol because he said the pain from the ES was WORSE than the pain from the surgery. He did have a complication about 2 weeks after the surgery and his jaw line and chin area swelled with fluid. Over time the scar got infected and yellow liquid started draining out. He had to have it drained, covered and treated. The recovery for the 2nd surgery took about 6 weeks. That is not the norm. He does have numbness on that side of his face and chin too. His scar from the first surgery is barely visible. The second scar that got infected is still visible but my son said it is worth it to be free from pain. Words of advice: Do not lift anything heavier than 5 pounds for at least 4 weeks. Then increase gradually. My son's swelling started after carrying a backpack that weighed over 15 pounds. Do NOT overexert yourself or exercise vigorously for at least 6 weeks. You really need to give your body time to heal. Neck stiffness also hung around for a while, but he started doing basic neck exercises to turn his head side to side several times a day. Eventually, that subsided too. Good luck. Keep us posted. I am also here for private messages if you have any additional questions. I check in on this site from time to time only to help others as people here helped save my son from a lifetime of debilitating pain.
Thank you very much for the feedback. It was very helpful. I am somewhat apprehensive as the surgery gets closer, and I want as much information as possible regarding what to expect post-op. I am retired, so I won't have any problem taking it easy.
Thanks for your post. I am truly glad to hear that dr. Cognetti and the Jefferson staff were great. I sent you a friend request. My surgery with Dr. Cognetti is on June 1.
Feel almost normal again!! said:
I had surgery in March 2013 and the second one in October 2013. I have to be honest I did not rest very well after surgery. I stayed with a friend I hadn't seen in over 10 years and we honestly just did the tourist thing. After I had surgery #1 I felt so much better immediately after that we ran around and toured some museums and shops in philly. We had a great time, although I felt quite tired! Took a few weeks off after I got back home and began to slowly feel better every day. I still wasn't back to "normal" tho and wanted to get the 2nd surgery over. I went back to philly dr Cognetti for surgery #2. Will admit the 2nd surgery was a lot rougher than the first, this one took me a few weeks to feel like getting out and doing things, but it did gradually get better every week. Honestly in that time I had a lot of family stressors going on and I think that kept me less focused on getting well. Things settled in life and about a yr after my 2nd surgery I honestly can say I feel very little of the ES symptoms. My scars are not even visible unless I lift my neck and point them out to people (and I don't have a lot of "extra skin" to hide them!) Dr Cognetti did a phenomenal job. All the hospital staff were amazing. I never felt like just another patient or person off the street. I always felt they sincerely cared and wanted to help ME! I will warn you the ONLY part of the entire thing that is not painless is the preop lab work. That is the slowest process and both times we were there it took Us FIVE hours to get thru it. It seemed to be a long wait times between people we needed to see. Maybe they have streamlined that process. I am hopeful for all future patients this is remedied, but despite this I would certainly return to Jefferson and Dr Cognetti. They treated me better than any doctor or hospital ever has and I would trust them with my life. So be confident with the hospital and the surgeon. I try to not place Dr Cognetti on a pedestal but he is almost "godlike" in his skill to help people with eagle syndrome get their lives back. But when it's time for preop testing....just saying... bring a lunch.... If you have any other questions please feel free to add me as a friend and send PM. I am an open book about this stuff!! (no I am not a family member of dr. Cognetti. I am a real patient that he really fixed!!) any questions, please let me know. I'll do my best to answer. Hope your surgery goes well.
Thank you for sharing your post-op experience. I pray that you will continue to heal and get this behind you.
frannie said:
I am seven days out and mine was external. I am doing so much better today than even yesterday. I am swallowing without pain but still have pain in my neck from the incision and the deep stitches. I am able to eat soft food which has been great as I have been on smoothies & soup. I do tire out by the afternoon. It just seems like I run out of energy. A little rest seems to help. I work from home and so three days after surgery I was working. I only worked 2 hours then rested, then worked another 3 hours. I would give yourself at least two weeks.
Best of luck and I pray you will have a quick recovery!
Good luck to you, and thanks for the feedback. My prayers are with you!
Ivy said:
Good luck to you bear_al! I'm having both mine out June 3. I have no tonsils so I'm hoping it will be ok. Getting both over with at once because I have to travel out of state!
Thank you for the feedback, Lola. I will pray that you continue to heal.
Lola said:
Bear Al,
I had intraoral surgery on May 13. I had to use the pain medication for about 5 days and then onto Extra Strength Tylenol. I am going back to work on May 26. I have found that I tire easily and my jaw still aches from time to time. I drank a lot of smoothies the first week. I also found that Italian Ice was very soothing. My throat did not hurt at all, the only soreness was in my jaw and where the sutures were. My post op is on May 28th, and believe that we will discuss doing the other side soon. Good luck.
Thank you, Jules! Mine will be external. dr. Cognetti recommended that, as opposed to the intraoral approach, and I trust his judgment.
Jules said:
I'm 2 weeks post op. Are you having external or intra-oral? I think intra-oral takes longer as there's more soreness from the tonsillectomy too. I had external, and just had codeine for pain relief for a few days, I was okay after that. Eating was difficult as I found it really uncomfortable to open my mouth much and chew, and if you have intra-oral it will be even more so, so plan for smoothies, soups, juices rather than solid food. Several people have found that they get first bite syndrome afterwards- I have it a bit.
I was told to take it easy for 10 days or so- I've avoided lifting anything too much still. I'm also finding driving uncomfortable as it feels tight around the scar to turn my head one way. Otherwise I'm feeling really good! It can take at least 3 months apparently for nerves to settle, so be prepared that you may not feel the benefits of the surgery straight away!
Good luck, and please keep us posted!
Thank you very much for your feedback. I will keep you posted on my progress. Best wishes to you and your son.
Ear Mom said:
My son had both sides done externally. Each one 3 months apart in 2014. After the first one, the night was rough but he felt much better the next day. He couldn't open his jaw so he ate soft foods. He ate mostly pudding and small pieces of soft muffins. He enjoyed slipping potato chips in his slit of a mouth opening too! He was able to eat normal in a few days. I remember he had a slice of pizza the Friday after his Monday surgery and he was in heaven. He said food never tasted so good. He was completely fine in less than 2 weeks except for numbness in his jawline and under his chin which is still there almost a year later. Surgery #2, also external, was a little different. He felt great just a few days after surgery. both times he took Oxycodone in the hospital, but when he got home he didn't take any pain meds other than Tylenol because he said the pain from the ES was WORSE than the pain from the surgery. He did have a complication about 2 weeks after the surgery and his jaw line and chin area swelled with fluid. Over time the scar got infected and yellow liquid started draining out. He had to have it drained, covered and treated. The recovery for the 2nd surgery took about 6 weeks. That is not the norm. He does have numbness on that side of his face and chin too. His scar from the first surgery is barely visible. The second scar that got infected is still visible but my son said it is worth it to be free from pain. Words of advice: Do not lift anything heavier than 5 pounds for at least 4 weeks. Then increase gradually. My son's swelling started after carrying a backpack that weighed over 15 pounds. Do NOT overexert yourself or exercise vigorously for at least 6 weeks. You really need to give your body time to heal. Neck stiffness also hung around for a while, but he started doing basic neck exercises to turn his head side to side several times a day. Eventually, that subsided too. Good luck. Keep us posted. I am also here for private messages if you have any additional questions. I check in on this site from time to time only to help others as people here helped save my son from a lifetime of debilitating pain.
Thanks for your feedback, and Best wishes to you. I am retired, so I plan to take it easy, post op.
Gramus said:
I am 4 weeks out from surgery and feeling good. First two weeks were not fun. Depending on your job, you might want to plan for two weeks off.
I am new to this site, and have researched online a bit. It seems I find a LOT of horror stories about his procedure and people who have terrible nerve pain after the surgery, but these feeds sound like the surgery is quite successful and mostly post-op pain. I have MVD surgery for TN and now am wondering if the reason that surgery only worked partially and my pain came back might be because it stems from the ES. HOW DO YOU FIND A CAPABLE SURGEON THAT KNOWS HOW TO NAVIGATE AROUND THE NERVES SO YOU DON'T HAVE MORE ISSUES AFTERWARDS? I don't see any listed on your pdf for Wisconsin.
My brain surgeon recommended an ENT specialist at his clinic, so I'm starting there to confirm ES, but how would I know if he is a capable surgeon. Tough one.
Hope:
Good luck finding a surgeon. I was fortunate to find 2 surgeons in Philadelphia (70 miles from my home), both at reputable teaching hospitals (Jefferson and Penn). I am doing my surgery with Dr. Cognetti, and believe he will take care of me.
Hope said:
I am new to this site, and have researched online a bit. It seems I find a LOT of horror stories about his procedure and people who have terrible nerve pain after the surgery, but these feeds sound like the surgery is quite successful and mostly post-op pain. I have MVD surgery for TN and now am wondering if the reason that surgery only worked partially and my pain came back might be because it stems from the ES. HOW DO YOU FIND A CAPABLE SURGEON THAT KNOWS HOW TO NAVIGATE AROUND THE NERVES SO YOU DON'T HAVE MORE ISSUES AFTERWARDS? I don't see any listed on your pdf for Wisconsin.
My brain surgeon recommended an ENT specialist at his clinic, so I'm starting there to confirm ES, but how would I know if he is a capable surgeon. Tough one.
Only go with experienced doc’s! I wouldn’t want to be someone’s first. I have to go from Michigan to Chicago. Chicago has a few doc’s with some experience. Borrowdale, Bove and Miloro. Whether you like them or not is personal. Forrest in Columbus Ohio has done many. My choice in Chicago is just based on my daughters location. So far in Michigan, no one has found an experienced ENT. The ones in Chicago are head and neck surgeons (ENTs)
Hello to everybody,
I'm just the second day after surgery- it was external, and to be onest I don't see any results right now. My biggest problem was sinus pain and pressure and this symptoms still exist. My suregon said that the styloid was about 5,5cm, he removed 3,5 cm and still remain about 2 cm- but this is normal and can't give any pressure more. There were big pressure on internal carotid and mandible. I'm wonder if it's possible to recover with time, or the positive results should be immediately after surgery? I read Your post and You have quite immediate relief. Morover I have swollen neck and chin and have problems with mouth nerve and muscles but this should dissapear with time. My most fear is that the surgery didn't hep even if such a lot of styloid was taken off. Thank You for all Your comments, Agnes