I have been digging through discussions trying to figure out the pros and cons of Intraoral vs External and the success people have had and if they had the entire styloid removal, partial and if they also had the ligament removed.
Long story short, I finally found a doctor yesterday that is willing to do a surgery, but it is done intraoral and he said he just "fractures" the calcified styloid and ligament with his hands. He says it takes 5 minutes. He also said my scar band from my tonsillectomy is very tight and he will "loosen" that during surgery as it may be contributing to my pain.
I have a follow up appointment to ask more questions, but he seemed very confident, but it seems to go against what most people say on here which is remove as much as possible. HELP!
Hi Chris. That sounds pretty strange to me. I'm doubtful. How many has he done? Can you talk to some of the prior patients? I personally think that if you go with him, you'll end up trying to find another doctor to do a revision surgery.
I used to think surgeries had to be external, but now i'm not sure. But either way, they should take out as much as possible.
My first doctor was very sure of himself and told me he'd done many surgeries on the neck {but no Eagles}. He broke the tip off, and now I've spent several years trying to get the rest of the styloid taken out. I really wish I'd known this back then and traveled to find an experienced Eagles doctor. It would have saved me a lot of misery.
The doctor that has agreed to do the surgery I was referred to by Dr. Forrest. So before I moved forward I am getting Dr. Forrest's opinion on the surgery and how it is done. Then I will have a follow up appointment to ask this doctor more questions. I will give an update after the phone call with Dr. Forrest on Monday. Thanks for the feedback everyone.
Good day to you, I had intraoral surgery and a left sided complete styloidectomy and tonsil removed in 2001. The operation was a success. I would definitely get a second opinion. Wishing you the best.
My styloids were not too long, but very calcified. My tonsils were very bad. My surgery was oral and the prep times were longer than the surgery! I had one in April and one in Oct. The dr. said he always removes the tonsils as part of the procedure. I know I feel so much better; I believe my problem was a combination of the styl. and the tonsils.
They all must be removed, not just manipulated, no matter what size, etc. Once the dr. is in there, do it thoroughly.
Ok, so we talked to Dr. Forrest. He said that he does indeed do the surgery different than the Doc in MN. He typically would do intraoral and remove as much as possible. He offered to talk to the doc in MN that "fractures" the styloid to let him know how he does it since they are friends and know each other. It would be so much easier and less expensive to go to the MN Doc, but after talking to Dr. Forrest, I am so much more comfortable with his approach. I haven't decided yet, but I think I am going to Ohio to have Dr. Forrest do the surgery. He said he would see me on a Thursday and could schedule the surgery the next day. He isn't sure how he would do the surgery since he thinks that I may have Hyoid Bone Syndrome (its elongated and possibly grinding on my spine) which he would usually do external, but I have a tight scar band from my tonsillectomy. I will just have to sit down and think about all this. Any input is welcome. Thanks for listening.
Just to give you input - I think you should go with the guy with the proven track record. I think if you let the doctor in MN do the operation, there is a very good chance you will still have some issues and will eventually be looking for a doctor to do a revision surgery in the future. It’s much easier to find a doctor to do the first surgery than it is to find a doctor to do a revision surgery.
I live in Hawaii and for the first surgery I went with the local doctor because I was in such pain and didn’t want to go through the hassle of traveling to the mainland while I was in pain. I now regret that decision so much.
Good. Make sure he has all the records before you go. If possible send emails as well as phone calls. Will there be pre-op needs to have before you go? Special soap for washing, no aspirin, no eating after a certain time, etc. You can't just go to an appointment and have surgery the next morning without some preparations.
Ladygw, you stated you had both your tonsils removed and the surgery. Can you tell me what technique was used to remove you tonsils? Also, this sounds really painful to have both done. Can you advise me on the recovery. I flip out at the thought of just getting my tonsils out.
Ladygw said:
My styloids were not too long, but very calcified. My tonsils were very bad. My surgery was oral and the prep times were longer than the surgery! I had one in April and one in Oct. The dr. said he always removes the tonsils as part of the procedure. I know I feel so much better; I believe my problem was a combination of the styl. and the tonsils.
They all must be removed, not just manipulated, no matter what size, etc. Once the dr. is in there, do it thoroughly.
When the removal is done orally, the tonsils are removed in order to do the surgery. Tonsils are basically clipped and then the tissue is cauterized to stop any bleeding. It is just a standard tonsillectomy. I wish I had had mine removed years ago, I had many problems with them.
Dr. Futran did one side at a time, due to swelling and basic recovery. He cut a slit and cut the entire stylohyoid out. The opening was cauterized. Other than minor issues with drainage and sloughing of the proud tissue and a feeling of a very sore throat while swallowing, there was no trauma. The yuck makes you want to gag, but it is no worse than a cold/sore throat. Just gargle gently, keep rinsing, eat liquids, etc., and those issues go away.
I was so happy to have the pain disappear immediately. I had a great result, I can't guarantee the same for anyone else. Dr. Futran and his crew did a great job. Thank goodness he was in Seattle, I don't know how I would have done it if I had no one that close.
Just remember a couple of weeks for healing and all the years of pain become a distant memory.
Thanks, for the info. So you did not have sutures? It was all cauterized? You mention drainage.. from the incision? I am sorry to ask so many questions but there different methods and I a new to this and I have such horror stories about just having your tonsils removed that one more thing just freaks me out. Happy Thanksgiving...God bless you!!
Ladygw said:
When the removal is done orally, the tonsils are removed in order to do the surgery. Tonsils are basically clipped and then the tissue is cauterized to stop any bleeding. It is just a standard tonsillectomy. I wish I had had mine removed years ago, I had many problems with them.
Dr. Futran did one side at a time, due to swelling and basic recovery. He cut a slit and cut the entire stylohyoid out. The opening was cauterized. Other than minor issues with drainage and sloughing of the proud tissue and a feeling of a very sore throat while swallowing, there was no trauma. The yuck makes you want to gag, but it is no worse than a cold/sore throat. Just gargle gently, keep rinsing, eat liquids, etc., and those issues go away.
I was so happy to have the pain disappear immediately. I had a great result, I can't guarantee the same for anyone else. Dr. Futran and his crew did a great job. Thank goodness he was in Seattle, I don't know how I would have done it if I had no one that close.
Just remember a couple of weeks for healing and all the years of pain become a distant memory.
Everything was cauterized, no sutures. The drainage is part of the body's response to the procedure. The mucous membranes just do that. Swelling, etc. But again, it is like a nasty sore throat and cold.
Just don't let the dr. tell you he only wants to break them and does not remove them. There is no 5 minute surgery. I can't remember if you said you had a tonsillectomy already. If so, that could have produced scarring, but I don't like how he addresses that.