Is eagle syndrome an emergency and what are odds of dying!

Hi, for a few month I have been having terrible ear pain and muffled hearing, I got diagnosed with otitis media and fungal disease, those 2 got eventually cleared up but I still couldn’t hear anything and it was aching time to time, then I started noticing neck and shoulder pain and 2 days ago I woke up with a sensation of a bone stuck in my throat and I touched my Adam’s apple to feel a very sharp bone sticking out, which is a clear sign of ES. Is ES an emergency, I scheduled a doctors appointment in 7 days, should I ask to come sooner or wait the 7 days?

1 Like

Hi Chole !

It breaks my heart to read that you’re in so much trouble.

Your story sounds like it started for me also, seven years ago. I was first diagnosed for inner ear infection, and never got better.

Your question how urgent ES is or if it’s life threatening, well there is no studies that shows death as an imdiate outcome but if your case is severe enough it could cause some scary symptoms aswell as stroke. Stroke may accure with the vasculare variant off ES, because off compression on the internal jugular vein or carotid artery, stroke can also accure if the elongated styloids broke off and punctured an artery/vein.

There is patients with severe compression on the IJV/CA that’ll have dystonic storms or TIA seizures.

Sadly, but suicide has also been an outcome for some few.

So in my opinion, ES is urgent enough and should be taken seriously !

That you have to decide for yourself, i think you’ll be okey waiting seven days. But sometimes clinics offers “drop in” apointments if you call in early in the morning.

Hope you are doing okey, and please let us know if there is anything we can do for you :blush:

Good luck !

  • Henrik
2 Likes

ES is rarely an emergency; in very rare cases the styloids can cause a stroke or an aneurysm but this is really, really rare… You haven’t mentioned any other symptoms; if the styloids are compressing blood vessels then dizziness and fainting are often felt. Hopefully this will reassure you, in the mean time I wouldn’t have any chiropractic treatment though as this could damage the styloid. Here’s a link to the common symptoms section, there’s info there about vascular symptoms too:
ES Information: Common Symptoms And Possible Explanations For Them - Welcome / Newbies Guide to Eagle Syndrome - Living with Eagle
for lots of members getting diagnosed can take quite a while (sometimes years), and then there’s a wait for treatment. Usually a CT of your head and neck is needed to get diagnosed with ES; I’m not sure if you could get your PCP to order one for you, or whether you’d have to wait to see a specialist?
We have a list of doctors familiar with ES, if you could get referred to someone in your area this might speed up the process, as lots of doctors are unfamiliar with it:
Doctor Lists – no discussion - Symptoms and Treatments / Doctor Information - Living with Eagle
Dr Costantino in NY is very experienced with ES.

2 Likes

I have been waiting for my surgery since February. I’ve had some stroke like symptoms and acute pain like you’ve said. I have just been listening to my pain and avoiding things that put pressure there. I think the only case I read where someone died was after a massage that cracked the styloid and led to dissection. So, if you take it easy and listen to your body, you should be safe. :heart::slightly_smiling_face:

2 Likes

@dontdillydanie - Do you have a surgery date scheduled? If so, who are you seeing for surgery?

It is on July 8th with Dr. Patil in Cincinnati.

2 Likes

Thx! It’s on my calendar now. :blush::hugs:

I hope it goes well for you :pray: