Omg thank you!! I normaly do and just completely forgot.. thank you for all your help!
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So I just realized that these scans are actually from BEFORE my fall in November! My timeliness is all wrong. I followed up when my liver specialist is March - not Dr.Hackman. I don’t see where I followed up with him anytime after that about the fall. My memory is so shot. I need a new CT scan with contrast to show what exactly is going on now and see if things shifted from where they were in these scans.
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I do think a new CT with contrast would be good- if you’re able to get one make sure it’s requested to show the head and neck down to the hyoid bone, and timed to show the arterial and venous phases. Your symptoms sound more like IJV compression so it would be good to get that looked at, but also just in case there are any calcifications close to your carotid artery like the little piece you originally mentioned.
Looking at your imaging, I agree with @Isaiah_40_31 that the right IJV is smaller, although it’s not massively compressed so could be that it’s your non-dominant one; often people have a dominant IJV and a non-dominant/ hypoplastic one. If there is compression it looks like it might be more the C1 contributing…
There do seem to be quite a few spots of white on your images though which could be artefacts, or could be small calcifications…
It will be interesting to see what Dr Hackman says tomorrow…
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I noticed you spoke of having PTSD surrounding the fall. I completely get what you mean. There is a treatment that is rather quick to help with traumas we experience. It is called EMDR and I have tried it with great success in the past for a trauma I suffered that I could not stop thinking about for 25 years. I had about 3 sessions of EMDR and my mind allowed the thoughts and visions I kept having surrounding the trauma to get processed properly. It was stuck on a loop that kept replaying in my mind and the EMDR stopped it. It won’t make you forget anything that happened but your mind will not continue to hold onto it. Many therapists have learned how to administer this treatment and you can read more about it online. I wish you luck with your thoughts and in healing your pain.
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So he does want to remove the styloid but more of an issue he thinks is a newly calcified ligament. He said it has calcified around near my hyoid bone but is not actually attached or part of my hyoid bone and is long and just floating around in there. He doesn’t think my RJV is compressed much but that the left is just dominant.
He also referred me to a spine specialist because he thinks my c1 unfused could be the true cause of my fainting and dizzy spells.
A lot of other information too but I’m excited to get this surgery completed and hopefully get to feeling better.
If we have eagles, I’m assuming we are more predisposed to having other ligaments calcify and I guess that’s happening. I’m going to ask Dr Hackman to also refer me to a endocrinologist to see if they could help at all with understanding the underlying causes of the increases in calcium, etc.
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Sounds like a good visit then- is Dr Hackman prepared to do the surgery for your calcified ligament with the issue with your C1, or do you have to get that checked first?
Some people do seem predisposed to getting extra calcifications, so a good idea to get checked for any metabolic disorder…
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I’m super glad Dr. Hackman can help you, @Asumhannah & that he felt the situation with C1 bears looking into further. I hope he has some good doctor references for you. 
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I have been scouring through my pictures trying to figure out where the calcified area within the thyrohyoid membrane on the right is. I finally was able to see it better using the 3D slicer. I’m also very worried about the bones below my hyoid bone. I got my surgery scheduled for september! I’ve got an appointment with the spine surgeon in August. And they just ran my blood to check my parathyroid as well so I’m waiting for that to come back.
The first picture is what’s under my hyoid bone I guess it was hard to see in the other CT scan for myself at leastThe first picture is what’s under my hyoid bone I guess it was hard to see in the other CT scan for myself at least but that looks pretty big to me and honestly the styloid also looks big to me and thick on one end. But what’s weirder to me is the bones below my hyoid bone that extend like an L. Is that normal?
@Asumhannah - I believe what you’re seeing below your hyoid bone are calcified sections of your thyroid cartilage. Honestly, the calcification doesn’t look that bad to me & may not be significant if it’s not interfering with the ability of your hyoid bone’s movement. As we age, calcification of the thyroid cartilage is normal, however, there are people who end up w/ excessive calcification. You would need to ask Dr. Hackman’s opinion as to whether or not he thinks yours is normal or excessive.
The greater horns of your hyoid do look thick where they attach to the hyoid body, but that may also not be significant. The biggest problem w/ the greater horns of the hyoid is they can elongate & bump into the ICA/ECA/common carotid artery(ies). When that happens, vascular symptoms can occur i.e. TIAs, heart pain, vision loss, feeling faint/fainting…It doesn’t look to me like the greater horns of your hyoid are touching any parts of your carotids, but I can’t give a accurate opinion on that since I can’t really see that for sure in the images you’ve posted. Since you already have some of the “irritated carotid” symptoms from the chunk of cartilage in your neck, that’s more likely what’s causing your symptoms.
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Thank you!
I wanted to give a little update.
I saw the spine surgeon this week and he told me I was positive bilaterally for Hoffman’s sign which indicates that Im having some compression in my cervical spine (which I already figured due to the pain). Once im done with the heart monitor (I have to wear for 2 weeks) and get the MRI hopefully I can get some more answers and figure out if they can do a decompression or surgery but it seems he is referring me to a pain management specialist. The spine specialist did also say that I do have some bone spurs but hopefully the MRI will be able to show where the compression is exactly and if it’s a due to calcification or what exactly is causing it.
Hopefully the surgery in September to remove the leftover piece of styloid and the calcification in my thyroid membrane may also help. Im atleast glad im getting answers. But I still feel like I have so many questions.
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Your update has some good news in it and hopefully some of your questions will be answered naturally as you get your heart monitor results & imaging done.
Seeing a pain management specialist could be very helpful. I’m glad your surgery w/ Dr. Hackman is coming up in Sept. Have you told us the date yet? Sorry if you have, & I didn’t put it on my calendar.
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Sounds like alongside the answers and the questions there are more potential complications too, so a little way to go yet, sending you hugs 
As @Isaiah_40_31 says, let us know your surgery date so we can pray 
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Thank you both! The surgery date is September 21st!
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That’s exciting!! Hoping it will provide you relief!
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Thank you! It’s on my calendar now!
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