Hi Horizon,
I’m not sure what would be ‘many years’ in your opinion. But for me I had gone several years before opting to have the surgery to remove my left styloid in 2008. Here I am, just recently found this group and I came upon it when I was searching for information on ES because I recognize the symptoms I have been experiencing are indicative of my need to consider having the surgery done on my right side. So I can’t recall the length of time I lived with inconsistent pain before having the left side done, but it’s been 12 yrs before considering the surgery on the right side. I’m considering it because I have been living with a low level of pain consistently ~ around a 3 on the scale of 1-10 ~ however I also have TMJ and I know all to well that my symptoms overlap between the ES & the TMJ. When I have a sharp, stabbing pain in my neck while speaking, or when I turn my head I know to blame the ES. When I have the pain in my face and along my jaw and into my neck I’m not always sure which condition to blame.
Since the stabbing neck pain has begun showing up a bit more frequently I am being proactive and have sought out my ENT, (this past Dec. and was informed of his pending retirement) and made an appointment with the ENT my previous dr. felt would be the right ENT for me to see regarding my ES.
I believe that as long as you can tolerate the symptoms and they aren’t keeping you from enjoying life then put it off as long as you can. That has been my way of handling this and when I see this new to me ENT on Wed. (Sept. 2) I expect he will send me for a CT scan so he will know what we are looking at and then we will discuss if surgery is something I should do right away or if I can successfully put it off a bit longer.
Good luck and I hope you do what is best for you with confidence in your decision.
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