This is excellent news, thank you for the update. Continuing to 
!
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I’ve followed your journey. We started in San Jose and almost yr later had surgery with Hepworth. He is great to work with. Since surgery in June they keep in contact and anxiously awaiting trip in Sept for US. Hope your recovery continues to go well
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Today was the post-op appt and I’m doing good so far.
Dr. Hepworth said there was a styloid remnant large and lengthy approx. 4 cm in length that he almost completely removed. The most compelling finding of surgery was that scar tissue was densely strangulating the jugular vein between C2 superior aspect and the jugular formen. This was all divided ultimately and the vein was restored to full and uniform caliber, also with the help of balloon angioplasty.
They did a great job. I’m already feeling improvement since surgery, even though the neck and shoulder muscles and also my groin are still sore from that. The symptoms from elevated (venous) head pressure like headaches, nausea and brainfog seem to be gone. My sleep improved but I’m also very fatigued now and sleeping during the day, maybe of recovery reasons…
It was a a good experience and very professional surgery here in Denver. I can highly recommend Dr. Hepworth and his team. I’m very thankful for that great help.
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Wow ,Thats great you got some instant relief Your story gave me a alot of hope. Get well
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YIPPEE!! HOORAY!! YAHOO!! So great that you already have vascular symptoms relief!!!
Your incision looks really good so soon after surgery!
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That’s great to hear! So pleased for you, hope that you keep healing well!
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Hi friends,
I just want to give you an update 3 weeks post surgery. I had another video consultation and Dr. H and I are satisfied so far. I’m still pretty fatigued and the tight muscles around the scar area are slowly getting better while brain fog and head pressure is still gone. There is also clicking or cracking in my cervical spine which comes from muscular imbalance and blockages caused by too much tension from scar after surgery, I’d say.
Saturday I was swimming for the first time after surgery and it felt amazing! Only after 500m the scar started making some troubles that I stopped. But I’m pretty satisfied with that distance so early after surgery. I can now built on that…
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That’s a really good distance for starters!! Good work stopping when you felt your body saying it was time to end. It won’t be long until you can swim to your heart’s content! 
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Wow, that sounds good for 3 weeks!
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Now it is one month post-op. I’m still doing good, the intracranial hypertension symptoms are mostly gone. The scar and the cranial nerves are sore a bit but still improving over time. Yesterday I swam 1 km again until the scar got too uncomfy. Afterwards I was very exhausted though it feels already much better then before surgery.
Today I tried a Epsom bath encouraged by the discussions here. That was really relaxing!
It wasn’t as easy as in US to find some in the supermarket here, so we ended up in the gardening department in a hardware store and bought so Epsom Salt as fertilizer for pine trees there. That also worked and is much cheaper. 
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Glad that the IH symptoms have improved, you’ve had such a long journey to get healed!
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Great to hear you’re still doing well.
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Thank you all again for your well wishes - seems to be working.
It is a bit more then two month’s since surgery now. I’m still feeling the head pressure issues improved very well. Only the changes in tension patterns lead to crampy muscles and blockings. I expect the tension patterns that developed over the years will take some time and effort to normalize. I added gym to my self made rehab plan last week and just came home from the 2nd unit. Feels so good to be able to do some workout like stretching in a flexx circle and muscle machines, after a so long time and different attempts in-between. Really looks like I can proceed again from now on.
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Great to hear you are experiencing some relief!!
I know some people have had good results from massage / stretching of tight muscles in the neck, shoulders etc. You’re probably already on it but thought I’d mention it just in case it’s useful.
Wishing you continued healing
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@TheDude, I’m so glad to know you’re continuing to see positive changes in your healing process & especially that you’re able to increase your exercise intensity & activity levels. That is very encouraging!
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That’s good news, thank you for the update, really pleased for you! 
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Hi guys,
It’s a bit more than three month from surgery now and I like to give you a little update again. On 15th this month I was supposed to stop taking blood thinners since angiography was 3 month past. After stopping I recognized full sinuses and litte later also mildly swollen head more on the left side (this side IJV is still severely compressed). On top of that I got an infection in my sinues and upper airways. Additionally the symptoms from intracranial pressure showed up again and I felt really worse until I started taking blood thinners again on 17th in the evening. Since then my condition is improving again and I’m still in the last day’s of recovery from that aggravation and infection.
Last week I went to a phlebologist to have ultrasound on my IJVs again. ES and jugular compression was completely new to him and he never measured IJV before. But after showing the ES ultrasound worksheed of Dr. Hepworth’s he at least tried it and measured one velocity. I don’t think it was properly done like in Denver but it showed 60 cm/s on the right with a nice diameter and 75 cm/s on the left with compression and scarring.
So now I’m thinking last surgery improved my condition so far that I’m doning much better already. (Velocities before were around 110 cm/s on both sides.) But not good enough to leave blood thinners away. That might also explain why there is still some mild tinnitus and discomfort on the left side and in my throat more on the operated side.
Next weeks I’ll try to get more accurate measurements from someone who can operate the ultrasound device (he owns) more properly to discuss further steps with Dr. H…
And I think I’ll try to leave the blood thinners away in the next days again when the infection is overcome. Maybe it was just coincidence with the infection…
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I’m sorry you’ve been sick. Sinus infections are so painful! Glad that’s past for you, @TheDude.
We’ve had other members who’ve had to stay on blood thinners post op after ES surgery to help relieve symptoms of IJV compression. I think, in spite of what the doctors say, if one IJV is still compressed, & the other is flowing freely, the brain can still tell everything isn’t right.
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I hope that things settle again for you after the sinus infection, it can make everything feel stuffed up & pressured…I’m really glad for you that you feel the surgery has helped you!
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It’s unfortunate that getting proper scans is so difficult with this condition especially since they’re so heavily relied on for diagnosis. I’ve had the same experience. I hope you’re able to find someone that can help.
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