Just thought I would see anyone’s thoughts on a couple of issues. I saw one of the physicians from this site last week for a consultation, and he offered a little different opinion of my issues than the two ENT’s I have seen in my home state that have limited experience with Eagles. This doctor looked at my CT and said based on that, I do not have Eagles! Wow, totally different than my initial ENT that looked at my CT and even showed me what a I thought were elongated styloids…I had a different copy of my CT, not the same one I brought my original ENT…could copies not always have all the information? The new doctor then felt in my tonsil are on the right, and felt the same bone everyone else has been feeling, looked puzzled and felt several more times. He said based on the exam, I did have Eagles, but probably not on the left. The left side is where my original doctor said the styloid was longer…wow, talk about having my mind spinning. He said he thought I probably had superior hyoid syndrome on the left for which the treatment are steroid injections.
My second ENT has been sending me for CT guided steroid injections, which do help my pain. I finally got his office notes yesterday, and although he did not share this with me, he plans two more steroid injections, and if I fail that, surgery.
So, has anyone had a normal CT and a palpable styloid process in their tonsil before? The new doctor said he would be glad to do intraoral surgery on the right. This was a little hard to digest when he initially told me that my CT did not show any styloid elongation. The newest doctor, I believe is probably more of an expert in Eagles because he has successfully done surgery on others from this site.
Thanks for listening. I so much appreciate the support and information and long distance friendships I am blessed with through this site. I hope everyone is enjoying this Holiday weekend!
wow, that does all sound confusing! I would've thought that as the steroid injections are working, it would confirm ES anyway- I've heard that painkilling injections can be used to diagnose where the pain is exactly to confirm ES. It could be perhaps that the styloid isn't that elongated but the angle it's at is causing it to be pressing by your tonsil? I don't know- it's only a guess, but it does sound as if you need to get clarification before going ahead with surgery. Can you speak to the original ENT doctor? If the CT was a copy of the original one, then it should surely show the same thing, or have you had more than one CT?
Sorry I can't be more helpful, maybe after the weekend someone will be able to offer you more help!!
Thanks for the message. Yes, I can probably get the original copy back that my local ENT has on me. I have only had the one CT done. I feel the sharp bony thing in my tonsil on the right, and it sticks out some and curves…you are probably right about the angle thing…maybe because it sticks out more back there than going down it didn’t show up…my first ENT did the Dr. Eagle thing to validate the Eagles with first a lidocaine injection and then the steroid, both of which helped the pain, but never took it totally away. I feel pretty confident that I probably have a mild case on the right…I told this new doctor that I don’t always do things by the book…thanks for your thoughts. Hope today is a good day for you, and each days is better than the previous! God Bless!
I watched some videos about ES on youtube this weekend and the man posting saw many doctors before one did a cartographic mri (can’t find online) and it clearly showed the elongated styloid process. He said it was only evident prior to that in a panoramic dental xray. He said it doesn’t always show up in ct scans or xrays but is best if they xray from the back.
Thanks for the comment, Hope. Makes me feel a little better. I am still struggling with the fact that my local ENT said he could see it on the CT disc he had, but the new ENT said my CT I brought him was normal…I know the bony area is not normal in the tonsil area…maybe different interpretations or the new CT was different than the 1st one I had made??? I am going to try and get the 1st Ct from my local ENT.