I’m glad that you’ve finally been diagnosed, like many on here it’s taken a while & you could’ve been diagnosed much sooner…
Hopefully your dysautonomia symptoms will improve, like you say, this could be vagus nerve involvement, & this can cause stomach issues too. Hopefully the cycle pf pain, muscles getting tense, more pain, more tension etc will ease with the ligament removed too (There have been lots of discussions about posture affecting the neck & ES symptoms, worth a look- I might just be the angle of your imaging, but your neck looks quite straight without it’s natural curve, has this been mentioned at all in your appointments? It’s called military neck which you could look up.)
The dizziness and pulsatile tinnitus you mention (hearing a whooshing/ heartbeat in your ears) can sometimes be caused by jugular compression; if you have a read of the section about vascular ES it might give you an idea if this is being caused by your styloid/ calcified ligament. here’s a link:
ES Information: Common Symptoms And Possible Explanations For Them - Welcome / Newbies Guide to Eagle Syndrome - Living with Eagle
The arm and should pain could well be your accessory nerve being irritated, which is quite common, & hopefully will resolve after surgery.
There’s info about surgery in the Newbies Guide Section too, including what questions you could ask your doctor, here’s a link to that:
ES Information- Treatment: Surgery - Welcome / Newbies Guide to Eagle Syndrome - Living with Eagle
There’s also a link to a surgery shopping list one of our members suggested, plus links to some recovery stories. And if you search ‘what to expect after surgery’ or something like that it should come up with lots of discussions…
Is your surgery going to be external or intra-oral do you know? Recovery is easier with the external usually (and it’s regarded as safer & better for removing more of the styloid). You may well find nerves are irritated during surgery- they should be monitored so that they’re not under too much stress- so some members have found that they might have weakness in the facial muscles, drooping eyelid or lip, the tongue can sometimes be affected, or your arm & shoulder might be weaker. These usually resolve okay after surgery, very occasionally it can take a few months, but that’s not often. Opening your mouth wide and chewing is often difficult, so we suggest getting smoothies and soft foods ready in case. Swelling can delay healing, so it’s recommended that you sleep propped up a bit and use ice packs covered in a towel regularly. Some doctors prescribe steroids or put in a drain post surgery to help with swelling, but not all do.
You’ll likely feel tired, & it’s best to take it easy after surgery- avoid any strenuous exercise or lifting etc for at least a few weeks. Recovery is often up & down, you’ll have good days & bad days, so it’s best to be prepared for that & not to get too stressed if you have some bad days, it will get better. And nerves can take months to heal, sometimes even up to a year, so be patient & don’t expect your symptoms to go straight away…
Hope this helps!
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