Last June I started with a sore throat that just wouldn't go away. I saw my regular doctor a couple of times over the summer who said it appeared that I had inflamed tonsil tissue that was left behind from a tonsillectomy when I was 10 (I'm 52 now). This persistent sore throat went on all summer. Finally in September I was referred to an ENT, who suggested removing the remaining tonsil tissue. I had that done at the beginning of October. (It was not fun.) I complained at my post op visit that the right side of my throat was still sore and I thought it was not healing as it should be. He said it was normal and to give it more time. 4 more weeks passed by and everything was right back to where it was before my surgery, if not worse. (Sore throat on the right side, only when I swallow saliva. I can eat and drink without pain. I sometimes feel like there's a lump or something stuck in my throat. I also have a dull ache in my right ear most of the time. Along with neck pain.) After another appointment with the ENT in December, I was diagnosed with GPN due to a calcified stylohyoid ligament. He never called it Eagle Syndrome. It wasn't until someone at the GPN board mentioned it and I started reading some of the posts here. Sounds to me like they are one and the same.
The ENT assured me that the tonsil tissue did need to be removed and perhaps the inflammation from that was putting pressure on the nerve, so for now I've opted to take a wait and see approach and hope that everything goes back to normal on its own, but at this point, I'm having my doubts that will happen. In the mean time, I've been looking into a holistic approach to manage the pain. Drugs are just not an option for me at this point, as the side effects seem worse to me than the symptoms they would treat. I can't say that I'm too keen on the idea of having another surgery that may or may not solve the problem either. I've tried seeing my chiropractor and doing yoga neck exercises, but I believe both just aggravated things. Maybe it's better to leave well enough alone???
I'm curious if there is anyone here who is experiencing similar symptoms to what I have and what kind of treatments you have tried.
4 weeks ago now i had gotten the worst sore throat of m life i am 40 and had my toneless out when i was 8. The pain shot int my left ear it was horrible and deep. I have suffered from migraines since i been 8. 15 years ago I started see a chiropractor for that. I helps but since the sore throat which went away after a week i have lump in my throat and cant swallow nothing barley water I praise the days i can get pudding down because food gets stuck.
Your story sounds like mine, i had a tonsillectomy in june because of sore throat which won’t go away and now İ have your symtomes plus dizzines. İ went x times to different ENT docs they just said everything will be okay. At least one of the ENTs had suspicion of Eagle syndrome and the X-Ray showed the ossified stylohyoid ligament. Now i have to clarify with docs where exactly and how the symptomes comes from. Either the chiropractic or osteopathy couldn’t help. İ try to do some yoga exercises to calm my nervs. Do you have also trouble with swallowing?
if you look at the second page, and look at ann's posts; she has had some success in managing ES with massage therapy and relaxation exercises I think. You might find that helpful. If you look in the discussions section there are some other discussions too. Hope that helps!
Gods blessing - I have also had migraines since I was in my teens. I have no idea if there's any relationship between them and the GPN/ES though.
teo - It sounds like you and I are pretty much on the same path...unfortunately! I can usually swallow without any trouble, but I do get the feeling of something being stuck in my throat. The days when that happens are the worst!
Jules - Thanks for the link! It's a very informative post! I think what I learned most from it, is what works for one might not work for another.
I have found that what works best for me is to stay busy and don't focus on not feeling well. Some days it's harder to do that than others, but a positive attitude really does help.
I found another discussion on medication started by Tranquil Tea, you might find some other ideas for managing pain on that:
Reply by Eagle Rose on December 17, 2014 at 5:03pm
I had intraoral syrgery. Much lesser pain. Life are better. But I still have some GN nervepain and occasional stabbing carotid pain. By chance I came across this Aloe Vera Gel that has been reducing my GN pain and in the carotid as well. Reducing it to a level from about 7-10 to about 1-3 on the VAS pain scale.
Might be worth a try if you don't want to take medication. I think you're right about it being different for everyone; our symptoms can vary quite a bit so what works best will too. Like you say, thinking positive, keeping busy...when you can!