Hi. Sorry to be a downer but I need reassurance that new pains are okay. I had surgery 13 days ago and last night and today I’m having the most horrific sharp shooting pains like bees are stinging me non-stop under my ear and jaw but deep, where surgery was. It’s not constant but when it starts it last for 5-10 minutes and leaves me unable to function. Ice seems to aggravate it. Please tell me this is just nerves healing and it will pass!
Sounds like nerves healing, one_day. They can cause sharp pain & other sensations as they wake up. Along my jawline for a month after my second surgery, I had various sensations from feeling cold, to prickly to hot/flushing. If I touched my face when it felt cold, it would be normal temp, also when it felt hot. I vaguely recall getting some stabbing pains under my ear but they didn’t last as long (quickly came & went) as yours. I suspect you’ll find this problem will subside in a few days to a week or so. Symptoms do come & go & come & go during healing, but in most cases, they finally go for good.
Since cold makes it worse, you can use heat now. I found moist heat helped the most for me. I would dampen a washcloth & microwave it till it was toasty but not so hot as to burn me & then I’d hold it on my neck for 5 min. Unfortunately, the damp washcloth didn’t hold heat very well. Some gel packs are able to be frozen or heated. Using something like that, heated w/ a damp cloth over the top, would be ideal.
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Poor you, but hopefully yes, just nerves healing! Thinking of you 
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Thank you both. I do hope it is healing. Knock wood …it hasn’t happened yet today. Today I’m dealing with so much tightness around the incision and down to my collarbone. Hurts to move my neck. Any stretching recommendations?
Also pleased to say I have ever so slight improvement in my throat and tongue poking pain today. I’m so praying this is a sign of what’s to come for me.
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HOORAY!! Any improvement even slight is a good sign. I had symptoms that were very slow to go away & they disappeared so gradually I didn’t realize they were actually gone for awhile after they’d left. That may sound silly but it did happen for me.
As far as your neck goes, scar tightness & musclar tightness isn’t uncommon. About a month post op, you can start gently massaging your scar using Bio, vitamin E, Avocado, or Coconut oil to help lubricate the skin. All of those have healing properties. As your healing progresses you can work the scar a bit more aggressively. The goal is to break up adhesions that are keeping the underlying tissues from being able to move as they should which is what causes the tight sensation. Some members have gone for massage therapy to help with this, but it’s important to see a therapist who knows how to work w/ scar tissue adhesions & will do the work gently & carefully.
Okay so for now I can’t really do much then? It’s only been two weeks. Should I just keep trying to stretch my neck a bit?
You could try using heat on your neck, & then, while your muscles are warm & more relaxed, massaging around the edges of your incision w/ your finger tips but not directly on it. If it brings up more pain then the area needs more healing time.
Thanks 
!
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I did very, very gentle chin tucks, just 5 slow ones, & very gently laying down turning my head to the side, 10x each side- keep it very slow & easy. That might help. Glad you’ve seen a tiny improvement!
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@one_day I saw you had your surgery and having a rough time healing so I wanted to check in with you. How are you feeling now? I hope you are doing better 
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Thanks for checking in. Every day is different. I have first bite which sucks and these other random shooting pains much worse than anything I had previously (but thankfully not constant). I still also have my other issue of feeling like a foreign object is in my throat/on my tongue. My POTS symptoms were worse the week after surgery and actually got significantly better the past week or so but then I decided to get the vaccine and now they are raging again.
I’m meeting with a new doctor next week to try and a get a fresh set of eyes on my situation. I feel like I’ve spent the last 10 years trying get answers and it’s so tiring, nothing works.
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I’m sorry for your continued struggles. When a person has other significant health issues besides ES, it can take longer to recover from ES surgery. I hope your POTS symptoms settle back down. We’ve had several members comment that their POTS symptoms were less after ES surgery. I had my COVID vaccine 2 months ago & am still having repercussions from it.
Your shooting pains are most likely nerves healing after surgery. Those can come off & on for some months depending on how quickly your body heals. I am sorry you still have the annoying sensation of a foreign object behind your tongue/in your throat. Hopefully that will go away with time.
Good plan to see a new doctor & “start again” with investigating your health challenges. I hope (s)he is able to provide some good, constructive input that will head you toward more complete healing.
I hope that the new doctor helps, such a shame that the vaccination has flared things again…hopefully that will settle soon. Gentle hugs