I DO NOT recommend getting a nerve burned. That is not an effective way to deal w/ the pain you have from ES. Nerves do regenerate & getting one burned may provide temporary relief from a few weeks to a year or so but won’t take care of the “root of the problem”. The only way to recover from ES is to have your styloids &/or calcified stylohyoid ligaments removed. I recommend you continue searching for a surgeon who acknowledges this fact, is experienced w/ ES & willing to help you.
The injections that “can” help diagnose ES are not 100% foolproof so the fact it worked on one side & not the other is not a definite “no” for the side on which it didn’t work. I think you’re wise to try again, but even if it doesn’t work the second time, don’t despair.
I agree, I wouldn’t get the nerve surgery done, if the nerve is inflamed & it’s the styloids irritating it then it’s not going to help long term.
Have you looked at the doctors list? I can’t access it at the moment, but I think emma had surgery with Dr Nuss, I think he’s Louisiana, if you want to think about a 2nd opinion.
Thanks y’all. I’m going for a followup tomorrow to see what he says. I think they are trying to do less invasive procedures, but I’m pretty ready to do the surgery…just have to find a surgeon I’m comfortable with. And see if insurance will cover it. Sort of jumping through hoops right now. I’ve had other nerves burned (C2-5) in the past and it worked for a while lasting less and less and then once it got worse neuralgia after burn so I haven’t had it done back there since…which of course makes me nervous about getting it done in such a sensitive area.
On another note…how do you know if you have a long styloid process or calcified ligament? I didn’t realize there was a difference until reading some other people’s stories.
Sometimes the ligaments don’t calcify all the way along, so sort of dashed lines can be seen on the CT, or the ligaments can calcify from the hyoid bone upwards. Some radiologists measure the total length of calcification, so styloid plus ligament, others just meadure the SP. You can just have elongated SPs, or normal length SP & the calcifications on the ligament…we’re not doctors on here, so we can’t see on the CTs what’s ligaments & what’s elongated SP when members ask about their scan pics. TBH I don’t know if radiologists can always see either? But I guess it doesn’t really matter as long as it’s all removed!