Hi everyone, just had my surgery November 2nd in San Jose. It took four years and many doctors to find the correct diagnosis. I felt really great the first four days after surgery and then I had a major flare up.
My doctor says it will be like that for about the next six weeks. So I’m just going to do a lot of icing and taking it easy. I do go walking everyday. My tinnitus is still really bad but that should improve when the swelling goes down. I’m still happy that I got it done and I had an amazing doctor also. May have to have the other side done next January. One day at a time.
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One day at a time is the right approach. You are not that many days out. I started to see flairs reduce at about 3 weeks and then much better in the 8-12 week mark.It took a long time for all the swelling to go down completely. At about week 4, I started have some massage done in the incision area to help break up scar tissue forming. I also tried some acupuncture in the area of jaw and neck at about week 10 and they attached a tens unit to the needles. I was surprised that it actually stimulated the nerves in area where nerves were numb in the neck. I figured it couldn’t hurt and probably helps?
I assume you are just finishing the predisone course doc prescribes?
I felt great the first 3-5 days too but I stayed on top of the icing (and pain meds) and slept on wedge pillow and that seemed to help overall. I had one side done end of April and having other side done in a few weeks in San Jose. The surgery really flaired my TMJ and it has taken me several months to get to calm down and be ready to go after the other side. Gulp…the surgery day is now coming up fast.
Hang in there. be patient. expect set backs. You just had your neck cut open and nerves and area healing.
Thanks so much for the support. I’m moving forward and like I said one day at a time. I have a great family that are always here for me and an amazing husband who always has my back. Good luck with your next surgery. At least you know what to expect after you have it. If there is one thing that I have learned during my ordeal with eagles is to be patient.
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So glad that you’ve been able to have surgery, & that you have good support. Sounds like you have a really good attitude & are realistic about recovery, so very pleased for you. Take it steady, God bless 
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I’m very grateful for this site. It has helped me so very much. Love and hugs.
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That’s great! How are you doing?
Ok, learning a lot. I’m finally getting back on the correct medication tomorrow (Thursday) So I will be starting the whole healing process again. It has been an absolute nightmare these past couple of days. I have no regrets about having the surgery. I should have been more pro active about the post operation medication when I was in San Jose. Now I having to deal with my doctors down here.
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So sorry that you’ve had a hard time, but hope that things will improve soon…gentle hugs
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I’m so glad to hear you’ve got the meds issue sorted out. I expect being able to take what you need when you need it will make a BIG difference.
I’m so sorry you’ve had a rough go of things. Now it’s upward & onward to complete healing!!
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Thank you so very much, it has been very rough this past week. It’s just going to take longer to recover. But I will get there. Thanks for your support.
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Hi everyone, just wanted to follow up on my road to recovery. I’m on my 6th week post op. I’m now taking a lot less pain medication and hope to stop taking any medication very soon. I’m experiencing a weird kind of tinnitus in both ears which unfortunately effects my hearing. I’m hoping that this will fade away over time. I’m wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them?
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Hi 70melvin6,
Tinnitus w/ ES is not uncommon. If this problem has come on since surgery, there is a very good likelihood it will go away over time as you continue to heal. It’s hard to know what the results of nerve recovery will be like, & it does seem to vary from person to person. You may also experience some sharp pain, numbness, tingling, burning, feelings of periodic warmth or coolness in various areas of your neck, face, jaw, ears as the nerves return to more normal function.
If it’s really a problem & doesn’t seem to be improving in the next 2-3 weeks, seeing your local ENT might help.
I’m really glad to hear your pain & other post op discomfort are subsiding & that you’re able to wean off the pain meds. I took them for 6+ weeks post op but as you are doing, gradually cut them back till I no longer needed them.
Thanks for everything Isaiah. You have given me a lot of great information…
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Glad that it looks like your ES symptoms have improved with surgery, I hope that tinnitus does go. As Isaiah says if it came on with surgery then hopefully it’s irritated nerves from that- nerves can take months to heal. I still get some tinnitus, I had it before surgery though, luckily not too bad. I was assessed & found I’d lost hearing, again before surgery though.
I hope that yours improves soon.
Yes, I did have really bad tinnitus before surgery and hoping that surgery will help. It really flared up after surgery and is finally starting to calm down. I’m hoping that it will continue to do so.
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Some symptoms, especially if severe before surgery can take 6-12 months to disappear or reduce to a more tolerable level. The recovery can be so gradual you don’t notice the positive change until one day, voíla!, the symptoms are gone.
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I’m ready for that day. I know that it takes time. I will go into my next surgery a lot more educated about Eagles thanks to everyone on this site.
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When’s your next one, do you have a date or are you just thinking about it for now?
No, I don’t have a date yet. Because of covid I don’t want to travel for a while.I also think it’s going to be a while before I get over this surgery. At six weeks out from my first one I’m still in pain. The trauma because of the gap of not having any pain medication was way more than I bargained for.
A gap of a few months at least is good, I can understand waiting for a while with Covid. I ended up a year between surgeries, but tgat was because of UK waiting times…