3 months post double styloidectomy via intraoral surgery and still having symptoms. Ear pain, throat discomfort. Any thoughts?
Nerves can take up to 6 months to heal, I keep reminding myself to be patient! I read a post from someone who'd had surgery a while back and it was a year before symptoms eased! Could the throat discomfort be from the surgery scar?
I hope that’s all it is. Most studies you read, patients have immediate relief and that makes me nervous. I emailed my surgeon for advice. ( out of state) Ive read that nerves can be irritated and symptoms depend on the location of the nerve. Guess I don’t understand how I had ear pain before surgery and ear pain after. I do think my scars are tight so perhaps that’s what I’m feeling in the mouth. I can really feel them when I yawn
Mine is tight too- but at least it's external so I can massage it with oil- not something you can do with intra-oral! Let us know how you get on with contacting your surgeon.
My ear pain and throat pain took more than 11 weeks to subside. My ear pain still comes and goes 2.5 years later. I think the ear pain is connected to acid reflux, because it usually comes back when I have acid reflux. I also have a badly formed jaw and sometimes get ear pain related to a tight jaw. My bite guard helps with that. I have to use it regularly. The tightness from the intraoral surgery goes away with the normal chewing that you do eating. This took me about 6 months. During my recovery, I got nervous about not feeling better after 3 months. I made an appt with one of the doctors on this site. He checked me out and said that my surgery was done very well, that most of my styloid was removed and the styloid that remained had been smoothed off and was not jagged. He told me to wait at least 9 months. Slowly, I returned to normal. So give it time and if you still have the same pain all the time try checking for TMJ or acid reflux or trigeminal neurlagia. The TMJ or acid reflux is easier to fix.
Here is to my wish that you both get relief and get back to a real normal soon.
Ivy, did your ear pain get better? I’m 7 days post-op and I have the worst ear pain. It feels like a bad ear infection. I have to start teaching in 6 days. I can deal with some ear pain but this really sucks right now!
Have you ruled out ear infection? If so, My ear ache went away as the swelling went away, icing helped and so did anti- inflammatory meds.
Try to really take it slow - I returned to teaching 2 weeks post-op for each side
After the second surgery my ear felt really blocked and I couldn’t hear properly- I got it checked but there was nothing in it, so it was obviously a nerve thing. It was okay after a couple of weeks. It would be an idea to get it checked as seamom says, but if it is nerves hopefully it’ll settle soon. Thinking of you…
Hi Ivy
How are you doing? Are you better?
I had surgery one month ago and I have a strong left side ear and throat pain. I did not have this intense pain before. I am scared. I know it is a bit early but it is not subsiding at all.
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You may not get an answer as it was some time ago, not everyone keeps up with the site…
It could well be irritated nerves, as you say it’s early days for you, nerves can take months to settle. Thinking of you…
Hi Jules
Thanks a lot for your reply and your care.
Hi Jules
How are you doing?
My surgery was 3 months ago. I am still dealing with a very intense ear pain. Basically my only symptom before surgery was ear pressure. I had bilateral intraoral surgery. My right side is as if I didnt have surgery. No pain at all. But left side I have this terrible pain.
My dr says it is not a nerve thing because nerves where he did the surgery are not sensitive (!?). I have a little bit of palate paralysis on left side too the exact same side of my ear pain.
Left scar tissue is big on left side too.
I am so scared I will have this pain forever.
Dr told me to take amytriptiline10mg and do miofascial release of my neck.
I just feel this intense and acute pain can not be from muscle tightness but from nerves.
I just cant take this pain.
Is is possible this pain will not subside?
I am really freaking out here. Just cant stand this pain.
What is your experience with this? Pain coming from surgery can stay forever? Can nerve pain be continuous? I dont feel it is improving. It os actually getting worse.
Sorry to bother you again
Hi tatianac,
I’m sure Jules will answer as well, but I wanted to pitch in that excessive scar tissue can put pressure on nerves, & that may be at least in part what is causing your current pain. There are ways to get scar tissue reduced non-surgically, but you would have to see a doctor to help take care of that, & I’m not sure which types of doctors would handle that sort of thing. I will do some research & try to find out.
So sorry that you are getting ear pain after surgery- there are some nerves around the area which could cause ear pain, & as he’s prescribed Amitriptyline which helps with nerve pain, it sounds as if it may be. Nerves can take a while to settle- some members have found they still notice improvements even a year after surgery, so it could improve, hopefully it will.
I don’t know what your health care system is, but maybe you could get a referral for physiotherapy which might be helpful for tight muscles? As long as they’re familiar with the surgery you’ve had. Also one of our US members has had cold laser therapy for scar tissue- I don’t know if that’s an option for you? Again, a practitioner would need to know what they’re doing, they would need to avoid the thyroid area.
Thinking of you, & hope that the pain settles soon.
Hi Tatianac,
I am sorry to hear that you are in so much pain. I would assume that your doctor looked in your ear for fluid buildup. I had ear pressure and pain for 3 months + post surgery, now intermittently and lessening all of the time. My GP said that during the healing, when the neck swells up, fluid has no place to go but into your ear.
I am 6 months post op from left side external removal and I have a big knot of scar tissue that flares up occasionally and tightens and puts pressure on the nerves and in my ear.
We have to remember that the reason the ES causes problems is because there is so much going on in our neck - everything passes through from the brain to the body leaving no room for elongated bones, calcified ligaments and scar tissue. But scar tissue can be treated. I did physical therapy and it definitely helped. Warm compresses and hot showers are my go to. Scar tissue takes time to heal and I expect that it could take another 6 months and then some for the knot to settle down further.
You have had this pain for years. It will take time for your body to undo all it has learned. 
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Hi Wendy
I saw a pain management dr yesterday. She doesnt think is scar tissue but nerve damage. Probably glossopharyngeal. She said it takes 6 months to a year so they regenerate but of course there is no guaranteed they will. I am panicking. Just cant live forever like that. Today I will block the star ganglion. It is not possible to block glossopharyngeal now as it can make my palate paralyse even more. I so regret doing the surgery. My issue was not resolver and now I also have an intense pain I did not have. My dr doesnt want to admit it is nerve related. Só frustrated not to be validated. I know there is nothing you can do. It is so random. I mean, there is not a pattern as to the type of pain you are having and the chances of recovery.
In terms of statistics do you know if more people recover from this kind of nerve pain? My pain is continuous. Non stop. There is some muscle paralysis (soft palate). But no shock pain or paraesthesia.
What kind of pain you have? Any improvement since your surgery?
Thanks for your reply. I have nerve pain. Really intense. I looked for a pain management dr and although my scar tissue is high the kind of pain I have is not tight scar tissue. My pain is like toothpain. Really intense and it throbs. Só hard…
Thanks for your words
Mine was getting worse before surgery, but since then it’s improved, just not gone completely. I’ve never had the electric shock pain, mines a constant aching & boring pain, Type 2 or atypical. I get it in all 3 branches of the Trigeminal Nerve, so in my jaw, teeth, eyebrow & scalp. I take Amitriptyline & it works well for me; there are a few different nerve pain medications, so it’s worth trying them. There’s info in the Newbies Guide section under ‘ES Info- Treatments’. Ben’s Friends also have a Facial Pain group, they have info about different medications.
As the doctor has told you, it can take months to heal. I don’t know statistics of how many members have improved with time, but there have been quite alot over time who’ve felt like you, that they wish they’d not had surgery, but that later they’re improving, & glad they did it.
Will keep praying for yiu
Thanks Jules