Hey all, it’s day 13 of my recovery and I’m happy to report that I’m doing well! My wound is healing nicely, and the pain is minimal. Still some pain swallowing and pain in my jaw and tongue. Also still struggling with the shoulder pain but that is improving.
I had my follow up with Dr. Aninno on Monday and he was able to validate a lot of my suspicions which was really great. Turns out the opening for my nerves are smaller than normal and combined with the odd position of my styloid the nerves were being irritated. Specifically, the 9th,10th,11th and 12th nerves. He said as he got closer to the base of my skull my heart rate would drop and he would have to wait for it to come back. He did this a few times and then decided he had done as much as he safely could. He removed approximately 1inch of the styloid. He said that this is a good sign because it indicates an issue and the surgery should offer me relief, but as always times will tell. The best news for me was learning that the hyoid impingement and vagus nerve irritation has been happening my whole life! He explained that over time the bone has ossified which caused it to be more of a problem. He explained that the bone was pushing the jugular into the carotid but didn’t appear to do any long-term damage. We also discussed the right side and will wait to see how I recover and go from there.
Overall, I’m feeling optimistic and validated but more than anything I’m excited about my future!
Thanks again for all your support and please let me know if you have any questions. I hope you all have a wonderful day!
