I think about you too. You have been such a big help to me. No I have not had the surgery for es yet. I was surprised to see that es effects your stomach it makes a lot of sence. I went to the chiropractor he adjusted my neck then all sudden I had this horrible stomach pain I went to hospital. Then in July I woke up with vertigo it lasted for 5 weeks they gave me medicine for that. Yes funny you mentioned I should go back to the es Dr have the surgery done. I do believe I need it done. I am ready and more at peace with having the surgery done I seem to be getting more and more symptoms it is really scary I managed to get the swallowing part to not bother me but all this other stuff migraines high bp spikes. My kids that have it have been good. I am coming across more drs that know about es. I found new family dr he knows about es and very supportive of me getting the surgery with the Dr in NC. I have new dentist he was amazed to meet me as I was to meet him he knows all about es and used me and my x rays to teach the nurses. I will be calling the Dr in NC tomorrow as what I learned today it very hard to live like this stomach and vertigo and bp high bp I feel like I am crazy.
All those symptoms can be related to vagus nerve irritation. It affects the heart/bp, the digestive tract & anxiety levels. I never had the stomach problems but I did have blood pressure issues & vertigo which went away after my ES surgeries. Iām glad youāre feeling better about surgery & will be taking the next step. Iām also glad to hear your swallowing problems are less as I recall you couldnāt eat much for awhile & had lost lots of weight. I was very concerned about you. Iāve been praying for you as the Lord leads.
How fantastic that youāve found doctors who are knowledgeable & that your children are doing fine. Maybe they never will have symptoms. We can pray & hope for that.
Thank you for your prayers!!! I pray for you as well!!! Yes I did loose bunch of weight since I been able to swallow I did gain 10 pounds. Yes I been taking xanax for anxiety. It has helped keep me calm. I am looking forward to being healed and not needing any of this medicine.
Hi everyone. I read how julianeagle hasnt had stomach issue improvement yet since surgery. Has anyone had stomach issues improve from surgery? I am getting very nervous. As this stomach pain/cramps is horrible and it keeps me from being able to function normally 
Cupcake5 ~
There have been quite a number of forum members whoāve had stomach improvement. julianeagle is the first one I know of who is still struggling but she did lay out a detailed explanation of why she thinks itās still bothering her & is hopeful that time will heal everything. It can take up to a year after surgery for nerves to heal. Thatās why we emphasize āpatienceā during recovery & beyond.
I hope this encourages you. 
Yes, Gods_blessing! Being able to get off meds is a good thing. Iām glad youāve been able to eat normally again & have found a source of help w/ your anxiety. I have great expectations that surgery will make a huge difference for you. Do remember though that sometimes the good results take time (as in several months to a year post op) so donāt feel defeated or that surgery didnāt work if your symptoms donāt all disappear once your styloid is gone. Also, I recall you have bilateral ES, so it will really require 2 surgeries (or 1 bilateral surgery) for you to realize the full benefit of having no styloids or s-h ligaments.
Cupcake, I have right side stomach pain with the sensation of something pushing my right mid stomach out alot of pressure. I had my right side done, with some improvement with Eagles symptoms,but still have pain. I have bilateral Eagle syndrome so not only am I needing to have surgery again on my right side I will have to have the left as well done. Iām sorry for all your pain, I also have constipation which seems to make it feel worse and have had my small intestine shut down ugh! Praying for your healing 
I am so sorry you are going through this as well. I just had left side done. I am still having stomach pains. Its like severe stomach cramps which come everyday. Its been almost 2 weeks since surgery. Im praying it will get better. I am so sorry you have to do right side again? Did surgeon not take enough? I saw Dr Cognetti. He removed as much as he could of the calcified ligament from each side. This has been a horrible experience. I pray and hope we can all get better. 
Thank - You! Stomach pain on top of Eagles syndrome is like the icing on the cake. My pain management Dr. Believes my stomach pain is from the eagles syndrome. My surgeon wasnāt able to get it all is what I was told. And the post of CT scan shows that too. I was also told that I could be the 20 Percent the surgery
Didnāt work on as well. Either way I have to keep thanking God that He ultimately is my healer. He doesnāt put sickness on us ,he will allow things to happen ,but I am thanking Him. I pray you feel better and get out of the stomach pain. I think whatās so crazy is quite a few doctors Iāve gone too have never heard of Eagles syndrome the very ,very few that have heard of arenāt familiar with alot of the symptoms which seem to differ quite a bit from what Iāve learned on this board . Thank God for this board it was the only info. That came up when I googled Eagles syndrome at the time and it help me understand this alot more. Regardless if we call it eagles syndrome Iām still puzzled by the many that donāt catch the images they order to say there are pointing bones pressing in places they donāt belong lol! We donāt need a name to see something isnāt right in that very small area, even radiologist missed this who are trained to know the skeletal system/ Anatomy. Unfortunately for me I hadnāt any pain meds which are hard for me to take because Iām sensitive to them, but a Dr. Wouldnāt suggest pain meds they were afraid it seemed and I would end up driving 100 miles one way to get shots in the back of my head to help with migraine and optical issues, I had to drive 45 minutes to get a shot in my mouth to help block the throat issues and it finally stopped working. When my surgeon removed part of the calcified styloid I was than able to turn my head after two years not being able to turn it. I was discouraged to say the least to learn that the surgery had failed. I was really hoping I would be looking at the left side to be removed and be done with it all. I see some on here have had 5 surgeries for this. I feel for them and pray the doctorās and radiologist obtain more wisdom on diagnosing and treating this. People really shouldnāt have to suffer so much prior to having surgery . Now that I wrote a book , I want to add I am thankful for the many shots in my head, neck & throat they didnāt take away all the pain ,but it helped deal with it. My head hurt so bad laying on a pillow hurt the back of my head. So many crazy symptoms those little things create. I pray everyone will feel better and pray they get a Doctor that is compassionate, caring and competent fully understands and listens to the patient. I told my husband if any of these doctors felt this pain they would be so much more caring and compassionate for those that struggle and have struggled with just trying to get a diagnosis to get some kind of relief from this. Doctors arenāt God they are human, they make mistakes, I guess why the saying "practicing medicine fits a Doctor, they are practicing! Thanks cupcake again and you are in my prayers ļø
I hope that you too can get help, hang in there, faith is the only thing that keeps us going at times- God Blessā¦ 
Thanks Jules! Yes I am thankful for my faith Itās the only thing that carried me through and still is carrying me through! God bless you too 
Omg i am so sorry. This is just a horrible experience. I agree many drs i saw no nothing of eagles syndrome. I am lucky this site pointed me to cognetti who was able to do the surgery. But even when i ask him about symptoms he doesnt know or cant answer my ?s. He told me it would not interfere with arteries. And i have a ultra sound showing it was compressing jugular vein. I am thankful for this group and finding him as well. I honestly have a lot of the same symtoms as you. The first surgery stopped my migranes and eye pain. I am thankful. I am giving this 2nd surgery time. Can you reach out to cognetti or samji? It looks like theyve had the most successful surgeries. Cognetti never had to do a revision or so he told me. Let me know how u make out. Prayers and hugs xoxoxo
Overcomer1 - Funny, Iāve often posted the same thought on here but w/ a slightly different & darker twist - that the doctors who dismiss ES as psychological problems or say it doesnāt exist deserve to experience it so they can eat their words. I also agree that any surgeon who does this surgery would be so much the wiser if (s)he had the opportunity to experience ES!
You might want to try messaging julianeagle as sheās got a very similar stomach issue to yours. She had surgery a couple of months ago now & has seen some improvement.
Just to encourage you, having your second surgery may get rid of or reduce your current symptoms. Thereās no way to tell which symptoms are caused by which styloid. Symptoms can occur on the opposite side of your body from where your elongated styloid is as well. It is possible your current symptoms arenāt signs of a failed first surgery but are being caused by the remaining styloid process. There will be no way for you to tell till the second styloid is shortened or removed.
Hereās hoping & praying that you can look into that second surgery soon. Remember it can take up to a year post op for nerves to fully recover after surgery so patience is key. Healing doesnāt always progress forward either. Sometimes it takes backward steps which is very discouraging but in the end the symptoms are reduced or disappear.
I think every Doctor should experience these symptoms at least once lolš Maybe than they would know how intense some of these symptoms are. I wouldnāt wish this on my enemy so I probably need to be quiet haha! I had a CT of my neck post op and have been told it wasnāt all taken out which my Dr. did tell me after surgery he couldnāt get it all. Also it apparently shows that their are pieces floating around my neck. And two doctors said the surgery was a failure and the same side needs to be re-done and taken out entirely, however if the first Dr. Couldnāt get it all whatās to say the second Dr. Will get it all? I sleep on ice and a heat pack nightly on the surgery side. Also itās been a year and 1 month and the sensation of the side of neck swelling up is very comfortable itās right over or around the carotid artery which leaves the mind to think all kinds of things could be going on. God brought me this far He forsure will bring me through this whether He uses a Dr. to heal me or He himself heal me either way like the song says" the waiting is the hardest part" especially when Iām trying to run a business, homeschool my daughter and just do basics. Itās dampered that in every way I try to be positive. I still do not regret the surgery as it did bring some relief and the pain I was experiencing was major! I pray everyone on this board would find a Dr. With knowledge, wisdom and compassion with their symptoms. Like I said prior so alot of these Doctors never heard of Eagles syndrome , if the patient is complaining about pain in the neck than that area needs to be studied and if the neck is studied than can they not see those crazy calcified ligaments or bones that clearly
are speaking right at them Does it not make sense that they donāt belong there? Grace, Grace, is what I need to extend as I want back to me, but when one is suffering in pain itās very hard to be full of Grace lol! Love, prayers and hugs to all!
I really hope that you can get help; was your surgery intra-oral or external? That can make a difference to how much a surgeon can remove, as can their skill & experience, so it may be worth considering a revision surgery, if youāre able to find someone with lots of experience.
Hang in there- Iā m sure that things are very tough, but you sound like a really strong person. Sending you hugs ā¦
Hi i have ES on both sides of my neck . I have really bad head ear and neck pain. Ive been reading these messages. I have problem with my lower bowel and other lower bits. I am numb down below i dont know when i need the bathroom for poohs. And can not feel sexual intercorse. Ive had this for over 5 years now . Ive had a colonoscopy and they say i have diverticulitis i did see something else looked like fish scales growing up my bowel, that was not noted down. (Im in England and most doctors here have to look up ES on the internet when you say anything about it because they dont know what it isā¦ ) i was diagnosed with ES a year last December. I am goiing to see a surgeon in Bristol in April im going to write down my questions as i would like answers if he has them. I hoping to have a opperation on my problematic right side then maybe my left side in a couple of years.
Thanks all i have enjoyed reading these symptoms and good luck and safe operations to all x x
Anash1966 ~
Iām so sorry for the numbness you have below your waist. That problem could be coming from spinal nerves in your thoracic or lumbar spine. Have you had anyone look at your spine or discs in those parts of your back?
I would like to recommend that when you see the surgeon in Bristol, stick w/ the common symptoms when you discuss ES (i.e. sore throat, ear ache, eye pain, headache, neck pain, vocal changes - whatever of these symptoms you have), & donāt try to suggest that your bowel & pelvic issues might be from ES. Even if by some chance they are, the surgeon may dismiss your ES diagnosis because of your āatypicalā symptoms. Thatās not to say those problems shouldnāt be mentioned as I think itās important to talk about them. Weāve been finding that when discussing ES symptoms w/ a doctor, sticking to the ones theyāre most likely familiar with improves the quality of the discussion & the likelihood of coming away with a surgical date.
Hoping you get answers & encouragement from the surgeon you see in April.
Hi I have stomach problems. I donāt know when I need to go for a pooh. Been told it must be nerve damage. Iāve had a colonoscopy and the specialist could not see why I was having these problems. I also have no sensation from my lower regions so I feel itās to do with my vague nerve. Look it up x this might be the same as you e got . Good luck.
Thanks Jules for some reason I didnāt ever see your post. I had a extra oral - outside neck. Thanks for your kind words you are a bright light on here . Can a revision be done if the first surgeon who is very experienced couldnāt get it all the first time? I have felt the incredible hopelessness like others on here especially for two years prior every Doctor I went to was clueless. My surgery wasnāt a complete failure because I couldnāt turn my head without everything going black and crazy pain. Iām grateful for this site and the info. It has provided
My faith has sustained me , but Iām entirely exhausted from doctors.
Hi Overcomer1,
Yes, revision surgeries can be done. The surgeonās reason for not taking out the whole styloid may determine whether or not a resection is possible. Itās been awhile since you had your surgery so perhaps it would be worth it to get another CT scan & revisit the possibility of a further resection. You might have to go to another surgeon though. From my experience on here, most surgeons wonāt āre-doā work theyāve already done. Fresh eyes & a fresh approach arenāt a bad thing though.