Hello.
I have 49 mm styloid on each side. Only found this out because I felt some pain under my jaw.
I have bilateral enlarged submandilaur lymph nodes that have appeared benign on 2 ultrasounds but have not gone down in size.
My ENT wants to me to have a biopsy. Are these lymph nodes typically swollen in Eagles or should I worry it’s something else ?
Anyone with experience ?
Hi @EVANNG - I had swollen submandibular glands as part of my ES symptoms but I also had a lot of pain in my face, neck & shoulders plus blood pressure & heart rate & swallowing issues.
I will say that your styloids are pretty long so I’d be surprised if they aren’t causing other troubles.
Here’s a link to a symptoms list that may help you identify whether or not you have other symptoms you didn’t know are related to ES:
I feel a bit of pain after a long day in back of jaw and then some minor ear ringing but I’ve had for years so maybe just used to it.
Do you know how big your lymphnodes were ?
I don’t recall how big mine were since it was 10 yrs ago, but they were large enough to be annoying & slightly painful. My doctor never commented on them though.
I have calcified nodules in my thyroid that have been of more concern. I’ve had them biopsied via fine needle aspiration 3x over the years & so far they’re benign. If your doctor is suggesting a fine needle biopsy of your SM glands, it would be worth it to get it done to rule out something else that might be going on besides ES.
I had an US with enlarged lymph nodes with one side being more worrisome. Drs. Wanted to biopsy. I took a gamble and waited for a second US because so many things can enlarge the lymph nodes. I waited for the second until i felt good. I think they were around 4 to 6 months apart. Mine had gone down
If you read about some of the surgeries here sometimes they have to be removed for a variety of reasons. It is easy to see how they might get irritated.
Of course, you could also have something that requires a biopsy
Were yours in the sub Mandler region? Basically under the jaw?
I had a lot of pain in jaw and under jaw thus why I got the US. Some had told me it was the parotid gland. Others said TMJ. US really hurt when done on me in that area.
My worst styloid is on the right. I will just tell you exactly what it said that had ENT and Rheum. Dr recommend biopsy:
"The right parotid gland is normal in appearance with a small
intraparotid lymph nodes. Submandibular gland also normal in
appearance. Just superior to the gland is a morphologically normal
lymph node. At the right neck level 2 station there is a mildly
enlarged lymph node which measures 0.7 x 0.9 x 2.2 cm. This lymph node maintains a fatty hilum. Limited evaluation of the right neck
level 1, 3, 4, and 6 is unremarkable.
Limited evaluation of the left neck for comparison is without
suspicious nodules or masses.
10 months later (after I discovered their error in the new report)
“A transcription error exists in the findings and impression sections
of the original report. The lymph node which has decreased in size
measuring 0.8 x 0.4 x 0.7 cm is located at RIGHT level 2”
My gamble not to do the biopsy was based on a lot of things . I knew it was a risk to do it or not to do it. I can understand why both Doctors recommended one. Also, this was before anyone knew I had Eagle Syndrome. In hindsight, the ENT office should have been on alert for it. I had classic symptoms of it. I knew something was very wrong but couldn’t figure it out until a PT session blew up my face which led me to Urgent Care which led me by a miracle to a Dentist (owner of practice) who knew exactly what it was. By the way, if I had picked another Dentist at his group I likely wouldn’t have been diagnosed. I saw another one there later and he said he had never heard of Eagle Syndrome.
Also, the ENT Dr who recommended a biopsy was a different ENT Dr group than the one who ordered the US. NEITHER group brought up Eagle Syndrome. Later, The one who ordered a biopsy told me that his group doesn’t treat Eagle Syndrome but most who are told this from a Dentist end up not having it.
( the more I see on here the more I don’t believe it)