Hi @vasculareaglewarrior & welcome here!
I’m glad that you’re able to have your surgery with Dr Nakaji , he’s very experienced… have you got a definite date?
Yep; 3/2!!! I can’t wait! Thanks for asking
WOW! That’s horrible that your styloid has grown into your throat!! We know that can happen but haven’t heard about one of our members having that situation, at least, not in a very long time. I don’t recall anyone needing a feeding tube because of it though. I’m so sorry for your experience & especially that you didn’t receive a diagnosis before that happened!
Please share your surgery date as @Jules & I & others on this forum will pray for you & Dr. Nakaji on that day in particular - for a safe & successful surgery with an excellent outcome. ![]()
Brilliant, not too far away! There’s tips for recovery in here:
ES Information- Treatment: Surgery - Welcome / Newbies Guide to Eagle Syndrome - Living with Eagle
if you’ve not seen it, & you ca always use the search function to look up what to expect after surgery…
@vasculareaglewarrior You’re in excellent hands. Just around the corner now!
Thank you all!!!
I have felt literally insane when it comes to this for at least 3-4 years now, perhaps longer. I lost almost everything I loved about life. To hear you all share your experiences and encourage me is helping me get through this last stretch and is so validating. It feels so isolating, confusing, and painful to go through this. Thank you so very much
It’s 3/2/26! Thank you so much
It’s on my calendar now. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this… I also have a chronic laryngitis symptom going on… never thought it could be related to Eagles. Thank you for sharing your story and so happy you got your life back again.
@vasculareaglewarrior - Did you have your surgery on 3/2 as planned? If so, how are you doing?
Your story is so encouraging. I am very glad you found relief through this process. I, too, have the left chest pain radiating to left arm almost constantly. Have been told it’s “not cardiac”. I hope that if I have surgery this resolves. I share many of your symptoms. Feels like a poker is going to come out through my tonsil. May your growth and healing continue.
Dawww thank you so much for checkin in! That means a lot to me.
Compression and injuries were more severe than anticipated. I had arterial, venous, and nerve compression including the vagal nerve at skull base/C1. Lost my styloid bone, styloid ligament, posterior belly of my digastric muscle which was completely fibrous, and fibrous bands as well. Was quite shocking to hear. It feels so much better on the left now… lost feeling to my ear post op and that confirms vagal involvement as thats the Arnold branch, and that numbness is slowly resolving itself. Dealing with some symptoms shifting to the right side, dizziness, and more GI distress, yet swallowing is much easier. 50% of baseline nervous system overwhelm seems gone, which was surprising to me as well! Must wait the full 8 weeks and if symptoms persist we will do the other side. Dr Peter Nakaji and his team are second to none and have helped me so much!! They are kind, patient, brilliant, and collaborative in their approach. After seeing 21 providers last year and feeling often dismissed, Dr Nakaji made me feel empowered and heard. Waiting through the next few weeks is and will be a lot more comfortable.
Wishing you a full recovery. Your story is inspiring. I feel similar to you about the dismissal and diagnostic process and the barely hanging on. I didn’t realize the muscle tissue could be removed during a styloidectomy. Your experience really opened my eyes . I have pretty severe adhesions/myofascial tethering on the left anterior neck. Did you surgeon discuss fibrotic tissue removal with you prior to your surgery? No pressure to reply. Take good care and keep us updated when you can.
Sounds like they did a good job of removing anything causing compression, so hopefully good for potential recovery. Unfortunately symptoms can ramp up on the other side after surgery, I hope things settle soon…Best wishes for a speedy recovery ![]()
Thank you for your thoughtful post.
I am on a journey right now to find what is happening to me.
My PT diagnosed me with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and now I am wondering about Eagle Syndrome.
A lot of your symptoms resembles mine aside from the pain in my throat but I’ve been having bouts of laryngitis that used to never happen to me. My last one was a year ago that last 2-3 months.
Now I do get this if I am shouting or singing, immediately my voice feels tired and strained and I feel like I’m being strangled.
Thank you to @Jules who looked at my panorama dental X-rays who indicated that both my stylohyoid ligament are calcified but the length of my styloid processes look normal. Last year May 2025, my wisdom teeth were taken out after the surgeon thought that I had time. I now wonder if it truly was my wisdom teeth causing my excruciating bad jaw pain and nausea. At the time I thought it was that and asked to get them removed. The extreme pain and nausea have reduced in severity.
I also have heat intolerance and now Raynaud’s.
Also numbness in fingers and toes.
Most of these symptoms either intensified following a car accident that I had in 2024.
Symptoms that were obvious before the car accident were migraines my entire life (mainly around the temples), arm weakness when raised or being used (something that does not seem to be typical of ES), heat intolerance, cold intolerance, GUT PROBLEMS (most blood work and stool samples negative), frequent ear infections
Hi, just sharing my similar symptoms, but unfortunately i dont have have answers. I was Dx with TOS: had the surgery and for me a big mistake, that was supposed to help with the bilat IJV compression, but left me with a bad shoulder and constant nerve pain.
Also have the strangling feeling! Dx with laryngeal dystonia and get Botox in vocal chords, helps a little but only briefly, and insurance will only pay for injections every 12 weeks. And I have Cervical Dystonia and get Neurotoxin for that.
Raynauds and RA, It seems so many symptoms overlap.
Migraine with aura which I have had since a teenager, but now feel that was really the ijv compression.
Gut problems turned into gastroporesis and now severe.
It is so frustrating not feeling well, I hope you can get some more answers
Hello,
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Did you also have the styloidectomy surgery?
I have injuries to both shoulders right now without any surgeries. Not sure if these were present before or after the car accident.
I get Botox for migraines and asked for them to also inject my SCM and scalenes. For TOS, it should be US guided but isn’t. I’ve only had 2 sessions with this pain MD.
I asked my former neurologist and she doesn’t think I have cervical dystonia. I also do not have cervical instability as I did an x ray in flexion and extension and there was no evidence of it.
Do you have Raynaud’s and RA too? None of my inflammatory markers are elevated.
I’m sorry you are going through all of this
:(.
@birdie1 - I’m very sorry for your ongoing symptoms especially after having two IJV decompressions previously.