Natasha,
I’m about 7 days out post op but mine external. Day 3-5 can be some of the worst symptoms especially from swelling. I’m on a course of prednisone to control the swelling but still feel like someone is choking me sometimes so Im icing as often as possible.Id expect some ups and downs for up to 6 weeks.
This is my 2nd surgery and has been a bit tougher go of it this time around. I am having alot of the same tension and pressure also but some pain with swallowing that comes and goes. I also some some partial tongue paralysis making it hard to chew and move food around so Im doing soft foods and smoothies, 1st surgery I couldn’t open my mouth much but this time I can.
Take it easy and dont expect quick recovery. Ice, Ice and ice!
Hi @natasha, be patient, get lots of rest and ice, ice, ice. You will be in considerable pain for a bit, but each day will get better. I am 2+ weeks post op intraoral, I still have some pain, daily headaches, and a little numbness in my tongue. My incision still looks a mess, and I have a little gap in there too, but I’m sure it will all close up in time.
Rest, rest, rest, your body has been through a lot and needs time to heal. Take your pain meds on time, the full dose, ice, ice, ice, it will help with the swelling and I found it helped with the pain also. Keep hydrated, I drank endless cups of chamomile tea with honey which kept me hydrated and soothed my throat (I’m still drinking tea like crazy).
Honestly, I didn’t really even get out of bed for a good 10 days, some days I felt pretty good, others I spent most of my time sleeping. Listen to your body, it needs all that rest to heal. Don’t feel you need to rush the healing, it will take a long while with ups & downs, but you will eventually get there. Keeping you in my thoughts.
Intraoral surgery can be more painful to recover from, as swallowing can be more painful. That said after my first surgery I couldn’t open my mouth wide at all; I just had smoothies & then soft foods. It lasted for just under 2 weeks I think. Day4 is very early still for recovery; the next couple of days you could feel worse as this seems to happen often.
Hang in there, & as the others say, ice for the swelling & take things easy, gentle hugs to you
I’ll chime in with the others. Recovery from ES surgery is slow, & as everyone has said, has its ups & downs. You will heal faster if you rest a lot at first then start back into your activities very slowly. Listening to your body is the most important thing. If you feel tired, don’t push yourself to complete a task. Rest & finish later. Most of us lead very active lives so stopping to rest is not what feels right, but when healing from surgery, it’s what helps the body heal more quickly.
My husband is 3 months out from his first styloid being removed. His head pressures have been pretty bad lately. He is feeling discouraged about the styloids being the issue since he has not completely recovered but I keep telling him he needs the second styloid removed before he can decide if it worked or not. Now its a matter of saving up for another big California trip to see Samji and keeping him optimistic is very challenging.
To anyone that has had both sides—Does the second side make all the difference or should he have had more improvement with the first?
Dr. Samji did both of my ES surgeries, & having the second side done gave me back my life. At about the three month mark after my first surgery, my symptoms flared terribly. They were almost worse than when I had both styloids intact. It was 9 months between surgeries for me due to a series of unfortunate events that delayed my second surgery. At the time I had my first surgery, Dr. Samji required a mandatory 6 months between surgeries so I had a longer wait, to start with, for my second one than his current patients do. Please reassure your husband that getting the second styloid out should make a huge difference especially if he has/had bilateral vascular compression. I had my first surgery in 2014 & my second in 2015. I’m so thankful I made the decision to see Dr. Samji & have bilateral surgery.
I did notice a good improvement with the first surgery, but then I had the worst side done first. If your husband’s veins were compressed badly both sides then it could well be that the second surgery will make all the difference. It’s certainly worth doing though.
Occasionally the veins can’t spring back properly after the styloids are removed, so stenting might be needed. We’ve had a couple of members who have found that, & TheDude has recently posted some research papers mentioning that stenting can be needed alongside styloidectomies. I can’t post the link at the moment I’m afraid.
So sorry for your husband that it hasn’t resolved for him, hang in there, & hope that you’re able to get to see Dr Samji soon…
I just had my second surgery 2 weeks ago and I waited 7 mths between surgeries. I had a very strange flair of the other side at about 12 weeks out too like Isaiah and I hoped it would pass. It did thankfully but on a regular basis I would get nerve jolts up that side reminding me it was still there.
I had Samji do the side I had the most pain first although he said the 2nd side was longer and was his choice to do first. The 1st surgery contributed the already existing TMJ issues ie: stretching of nerves,etc. I wanted to have second surgery sooner but just was not physically ready. I think Samji will allow for 3 months between surgeries?
In my case, I have recently discovered some major jaw issues (bone loss) that is contributing to my issues (also neck instability). I can yet honestly say I have not seen a huge improvement in my symptoms as it is too soon. I also have other complicating factors that I think contribute to it all. I think after the 12-14 week mark, I did start to feel better on a more regular basis. The first 3 months was up and down.
I dont know where you are traveling from but I recently was able to get a pretty nice king suite in Los Gatos down the road from surgery center for $1000 for the week (9 nights) and a low cost car rental for $135 also for the week. I know airfare is pretty low as well. There are deep discounts right now due to COVID. Quarantine does not apply for those coming into county for medical care.
