Surgery was two weeks ago yesterday! Overall, healing has been great, aside from tiring easily. Main problem is still that the weird nerve sensation is still there. Cold sensation that seems to run from my ear to my eye, sometimes up my scalp. I know it’s probably inflammation, and I know inflammation takes a while to heal. But since it’s been so disconcerting to have this back after it was gone for so long, I’m thinking back to what may have made it go away the first time. And I keep going back to the laser treatments my physical therapist did. I know they reduce inflammation. Of course I will check with Dr. Hepworth before I do anything. But I was curious. Did anybody else have any kind of laser treatments after surgery? Or any other kind of physical therapy.
And also, for the record, add me to the list of people whose other side symptoms get worse after one surgery. It was already starting to happen before, but accelerating now. Right ear pain, nasty tinnitus. I’m scheduled to have the other side done in November. Can’t say I’m super excited about getting cut open again. Thinking I may try injections first. I think this side is just a calcified ligament, no compression.
There have been a number of mentions of cold laser therapy by members in the past (you can search for them w/ the magnifying glass icon). I think some people found it really helpful & others not so much. @MusicGeek was a proponent of cold laser therapy as it did her a lot of good to help deal w/ nerve recovery & scar tissue build up post op. If Dr. Hep says it’s ok to do it, I think it’s worth trying especially because you had good results w/ it previously.
You & I are in the same club. Symptoms caused by my remaining styloid amplified tremendously after my first surgery. I’m sorry you’re having to deal w/ that during your recovery.
Hi, I can’t help but weigh in here. First and foremost it needs to be known that cold laser needs to avoid organs, including the brain and glands. When treated on the neck a special cone attachment made for the laser needs to be used in order to avoid the thyroid gland. A past ES patient wrote to me once that she was getting cold laser into her throat which is seriously wrong and as my doctor told me - not legal to use this way. It can damage the brain stem! I do think cold laser is helpful, but it cannot be used on the skull and should be thought of as a laser. Just because you don’t see where it’s going doesn’t mean it is not penetrating beyond view. It should be wielded carefully and strategically to avoid glands, organs and the brain.
My surgeries were 6 years ago and I am still improving. I am currently getting therapy from a massuese who is certified for “inter-oral”. When dealing with scar tissue one needs to have the massuese work slowly through the layers of scar tissue over time / multiple appointments. Keeping track of what was done and how you feel afterwards is needed. If you are sore or have new symptoms for three days after a treatment- the massuese went too far, and needs to be told. Everyone is different so it’s important to keep track. You need to be partners with your inter-oral certified massuese. Getting shoulder massages has been helpful for me as well. So much of this stuff can be connected, especially with past injuries that are complicating things. I think it’s common to have injuries from past falls because Eagle Syndrome can really mess up your balance.
I am sorry you are having pain. I’m here to tell you, that it can get better. I’ve been very lucky with medical help. I have a doctor who was a throat surgeon and she became an Acupuncturist. She traveled the world for training. My Acupuncturist has been using micro frequencies on me to break up scar tissue as well. The two together have been very helpful. I need to say yet another warning: Acupuncturist are never allowed to put needles in your neck. If one tries to do so, that means they are not trained and you need to leave like a bat out of hell. Again, I was told by someone in the forum who had this done. I asked my acupuncturist if this was normal and she was very upset, because it is extremely dangerous. If you can get help from a loved one who can research this stuff, it can be helpful. I didn’t have that, but I was lucky to have a couple of doctors who worked very hard to help me. I was very lucky and blessed.
The micro frequency style acupuncture isn’t necessarily done with needles. It’s hard to explain. I was skeptical, but I’m now a believer. Micro frequency style acupuncture can be extremely helpful with nerve damage.
I know cold laser works simply from cause and effect. My doctor with the cold laser was sick for a long time after my 2nd surgery - so I didn’t get the same treatment as soon. That side wasn’t nearly as bad or big of an ES bone, but the scar is much more pronounced simply because it didn’t get cold laser as soon as the other side. That is just aesthetics I know, but the visual difference is surprising.
I had some supplements recommended by my doctor and I think they’ve have also been helpful. She has had me on ‘CoQnol ‘ 100. Which is superior endogenous & exogenous ubiquitoul (a fancy Q10) I take one capsule morning and evening. Another is a powder that I add to my morning smoothie called ‘Arthroben’ that is proprietary blend of collagen peptides. This helps with inflammation.
Both my right Carotid artery and Right Jugular had been damaged by a fractured ES bone. The fractured bone actually scraped off most of my carotid body on that side (shivers). and yet both vessels have healed well. I mean, if I can not die and heal after that, then I think there is a lot of hope for everyone.
Hang in there. I will pray for you. You might want to ask your doctor what can be done for damaged nerves. There are prescriptions that might help. Forgive me for guessing this is one of the causes of your pain. I just know it’s often missed. One more thing that’s helped me was a Cpap machine. Apparently my throat changed with the surgeries. Sleeping better absolutely helps healing. Ok enough of this novel. Take care. I’ll pray. It will improve
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for this gold mine of information!! I have been getting massage every other week forever. She is an instructor at the local massage school, and amazingly good. I would like to do acupuncture as well. How soon did you start all of this – especially the cold laser – after surgery? Debating whether to wait for my appointment on the 28th to get “clearance” to start these things, or calling to ask sooner.
Thanks again. And thank you so much for the prayers!!!
The cold sensation sounds like it’s nerve related, & may be the Trigeminal Nerve- it’s commonly affected by the styloids. You say it’s back when it’d been gone for a while- this could be that the nerve was moved &/or stretched during surgery & now it’s flared up again. Nerves are monitored during surgery to ensure there’s not too much stress on them, so it should only be temporary & will heal in time. Sending you hugs & will keep praying for your healing
@Jules – music to my cold ears I’m really hoping it’s just irritated because of the surgery. Yesterday it was pretty much gone, which of course gave me great hope. And today it is back. But I figure even that it would be gone for a day must bode well for it eventually going away forever. Thank you so much for the prayers!!!
I had a similar situation w/ nerve healing along my jaw line. Sometimes it felt cool & others warm it sort of alternated w/ gap days in between where it felt normal. It did take several months for both the cool & warm sensations to go away completely. I didn’t do anything special therapy-wise except rub it gently w/ my fingers when I felt either sensation. Coming & going of symptoms is very typical of nerve healing.
Hi, I’m back lol
I see you found information for cold laser - I’m so glad. It’s great for loosening tight scar tissue and is a great alternative for carpel tunnel.
To answer your question Bopper; my doctor used to work with an expert on cold laser back when it was in its first uses. My finger joints were swelling badly when I had full blown Eagle Syndrome and she knew that as a musician I really needed my fingers. She talked the makers of the cold laser into selling me my own machine. One is not allowed do their own throat laser work, but you are allowed to do your own fingers and carpel tunnel. My doctor also trained me and my son (she came to me house!). My son had a bad ganglion on his wrist the size of a golf ball. He also had a compound bone injury in his foot. Th foot took about 6 months to heal. The large ganglion took about a year of treatment but it’s now gone. She also trained me for hip and shoulder cold laser therapy. Bottom line the machine paid for itself many times over even though it cost more than an alto sax lol.
My doctor became the local Eagle Syndrome expert because of me. She has been helping others since.
I’ll never forget when I went to my appointment with her after she figured out what I had. She had been up all night and found an exact description of me. The pain and side effects and all the ugly stuff. She was unable to speak and handed me her laptop opened to the medical page. After the appointment I needed to get gas for my car. I’ve already have had a few life and death health journeys. I spoke out loud “God, do you want me to face this stupid Eagle thing?” I wanted to crawl into a hole. I went to a gas station new to me and had to drive around the back. I pulled up behind an SUV that had a back window with a see through decal of a giant eagle’s head staring at me in the face. I had to laugh. I cried and laugh. The other cars must have thought I was crazy. The owner of the car helped me find the right buttons on the pumps (The descriptions had been worn off). He asked me if I was OK. I told him that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. His back window was a message from God. He treated me with kindness.
I should have mentioned that the arthroben supplement was developed for MS patients in mind. A nice side affect is your skin looks younger lol. I was just at my husbands reunion and was asked twice how much younger I was than my husband lol. I’m sure it won’t last, but it’s a nice perk.
Thank you Isaiah and Jules for all your help here. You were and are a blessing to me and others.
Really good to have you back @MusicGeek! Thank you for your great information about cold laser therapy.
Great to hear you’re doing well & have found good, successful therapies for your remaining health challenges. I hope you’ve been able to get back to playing that alto sax & singing again!
I’m really hoping it’s just irritated because of the surgery. Yesterday it was pretty much gone, which of course gave me great hope. And today it is back. But I figure even that it would be gone for a day must bode well for it eventually going away forever. Thank you so much for the prayers!!!