@Monica - I’ve put your surgery date on my calendar so I can pray for you especially that day. I’m so glad you have a date that isn’t too far away! You’re fortunate to have unilateral ES vs bilateral, but from your symptoms list, I can see the one elongated styloid has certainly caused you a lot of grief! I’m glad you received a diagnosis in time to save your life. I know of other members on our forum who also felt suicidal from their symptoms prior to diagnosis, too. What a relief to finally know there’s a specific cause for all the pain, misery & anxiety!
Having had several surgeries, I can tell you that being put under happens so fast, you aren’t aware of it happening until you’re waking up. When you’re in pre-op there will be one or more nurses who attend to you. You’ll be given a bag in which to put the clothes you’re wearing, & you’ll change into a lovely 
surgical “gown” w/ poorly matching socks to help keep your feet warm. You’ll be covered w/ a warm blanket (unless you don’t want/need it), and your IV will be started w/ a saline drip initially. You’ll be plied with the same questions repetitively by several different pre-op nurses & will have to sign a few more documents. You may have a bit of quiet time for a snooze or to just be still, but in general, the nurses will keep you occupied nearly until the time the anesthesiologist comes by to introduce him/herself to you. After that, Dr. Osborne will likely stop by for a short chat then you’ll get wheeled into the OR, & the next thing you know, you’ll be waking up.
In post-op, you’ll be monitored for nausea & pain & will be given IV meds according to your needs & ice for your neck (if they don’t give you an ice pack automatically, ask for it because it really helps right away). Depending on the length of your surgery, pre-op, surgery, & post op take from 4-6 hrs. or more if the post op staff feels you need a bit more recovery time before being discharged.
You’ll be drowsy & sore after surgery so when you get back to the place you’re staying start icing immediately - 15 min on & 45 min off. Put a thin towel or cloth between your skin & the ice pack even if the ice pack has a cover. We recommend gel ice packs because the conform well to the shape of the neck & aren’t too heavy. If you choose to lie down, do so w/ your head very elevated (30º or more is the most helpful). I came home & sat in our recliner for the rest of the day w/ it slightly reclined after each of my surgeries. You may be starving & feel like eating. It’s a good idea to start w/ soft foods because having a sore jaw/throat post op is common & chewing doesn’t feel great for a few days to a few weeks. That said, some people are fine immediately post op & go out for a burger 
. You’ll know what’s right for you.
For the first week (at least) post op sleeping w/ your head elevated will help reduce swelling in your throat & neck. Icing on & off all day will also help w/ that. Getting up to take 2-3 short walks (10-15 min)/day is helpful to keep your blood circulating which also helps w/ recovery. I advise against walking alone initially as the pain meds may make you feel a bit loopy. If you take Rx pain meds, you’ll need to start on a stool softener & laxative ASAP after surgery & daily until you stop the Rx pain meds, as opioid pain meds are VERY constipating, & you don’t need to add that to the post op discomfort.
The anesthesia & other meds you get during surgery can hang around in your body for a couple of days after surgery giving the illusion that the pain isn’t as bad as you thought so you have the temptation to reduce the frequency at which you take your pain meds. However, days 3-5 post op are when the swelling peaks so that time frame is not good for deciding to cut back your pain meds or reduce how often you ice. Healing going forward is up & down w/ good days followed by less good days but over the course of a month or two, the good days will be more numerous & the less good will gradually disappear. It can take 4-12 months to really notice symptoms are gone. It just depends on how slowly or quickly your nerves heal. Also, when you do have good days initially, enter them w/ baby steps not head long as taking things slowly will help prevent you from feeling more sore & tired the next day. Rest when your body asks as that is also helpful.
Advice has been given to start doing gentle finger tip massage on your incision site once the wound is healed (3-4 weeks post op, I think). Use a lubricant (vitamin E oil, coconut oil, Bio Oil or lotion) so your fingers don’t drag on your new skin. The massaging helps to keep scar tissue from becoming too dense & also stimulates circulation which will help wake the local nerves up.
I think I’ve covered most everything, but I hope others will add their experiences & comments, too.
