I had surgery a few hours ago and as far as i can tell at tjis point all went Incredibly well. Initially they planned to operate intraoral but for some reason they did it extraorally and took 4 cm of the bone out. Didnt have the chance to talk to the surgeon yet but im amazed how good i feel.
Allready had a meal (3 hours after waking up) and not too much pain. My left chin and neck is a little numb and it hurts a bit to swallow but that’s it. I feel very well
I will keep posting for the next days and report about any changes.
That’s really good news- glad you’re able to eat already! I did have numbness post-surgery- it did gradually wear off but took a year to fully go, so be patient! Make sure you take it easy and hope that your recovery goes well!
Great news from Germany. Stay with us, you are now an official German Eagles expert on this site. So many people in Europe that you can possibly be a mentor for in the future.
Yes, no matter what. I will stay here. If theres any chance i can help others avoid the hellride that I had i want to take it.
Just woke up and feel the same as yesterday: very well
I have trouble swallowing, it does hurt. Its a different pain to the one i know though. Its probably because they started surgery intraoral and then switched to extraorally so i guess there is cuts and or stitches too that hurt. I still havent talked to my surgeon yet, i will have a visit with him this morning and ask him.
Im very happy they did it extraorally though and was secretely hoping for it
They told me i will have to stay at least 2 nights up to 5, depending on the healing. Im curious too what the surgeon tells me. When i was in the wake-up-room (dont know the english term ) he came to me for s very short visit and judt said they did it extraorally because they couldnt take enough of it out from the Inside. I was too dizzy and tired to ask more at this moment but i smiled and immediately though “this is good”
Just talked to my surgeon. As i suspected they operated external from the beginning (otherwise i would be in much more pain now). They did so because the fracture and the angle of the styloid would have made it very riskfull, If not impossible, to be taken out the internal way. Also they couldnt have taken out as much as they did: 4 cm of the styloid plus the ligament. What baffles me is that I dont even notice the ligament missing. I thought I would have different talking or swallowing but nothing. All difference i notice is that my globus sensation is GONE, NO EARPAIN so far and the clicking while swallowing is GONE too.
Yes, it’s weird that there doesn’t seem to be any difference in function at all when they take out the styloid and ligament. From what I recall, other structures are in place to do the same “duties”.
I’m so happy for you. It all seems to be going very well. Make sure when you get home you don’t try to do too much. Let yourself rest and heal. Keep us posted on your progress and what seems to help you as you go through the healing process. I know lots of people are interested in hearing about those kinds of things.
Yes, one thing i realised is i have to be very cautious when eating. I cant open my mouth fully yet without having a lot of pain. Same with chewing, yawning etc. The more the pain meds fade out the more pain i feel. Its the healing pain of the wound though, different to the pain i had from ES so im positive this will get a lot better. My cheek and neck on the operated side around the scar is still very numb. I dont know what it will be like when the numbness goes away…I guess i better get prepared for some heavy pain there
Today they removed the tube from my wound and im off the pain-meds too. As the feeling in most parts of my throat, chin and face is back to normal i have to say i was a bit too euphoric about the numbness. Half of my right cheeck and neck up to my ear is completely numb. I just didnt realize earlier
All in all i still feel very well, considering its only the second day after surgery.
As Jules said, nerves take a long time to heal & you may feel numbness up to a year. I got complete feeling back after about 10 months on my right side, but my left side is still a bit numb after a year & 2 months. I’m mostly numb along my jaw line - no place that matters. Be patient & as everyone has advised, take it easy for at least 2-4 weeks post op so your body can heal. Your body has just been through a major surgery.
Yes, i guess I need to be much more patient and give it time. Today i woke up in pain. My operated side hurts more than yesterday but I dont want to take the painkillers yet. Also the numbness (Especially my ear) kind of freaked me out yesterday but as you said this seems to be very usual. I will ask my surgeon later on, he will come for another visit and then i can leave the hospital.
Oh, yesterday he told me they took the styloid out completely up to my skull so this is good news i guess
It is good news that they took all the styloid out.
I think the worst couple days are after the surgery when the hospital pain meds have worn off. Don’t be afraid to take the pain meds you’ve been given. This is what they’re meant for.
Like Isaiah I had numbness after a couple of my surgeries. One time it was pretty bad and it took several months to fade significantly and over a year until it went away.
Oh, I wanted to ask - Who is your doctor? What town is he in?
His Name is Dr. Liebehenschel at the Heidberg Klinik in Hamburg. He is in the mouth-jaw-face-surgical section of the hospital (i think “oral and maxillofacial surgery” is the english term).
Today I got home. I have an appointment in 7 days for the scar threads to be pulled.
Its too early to tell. Pain isnt too bad but i have pain especially when swallowing or opening my mouth too wide and my right cheek and ear is very numb still.
What are your advices for the next few days to support the healingprocess?
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, i apreciate it a lot! Without you guys all this would be much more insecuring.
Best advice is to take it easy, as others have said! Lots of people have found using ice packs help- didn’t for me as cold sets the nerve pain off worse. I did find I couldn’t clean my teeth very well or eat much for a week afterwards as it was painful to open my mouth wide, but it soon goes. I had lots of yoghurt and smoothies. Sleep semi-upright to help with reducing swelling.
Later on once the wound has healed it’s a good idea to use oil to massage it to stop it getting too tight. After the first couple of weeks I did some very gentle stretches with my neck to stop everything getting stiff- you could ask the doctor about that at your appt. Try not to worry about the numbness, I’m sure it’ll go with time.
Best wishes!
I also thought I’d mention first-bite syndrome to you. You mentioned that you had pain when you first opened your mouth, so it’s possible you might be getting it. It’s when you have pretty bad pain upon first opening your mouth - for example when you eat. The pain fades in a couple seconds, but it can be pretty painful. Most of the time when people get first-bite syndrome, it gets progressively better and fades completely within a couple months. I had it twice and it took longer to fade, but eventually did.
ü
) he came to me for s very short visit and judt said they did it extraorally because they couldnt take enough of it out from the Inside. I was too dizzy and tired to ask more at this moment but i smiled and immediately though “this is good” 
