Last Wednesday I had a follow up appointment with the surgeon. We went over my 3d ct scan. It was nice to get a better idea of what is going on inside of me and to actually see it. The left side is elongated and fully calcified and the right one is elongated and only calcified in certain spots - this allows it to move a little. Which explains why I don’t feel symptoms on that side. It is just as long as the left so I feel it may become problematic in the future.
The surgeon still wants to do the intraoral approach because of the way the left styloid is poking into my throat. Can anyone offer any advice or what to expect? From pain, to complications, to anything that helped, etc. Any and all information would be greatly appreciated!
Hello there, I can’t give any advice, but I wanted to just let you know I’m also having surgery soon. Dec 3rd. So maybe we can update each other on progress and such and kinda go thru it together
Sounds like you have a good surgeon. Just prepare ahead for the 'yuck' which results from a throat surgery. That is how your body responds. Doing one side and then waiting to see how the other side behaves is how I realized it would need done also. The calcification was the culprit, as they were not 'too' long, and they were poking into my throat. Chicken bone...
You will have a really bad sore throat, like strep. But it fades in the first week; there will still be tenderness for awhile. Just gargle with warm salt water and eat/drink good soft stuff. Milk products can make phlegm, so take it easy.
Your preparation/pre-op paperwork should detail all this. Follow them. If you had concerns, call. Everybody is different, of course. I felt so good otherwise, I could not believe it.
Because the tissue is inflamed you will sound/talk funny probably; swallowing will be weird and the normal drainage from your nose/throat will increase/feel like it increased tremendously. That is because the tissues are not as soft as normal because of the surgery and there is a temporary recession of the tissue, so the moisture doesn't know where to go. Kind of confusing, but it is like having work done on your teeth and gums and how the tissue there reacts is the same.
But as my PA said, it is amazing how the mucous membranes/tissues in the throat, etc., heal so fast and completely if allowed to.
Just have your recovery scene ready so you don't have to think... As in any surgery.
Though there are surgeons who do the intraoral approach, many feel this is more dangerous because of the vascular tissues & facial nerves that run through the area where the elongated styloids sit. The intraoral approach requires more guess work for the surgeon so as not to cut through nerves or veins & arteries. There's better visibility going through the neck & facial nerves can be monitored & potentially disturbed less.
I had my right styloid removed on 11/17 through the external approach & will have the left one done in 6 months. My right was growing more straight down, but my left sounds more like yours as it is poking into my throat, but even w/ that, it will be removed by the external approach. My doctor only does one at a time because of his experience w/ post surgical swelling in the throat (i.e. it can swell closed if both sides are done at once). I did experience a couple of days of extreme throat swelling post surgically & was very thankful for his wise decision to do only one side at a time.
What you can expect post surgically: The first week is the most uncomfy w/ days 3-4 post surgery possibly being the worst. (it was for me, but I was warned by my doctor, so it was expected). My pain ranged from ear ache to jaw ache to headache to neck pain to sore throat. Antibiotics, steroids, antinausea meds (didn't need these) & Percocet were prescribed post surgically. I tried cutting back on my pain meds toward the end of my first week which was a mistake, so I recommend you stay the pain med course for at least the first week. By the beginning of the second week, I was feeling much better but a bit low on energy. I tried spacing out the time between pain meds again w/ more success this time. The nerve that effects motor function of the right side of my tongue was tightly wrapped around my styloid & had to be moved off the styloid so the styloid could be removed. As a result, half of my tongue is not currently working. I have been assured full function will return, it will just take time. Everyone is built differently so there 's a good chance you will not have this same experience. You should expect to eat your food blended in a blender for at least several days post surgically. My jaw is still stiff & though I can chew, I still prefer a "soft" diet.
Lastly, I'm an avid exerciser. I was warned that starting back into exercising too soon could increase my swelling & slow my recovery. I'm going back to the gym tomorrow to try gentle exercise to see how my body reacts. I'm at day 12 post surgically now & am taking pain meds about 1x/day if needed.
I hope this info is helpful for you. If you have confidence in your surgeon, there is nothing to fear. Our bodies are built to heal and survive & if we listen to them & take care of them, they do just that.
Thank you so much for the response! I appreciate all of the information! I asked my surgeon about the external approach - she really felt intraoral was the safest way to go in my particular case and because of the direction the styloid is going in. I have done a lot of reading/research and I was a little weary of intraoral. She does both intraoral and external so I am going to trust her decision in my case and hope for the best.
Trusting your surgeon is the best decision. If she's done this surgery before then she knows the risks, & as you noted, will do what she thinks is best for you. Go into it fearlessly, I did. It will be a better experience if you aren't afraid. Make sure you have someone at home to help you for several days post surgically. You will need that.
:)
Isaiah 40:31
krista3 said:
Hi Isaiah,
Thank you so much for the response! I appreciate all of the information! I asked my surgeon about the external approach - she really felt intraoral was the safest way to go in my particular case and because of the direction the styloid is going in. I have done a lot of reading/research and I was a little weary of intraoral. She does both intraoral and external so I am going to trust her decision in my case and hope for the best.
I will try to be fearless! Lol. Yes I will have my parents for a week while my boyfriend will have to work. Hopefully the second week will be manageable on my own during the day until my boyfriend gets home. Do you think I could be back to work within 2 weeks?
Hi Krista, I was easily able to go back to work after 2 weeks. That was for my intraoral and external surgeries. You're going to feel so much better! Keep us posted when you can.
One more thing I didn't mention about the healing process, & I'm sorry to bring it up as it's not a positive note, I started having "first bite syndrome" (Google it if you don't know what it is) on the fifth day after my surgery. My doctor said this could last 4-6 months. Thankfully it doesn't happen to everyone, but I wanted you to know it's a possibility during recovery.
I agree w/ heidemt that by the end of 2 weeks you will feel pretty normal again.
My first bite syndrome probably took about 6 months to go away 80%. It's been about a year and a half and I'd say its 90 - 95% gone. I still get it once in a while and it's not that bad when I do. I can easily live with it.
