I’m pretty anxious about having this surgery, but praying it will do the trick and get rid of this pain that has been getting worse by the day. Can’t wait to be able to say that I’m not in pain everyday
Surgery has finally been set for Oct 29. With Otolaryngologist Dr Goldenberg. He will be removing the styloid process on the left side externally. I’m praying that this surgery will somewhat give me life back.
For those that have had this surgery I’m curious as to what recovery will be like, how long, when will I get back to work, pain levels, ECT…
Blessings to all
Sorry to hear that your surgery was delayed, it’s so frustrating, I know how you feel as I had it too.
Hope that it goes well, lots of info about what to expect in the past discussions if you’ve not had a look. Will be praying for you
Here’s a quicky snapshot of what to expect post op, but as Jules noted there’s tons of info on the forum. You can search “post op” or “what to expect post op” using the magnifying glass icon above & read what comes up.
The first week post op will be the most uncomfy. Swelling is the worst days 3-5 post op so stick w/ your pain meds & icing your neck through that time. Sleeping w/ your head elevated to 30º will help a lot with swelling in your throat & neck.
You will notice some positive improvement by the end of week two (many people go back to work at this point) & by the end of two months you should have your energy back & be feeling pretty normal.
Nerves can take up to a year to heal so continuing to feel pain for a number of months after surgery is not uncommon - worse some days & better others.
If you have bilateral ES, your symptoms may continue after the first surgery until you have the second styloid removed in 3-6 months after the first one.
I will put your surgery date on my calendar & pray for you tomorrow. So glad your surgery date is nearly here.
Surgery went well on the 29th. Tomorrow will be a week and I will be going back to work tomorrow feeling better then I have in at least 2 years. I have had very minimum pain from the surgery. The styloid process (2 1/2 inches) and ligament were removed on the left side externally. I couldn’t have asked for a better surgeon, Dr David Goldenberg at Penn State Hershey Hospital in Hershey Pennsylvania did a great job. The surgery did not give me my hearing back in my left ear, for this is just the damage that was done due to the ES. My only hope is that I will not have any problems with the other side and need surgery.
Thank you for the update, SheilaM. I’m glad you’re able to go back to work so soon after surgery. I’m so glad the worst of your symptoms are gone or going away. I am sorry your hearing hasn’t come back, but a week post op is still really early for nerve healing to occur. I don’t want to offer false hope, but nerves can take a year or more to heal after injury or irritation so there is still a chance those nerves affecting your hearing can recover at least partially. We’ll hope, & I’ll pray for that for sure!
I will add Dr. Goldenberg’s name & contact info to our doctors list. Thank you for giving us another great doctor to whom we can refer people.
So pleased that you’ve not been in too much pain post surgery & are feeling so much better so soon! That’s great. I’m sure you wouldn’t be going back to work unless you had to, but try to take it easy if you can- it can easily set healing back if you overdo things. So pleased for you & always good to have a new doctor’s name on the list!
