I’m glad you found Dr. Hackman. I had bilateral styloid process removal as well as my right thyroid out with him on Nov 2019. I can not say enough about him. He is just so talented. He is the only ES surgeon I know that is also trained in vascular. I know of one that does vascular but he has another vascular surgeon work with him. Not that j is a a bad thing. I know it easier said than done but try not to worry so much. If it is any help it was much easier than I anticipated. Not that it was a piece of cake. I went home on the same day and only took one pain killer. The worse for me was the head pressure you have after surgery until you hea. Most people use a wedge pillow. My boys got me a bed that raised which helped a lot. I don’t know if you could rent one with covid or not. I hope you get a lot of relief and you find it easier than you anticipate. I’ll be praying for you. Take care!