Thanks for the tips! I’ll have to check into the wedge & u-pillows!
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@Stella I thought I’d ask you how you are doing… How are the nerves now, given that it’s been a while after the surgery?..
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Not a word. I hope she’ll reply to your query at some point. Thank you for keeping track, @vdm.
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He did it Transoral with the Davinci Robot. You can read about transoral with the Davinci Robot online. It was a great choice for me. It is less invasive and 10x the vision. He was able to remove them to the skull base. Positive is that it is less invasive and you usually have less swelling blood loss and the vision they get with the Robot.Also less risk of nerve damage. Negative is that it is a long surgery compared to external surgery. I think he averages 90 minute to take both styloids out external but mine with Transoral took 9 1/2 hours. They have to cut five holes in your mouth for access but the mouth is the 2nd fastest healing part of your body. For me it was much easier than I anticipated. I only took one pain killer. I asked him why he is doing so many more externally and he told me that more patients complained of pain with the Robot. I don’t know that I was the extreme exception but again I had very little pain. Also he has been doing a ton the last 3 years. I don’t think he is doing near the amount of cancer surgery as everyone is coming from all over to him and he trained another doctor there to also do Eagles surgeries. He also told me that some patients are not candidates for the Robot. I wish I had asked why. Not a lot of surgeons are trained to use the Davinci robot to remove the Styloids. It is a very expensive process as it takes a large team who are also trained on the Davinci Robot. I think Duke has a physician learning it or just started. I know they used to send all their patients to Hackman to take them out as he has so much more experience. .
I actually have to see him or talk to him on Monday. He took my right thyroid out when he removed my styloids and now I have nodules growing and hypothyroid. So he is probably going to take the left one out soon.
If you have any questions about my transoral experience I’ll be glad to answer them.
Have a great evening!
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