I seen Dr. Alemar in July. He was reluctant to do the surgery and only wanted to go through the mouth. He doesn’t believe in taking out the whole syloid process. I also have eagles on both sides and he was only wanting to remove my Right side. He also told us that the sp will never grow back, which we know from members on here that it is a possibility if enough isn’t removed. We decided not to go with him, he definitely was not the right fit and personally Id take him off the list of doctors for people to see.
I have been talking with Dr. Samji and he said that I definitely a great candidate for surgery as my sp are long and they are aimed inward. No wonder I am having problems swallowing my food and feeling like im being choked all the time. He was so awesome to talk to on the phone. He listened, he didnt seem like he was in a hurry and truly listened-which most of us can agree its so hard to find any dr who will actually listen and hear our pain. I have surgery tentatively scheduled for August 29. Im scared and happy at the same time if that makes sense?! I hope I can get it all worked out that I can get this done. Id appreciate any prayers. Thanks!
Congratulations on the upcoming surgery! Being scared and happy at the same time is completely understandable. Best of luck to you! Btw, I had two surgeries with Dr. Samji and they were the easiest recoveries that I had.
That’s good news! I hope that everything will work out so that you get have the op at the end of August… I’m sure that it’s the same date as MusicGeek has with Dr Samji aswell!
Of course I’ll pray for you!
Hang in there! Yes that is my surgery date. My husband and the ND who figured out I had ES are flying down from Washington State for my first surgery. Blessings on you. It will be OK. Wow am I tired of telling my scared friends it will be OK. Of course I am a little scared too. I know from being on stage that it’s possible to channel fear into excitement. It’s almost like changing a color in your mind - if that makes sense LOL. Being a little afraid is totally normal. I’ve had far too many surgeries because of some very unfortunate stuff. I am so ready with some really baaaad jokes to mess with the recovery room.LOL.
Great that you’re able to find a sense of humour in this! I’m sure that it will go down well with the hospital staff- they usually have a sick (pardon the pun!) sense of humour to be able to cope with the things they see!
Hope all goes well, thinking of you, and looking forward to hearing how you’re doing as soon as you’re able!
I also have surgery scheduled with dr. samji. My surgery is on Oct 10. I scheduled it a little further out because I have a family trip planned this month. Please let me know how the surgery goes. I’ve been having lots of anxiety and I’ve never had any surgeries performed on me so I’m extremely nervous. Best of luck and Please write updates on how your doing post op.
Excel-gano, I had two surgeries with Dr Samji and they went really well. I was eating regular food in a couple days, taking walks, and feeling pretty good. I live in Hawaii and flew back home in a week and went back to work two weeks after surgery.
The only problem I had was first-bite syndrome which is where you have pain when you first open your mouth. It mostly went away in a couple months. I had some mild residual pain for a while. I could have lived with it, but it did eventually go away completely.
Thank you so much for the email. Did you feel better after one side was done prior to the 2nd side being done? . My main issue has been balance and dizziness. I’ve been able to handle to the pain but not being able to drive long distances in the last 4.5 years has been very frustrating. It’s great hearing from other people who’s had the same issues and to hear post surgery success. The pain has been constant so a little residual pain won’t bother me. Dr. Samji is so awesome and while I’m nervous for the surgery , I’m also very excited to get some treatment. Any other advice prior to surgery? Well actually be driving down from Seattle so hopefully it’ll be okay to be in car for 15 hours a week post surgery.
Hey, I just had surgery yesterday with Dr. SAMJI. I recommend that you fill your prescriptions the day before, you get wedge pillows, soft foods, straws, ginger ale, applesauce, a few ice packs so you can alternate them (ice will be ur best friend, feels great!) Set an alarm for meds so you constantly stay on top of the meds, colace, a fan feels great (try to stay at a cottage or apartment) the cottage I’m staying at is at a perfect location through air b&b. It comes with a fan, 2 beds, kitchen, nice bathroom, a walgreens is kiddy corner from his house and a grocery store is right north of his house.
I hope this was of big help. I didn’t put it in the best format. Just wrote it down as I thought of them that were of huge help. Feel free to ask more questions. I hope everything goes smoothly for you. Dr SAMJI is an amazing surgeon and his staff have been super accommodatng. They answer all your questions and make you feel your their only patient. They don’t rush at all. It’s very different than what I’m used to. Also, for your drive bring pillows, regular and neck pillows. I hope this helps. If I forgot anything I’ll message you. Take care!!
OMG, you are a blessing to me. I live in Fl, I have been a member since 2013, I had a surgery intraoral on left side in 2013, mostly successful, but still have problems. I saw DR Alemar a few months later as he is supposed to have a lot of experience. I liked him. He validated that I had a good surgeon and that I needed to wait several months for things to heal. Mostly they did heal. But for 3 years I still have some residual pain and I have the other side still a problem. However I have done my homework. I just sent all my old records to Samji. His nurse worked with me to get a 3D CT scan done a few blocks from my home I Fl. I called around and found the place and she sent the order. As soon as he gets the disc in the mail and has time to review my case he will consult with me. Well worth the cost, I think. I went online and was able to read my CT scan report. I already know what it says.The right side which gives a little trouble and may be the cause of my neck issues is 5.1 cm. The left side that was resected is 3.0 cm. I will be waiting to see what Dr. Samji has to say about the scan and the report. Because of other problems, surgery may not be a priority now, but I won’t rule out a trip to San Jose in the near future, either. Thank you and thank God that you have consulted with both of these doctors, I have been waiting for another opinion of Dr. Alemar. I do think he is a decent surgeon and I would not rule him out if you must stay in Fl. I know he is at least as good as the surgeon that did my surgery and probably better. We all go where we must and do what is best for us at the time. I still like my first surgeon. He did his best just days before I found this site, and he believes he cannot do any better for me. He is honest and he had Eagles so he knew how much I was suffering. I have not been suffering nearly as bad as before my first surgery. That being said, your post is encouraging to me. I hope you recover quickly and fully. Bless you and everyone who has this syndrome.
Kcannady, Hoping you’d be willing to share an update on how your healing process went from surgery, and how you are today? Also did Dr. Samji perform the surgery externally or intraoral? Thanks so much!
Dr. Samji only does external surgery & in bilateral cases he requires 2 separate surgeries 3 or more months apart. He makes his incisions in neck creases so the scars are virtually invisible once the incision(s) heal. He did both of my surgeries (2014 & 2015). He is a fantastic surgeon & probably the most experienced ES surgeon on the US ES Doctors’ list.
He’s done more than 200 ES surgeries.
You can schedule a phone consult with him (there is a fee which is often paid by insurance). If you’re interested in doing that you can email his medical assistant Kim Elliot - kim @ caminoent . com to set up an appt. (Spaces are added to the email address so this site doesn’t block it.)
Hi MNMom. I’m sorry I didn’t respond earlier. I don’t check in very often anymore. My two surgeries with dr samji were external. You can barely see the scars. I have to point them out to people before they notice them.
He’s a good surgeon. I had 5 eagles surgeries and the recoveries from his surgeries were by far the easiest for me. I had first bite syndrome that faded a lot after the first month or two. It went away almost completely after about 6 months. I get a twinge every once in a while but it’s nothing. I’m very happy with the results from his surgeries.