So I’m gonna speak with him before this. My surgery is next Thursday. It’s with Dr Ramirez. I know he’s done many complicated surgeries before and he knew right what this was when I was talking to him about it. He was smart enough to go back and compare scans with older ones where as the other drs didn’t do that. I just pray everything goes well and this helps me cause this has been a long road with the hyoid bone and then this. I was reading those two can go hand and hand if you get hyoid bone syndrome your styloids are more likely to calcify over time and this makes sense cause I was feeling this a while back and just thought it was my hyoid bone syndrome the symptoms cross over and are very similar but with that it causes a strangulation feeling and a constant clicking of the bone when you turn your head. He did say my styloids aren’t wide but they are calcified and they are longer than normal over 3. Another quick question (sorry for all the questions) when I turn my head or neck I don’t feel that stabbing pain I just feel pressure or something pushing hard on my tonsils I mainly feel the stabbing pain behind the ears after talking to much or eating frequently along with swallowing. That stabbing pain is constant it’s not a zing pain that leaves or goes on and off. It goes from the hallow of my ears down under the jaw line to the top of my hyoid bone is that what any of you have felt? Even touching that area kills.
Dr Ramirez has done surgeries for members on here, so that’s good! Having pain when talking too much or eating is something quite a few members have had, it could be the Glossopharyngeal nerve which the styloids often irritate, so hopefully surgery will help with this. It may not go away straight away, sometimes nerves can take months to heal, so try not to be worried after surgery if you still have pain, there can be ups & downs with healing after this surgery.
I’m glad you’ll get another chance to talk to Dr Ramirez before Thursday, hopefully he’ll reassure you about the surgery. I’ll make a not of the date & will pray all goes well
I just put your surgery date on my calendar & will pray for you, too, @ShelbyH.
Thank you both I appreciate it.
Do you know of lying down on your back makes the headaches worse or if anyone has ever complained about this? If so do you have an advice for sleeping? I feel when I lay on my back both sides of the back of my head pulsate
For situations like yours, @ShelbyH, a number of our members have found sleeping w/ their heads elevated made a big difference. You may need to experiment to see how much elevation you need to reduce that symptom. After surgery, we recommend sleeping w/ your head elevated about 30º for a week or more as this helps reduce swelling in the throat & at the incision site. It takes some getting used to since that’s practically sitting up but can make a big difference in helping reduce pain. Many of us bought wedge pillows. I had to add bed pillows to mine to make it more comfy. A v or u shaped pillow can help support your neck when sleeping on your back after surgery to keep it in a more neutral position while you sleep.
Thank you I’m finding the back lower sides of my head are the worst. Yesterday I had a terrible migraine and went to lay down and found it got much worse laying down which is hard to deal with when your head hurts that bad because you just want to lay down and fall asleep. Just more pieces to this puzzle I guess.
Sleeping propped up definitely helped me, & quite a few members have said the same- when there’s Internal Jugular Vein compression by the styloids, it can increase head pressure, especially when laying flat, sleeping propped up a bit helps the veins to drain. It does seem to help symptoms for some people even if they don’t have vascular compression, it’s worth experimenting with different positions to see what helps, & using extra pillows or cushions to keep yourself in that position while you sleep!
If you have a recliner where you can adjust how steep your head elevation is, that can be more helpful than juggling pillows. You can also try icing your neck when you’re really miserable - 15 min every couple of hours. If ice doesn’t help, try heat.
Thank you the ice does seem to help the migraine medicine does also but it’s like I’m taking it round the clock anymore
I’m glad if ice helps. I think it numbs the nerves a bit which helps them be less sensitive but am sorry the migraine meds aren’t being very helpful.
So the surgery went well on the right side. I’m going to see him Wednesday to get the drain out that I requested be put in. I do have some light headed dizziness and pressure in my head which is common and a little numbness and tingling in my neck which they also said is common. This morning I woke up and my ear and throat was hurting near the site especially when I swallowed is this common? I can tell the difference from one side to the other where it doesn’t feel like something is stuck in that side of the upper throat anymore and things are getting stuck when I swallow on the side that hasn’t been done yet. Anyone know how long they normally wait to do the opposite side?
@ShelbyH - The first week after surgery is usually the worst from a pain standpoint. Days 3-5 post op is when the swelling maxes out & pain can be the worst. You’re starting into that time frame. Taking your pain meds on schedule & icing your neck for 15 min every couple of hours will help. Sleeping w/ your head elevated to 30º will also help reduce swelling in your neck & throat.
I’m glad you can already tell a difference between the side that’s had the styloidectomy & the one that still has a styloid. That’s great news!!
Surgeries are usually done 3 or more months apart so the first side has some time to heal before your body is working on healing the other side.
So it is normal to have pain when swallowing where the site is? Hurts to yawn, swallow, stick my tongue out when I’m brushing that kinda stuff.
Yes, that’s quite normal…lots of us couldn’t open our mouths wide wither after surgery, chewing can be painful too, and moving the tongue, sometimes it hurts to talk… Hopefully it’ll settle soon, good that you don’t get the feeling of something stuck in your throat. It is unfortunately common for symptoms to show themselves a bit on the opposite side once you’ve had surgery. As @Isaiah_40_31 says, 3 months is the minimum between surgeries usually…Take care
Been two weeks now and I can finally swallow without feeling like I’m swallowing knives but it kills where the stitches are when I’m chewing or moving. It’s such a strange feeling like my neck is numb under my chin area but yet it hurts and feels almost restricted like the stitches are so tight I can only move my head or neck so far is this normal?
What you’re going through is normal. There is a lot of swelling in the neck & throat post op & it can take 4-8 weeks to fully subside. You can continue icing your neck several times a day or use warm compresses if that feels better. Continuing to sleep w/ head elevation is also helpful. I needed to do that for 6 weeks post op after my first surgery.
The restricted feeling is from the swelling. Even if it doesn’t look terribly swollen on the outside, there can still be substantial internal inflammation. The numbness in your neck & chin, which is superficial, will go away, or mostly so, over a period of 2-6 months. The sharper pain you feel is your nerves reawakening & starting to heal after being irritated by your styloid(s). Pain, burning, tingling, itching, numbness, pain zaps, even feelings of cooling or warming w/o physical skin temp changes are all related to nerve recovery.
You can start gently massaging your incision w/ your finger tips about 4 weeks post op. Be sure to use some lubrication (Bio Oil, avocado/Vit. E oil, coconut oil or lotion) on your finger tips to reduce the friction on your incision when massaging.
Wow ok thank you. Yes as you mentioned I do get these random pain zaps behind the ears and near the stitches. And yes it doesn’t look swollen on the outside but when I touch around the site I can feel it’s very swollen inside almost like a huge lump.
I agree with @Isaiah_40_31 , quite normal, and not anything to worry about. As long as things are moving forward, even if that’s very slowly, that’s good, sending you a hug
Thanks and happy Valentine’s Day! I truly appreciate all the help you have all given me through this challenging time.