Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Five months since surgery (Right Slyloidectomy)

I think my fellow Eagle Syndrome friends deserve to know the progress I made since having surgery.  I am very happy with the outcome to say the least.  I honestly can’t complain about the little pain and discomfort I experience at times.

The tinnitus I have are some days annoying especially when the humidity is very high.  Not sure whether that will clear after I have my left side done.  I don’t have a date on that side simply because I want to put it off for as long as I can. We all know the risks and the benefits and I simply don’t want to put my body through surgery if it is not absolutely necessary. To be quite honest I think I am just terrified of being on the operating table for such a long period of time.

The facial numbness I still experience is very mild and the overall sensation is returning to normal slowly but surely.  I remember with my cervical spine surgery it took over 12 months to fully restore so to speak.

I hope this puts a lot of fellow sufferers mind at ease.  If you have a surgeon who has a good solid knowledge and experience in the neck, face and throat area you have your life back!


Please feel free to contact me – I don’t mind at all.  Just remember: Don’t give up, press on! 

4 comments:

  1. I've just been reading through all your posts regarding your Eagle's Syndrome and surgery experience and want to thank you for sharing!! Strange as it may seem, it's nice to hear that I'm not the only one suffering from this, as no one I know has ever heard of it! Obviously, it wasn't nice for you though, and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

    Last year I had an X-Ray prior to having my wisdom teeth removed, and my dentist pointed out that he noticed I had Eagle Syndrome. I didn't think much of it at the time, as he didn't seem particularly concerned and only have me a basic description of what it was.

    For 3 years I have been suffering from severe neck and facial pain, frequent sinusitis, teeth grinding and clenching, a very sore and noisy jaw, throat soreness and difficulty swallowing. The neck pain is so unbearable that I practically live on painkillers, just to get through the day. I had always attributed the neck and jaw pain, along with the teeth grinding, to stress and poor posture, and the sinus and throat problems to my enlarged tonsils. In the past 6 months, all the symptoms have become so bad, and the pain so chronic, I feel like I'm going insane!

    Last week, my dentist's comment about Eagle Syndrome popped into my head, and I started doing some research. At long last, I found something that seemed to be the cause of all my problems!! It feels like a bit of a miracle! So after reading your blog, I hope you don't mind if I ask you some questions regarding the surgery.

    First, who would be my first point of contact to get the ball rolling on a possible surgery? Do I see my GP for a referral, or would I be better to go back to the dentist? (Anyone but the dentist!!)

    Second, my biggest concern is cost. I'm 25, on low income and have some debt. Were you able to have the surgery through the public system or as a private patient and you claimed some of the cost through your private health fund? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember seeing somewhere in a previous post that you're from QLD. I live on the Sunshine Coast, and I know how crappy the QLD health system can be, particularly for public patients. I have pretty good private health cover, but recently changed policies, so some waiting periods have been extended. If it's not too personal of a question, would you mind giving me a rough idea of the surgery costs? And were the specialist appointments pricey as well?

    I'd really appreciate your feedback on this, as I'm desperate for relief from the constant pain and discomfort. I can barely sleep anymore, due to the pain in my neck, jaw and face. If you'd prefer not to respond on your blog, my email address is pennylane.20@live.com.au

    Thanks again for sharing your story! You've given me hope that I might be able to feel like a normal person again, and I'm so glad to hear that you're feeling better since your surgery! Hopefully you'll improve even more over time and be better than ever :-)

    I'll be keeping an eye on your blog for updates. Hope to hear from you soon.

    Cheers, Lux. <3

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  2. Hi Lux
    I am sending you an email straight away :)
    Bubbles

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  3. Hi bubbles. What's the name of your ENT, and where does he practice? I'm in Canberra, with eagles syndrome just picked up results of ct scan today.10+ years of headaches, Neck pain, fatigue, migraines, recently trigeminal neuralgia-type pain finally sought some help.... Appreciate your blog so much, I'm pretty scared of having a diagnosis, but your blog has helped make me less fearful and more hopeful. Thank you.

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    1. Tracy I apologize for the late reply - Dr Sam Douthwaite in Pindara. He is a wonderful doctor!

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