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She was not going to have surgery at Mayo. It was initial testing to see what the course of action would be. She has had migraines for 30+ years; constant pneumonia since 2019; esophageal issues (endoscopy done in July 2021 found kink in esophagus). The sinus surgery was to go near the frontal lobes of her brain to break up 30+ years of crusted matter and blood clotting. This was not done from what I can tell due to her pain in the brain not lessening. What she describes it as is a knife being jabbed in her ears. Brain floating. No relief with OxyContin or Hydrocodone prescribed from the surgeon. No relief from prescribed Sumatriptan or Fieoricet. Nothing works. Furthermore, it radiates down into the neck and spine. I’m very scared as to what is going on and had hope that the surgery would at least ease the pain on her brain. It hasn’t. Therefore, I’m wanting to make the 15hr drive up to Mayo in Rochester as I know what y’all can do. I’ve seen it with my fiancé’s sons girlfriend’s stepmother who is getting exceptional care right now there.
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@cmackia2020 I understand your concerns. Does your mom have any known spine issues? The reason I ask this is because you stated she has had migraines for years, and the way you described the pain going down her spine. I am a spine surgery patient and had a cervical spine fusion 5 years ago. I was getting neck muscle spasms that rotated my vertebrae or tilted them independently which caused headaches on the back of my head and vertigo where I got dizzy. My physical therapist was able to realign everything and stop those headaches until the next spasm happened. After my spine surgery, things stabilized, so this stopped happening. I used to get pain in my ears, tingling in my face and jaw pain when my neck and spine were out of alignment. Sometimes there are overlapping symptoms that can be different problems. I myself have breathing issues because of thoracic outlet syndrome that prevents my chest from fully expanding on one side, and I have to be vigilant about keeping my allergies and asthma under control so it doesn't progress to a lung infection. That is a physical problem that work on with a physical therapist who does myofascial release to get the chest wall moving better. If it doesn't move properly, it traps phlegm which then turns into an infection if it goes too long. When fascia gets tight from injury or inflammation, it can prevent normal body alignment. The GI tract is supported by fascia that connects it to the rest of the body, and it is conceivable that tight fascia could pull on an organ.
Here is our discussion on MFR therapy. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
Everyone here on Connect is a patient of family or friend of a patient and not a medical professional, so no one can give you a diagnosis. Here patients share and learn from each other and offer support. If you wanted to try to stay closer to home, there is a Mayo Clinic Care Network where other hospitals have affiliations with Mayo and their specialists can consult with specialists at Mayo. It does seem like a second opinion would be a good idea. I don't know what recovery from sinus surgery would be like, so I wouldn't know if her symptoms there were normal and I wouldn't be able to form an opinion about if the surgery was done properly. You need a specialist for that.
You can find the Mayo Clinic Care Network hospitals at this link.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic/care-network/members
If you decide you would prefer to seek care at any of the 3 main Mayo Campuses, you may contact them a this link.
http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63
Since you already have made contact with Mayo and probably have a patient account number, you may want to try calling and see if you can reschedule your previously scheduled appointments. My care has also been exceptional at Mayo in Rochester for spine surgery and ankle surgery for a fracture.