[gibbrn]

Hi all,

I am so excited to let you know as of next wed I will be getting botox for my migraines and he may do the other muscles around my neck as well. He won't do the scalenes due to the need for ultrasound I believe....I don't think he is that good to do it without the u/s. However to be rid or 16-20 migraines a month will really help I think....

Okay guys what do i need to do to prepare...I understand that there will be pain in my muscles from the injection site....as well as tenderness...how long till this goes away and what else should I expect??
HELP Please!!

love and hugs,
Victoria

[(Broken Wings)]

For my Botox injections into my scalenes, it was not really painful. very small needles, very small doses. it did not hurt any after the injection. No soreness or bruising at the site. just minor discomfort or maybe stinging during the injection, but not enough to worry about. Anxiety is far more distressful than the actual stick. Great relief for 2 - 3 weeks. my TMJs will pop when I open my mouth after this accident, with scalene involvement. After these botox injections, me and my therapist were amazed... I couldn't make it pop at all. so she knows Botox definitely had an effect. There was some lasting relief, even though my TMJs still pop.

I did get right eyelid twitiching for about 2-3 weeks also. Researched a little later on the Internet and I found that Botox into the scalenes caused droopy eyelids. I believe I got some of that effect. I did get relief, but there's always a trade. BOL.

It should help your migraines. I had a friend who done that and it helped her symptoms. You will not know if it will help until you try.

Is your insurance (if you have any) paying for it. If not, if the first helps, your physician can write a letter of medical necessity to your ins co and they may pay for it. My "high risk insurance" agreed to pay for some, but then the doctor opted not to use Botox in his office. Bummer but probably for the best. I had Botox 3 different times. You get some relief from this and some relief from that and maybe it will all come out okay in the wash.

[gibbrn]

Hi Broken wings,

My ins may not cover the botox, at $400 a bottle and I need 2....but my workers comp should. I will send the receipt in with my bill! They should be paying for all my meds but it is too expensive to pay out of pocket then to get the money back my meds are around 800 a mth. esp with the migraine meds and the oxycontin.

I hope the insurance does cover it ...make life a lot easier!! I may ask him to do around my eyes while he's at it...LOL they have taken a beating over the last 6 years feeel like I have aged much faster than I should have due to the pain....so forhead is wrinkling and always screwed up....botox will definatly cure that ...at least the migraine treatment for it will. Marc is always rubbing my forhead to relax it cause I screw it up in pain!

thanks for the help.
love and hugs,
Victoria

[(Broken Wings)]

Yes, I know I've aged harder than I would have, due to pain and not enough good sleep. I have found that Tylenol PM or other over-the-counters help some with sleep. May get an addtional hour or so, but that's an hour or so. I need botox between my eyebrows and forehead. Might check into it. I also suffered with migraines. Didn't really get any help for it back then (other than Esgic Plus-mild, mild of little effect) but I'm not suffering with that right now. been a couple of years since I've thrown up with migraines and off the scale pain. They were bad. 2-3 day bouts at times. Still, somehow, managed to pull things together. I don't know how. Maybe I just thought I did. If my pain scale goes up, that's the first thing that will make me lay down. I just have to think one's coming on and I go lay down and turn the lights out.

[dabbo]

I hope they cover the botox for you Vic!! I got rejected a couple of times by my ins. co, but then they reversed their decision. do you know if its botox-a or botox-b? i have no idea what the difference is, but my doc has used B, and we've had great results. good luck!

[gibbrn]

hey guys,

Dabbo I had type A botox I'm not sure that we get the choice. They just put botox on the script and that's what the pharmacy gave me.

The experience went well. the doc doing the injections was amazingly good. I barely felt the needle, just the pressure of the fluid going in. I am exhausted today for some reason but I guess I need to give it time. I had trouble with the right eyelid and had to work to make it close! Weird feelings. I feel like I can't hold my head up and that my arm is not my own!!

I am happy with how it went. He even injected my jaw which when pushed was quite sore....I had no idea I had tirgger points there. I am certainly glad I did it and am anxious to have good results from this and will go back again and again to have it done until it does bloody well work.

I liked the fact that he injected into the trigger points and just felt around until I squired from the pain of him hitting a TP and then he poked me and that was that...he used 2 vials 200units of botox are now in my head neck and back!! I am a walking botox robot!! Well not so much walking today.

thanks guys for all your support and comments, I'll keep you posted as to how I feel in time with this treatment!

love and hugs to you all,
Victoria

[(Broken Wings)]

I had three rounds with good results, lasting too... so give it time. My right eyelid twitched too. my TMJ popping stopped while Botox was effective, I guess. He didn't inject them, it just helped them. amazed me and my therapist. I've read Botox in the scalenes causes droppy eyelids. I believe I got some of that too. Just remember, there's always a trade... and I've found a plateau of what may be helping at the moment, whatever modality that may be I'm trying. So on for while, then on to something else. back to what helped for a while and then on to something else. Let's keep trying

[gibbrn]

i am curious to know how the botox made you feel around what time you felt it helped or didn't help. How long it takes before the swelling goes down....anything that u felt due to the botox really is what I'm looking for!

thanks guys,
love and hugs,
Victoria

[(Broken Wings)]

My doctor done the same trigger point/ouch test to determine where to stick it.

I just remember one injection, on each side of the neck.

I didn't notice any swelling at the injection sites, at all. is it irritation? itchy? a little redness? swollen? like a bug bite? infectious looking?

It is a toxin you know. Your body builds up antibodies against toxins each time it is exposed to any toxin. (too many rounds may not be effective)

If you're not having breathing issues, I'd think it's okay. just reacting to it a little. I have used benadryl capsules for reactions to over-the-counters before and even bug bites-make a past and put on the site. A whole one makes me too drowsy so I cut it in half and take part of the powder... uuuch for sure.

They're like five or seven different types of botox. It's not the food botulism type, I don't think, cosmetic grade (A&B), but can have some adverse side effects, not often though.

I felt like it was a positive my first round. no big changes though, other than noticing the TMJ not popping definitely by the next morning and some relief in my pain level from my upper body complaints. I was in a bad shape at this time (2004-2005). Second round was more relief. By the third round, my neck felt relief down into my pecs. I still think it had some lasting effect. With the relief it gave me, maybe it allowed me to heal some in that area. My cardiothoracic surgeon don't recommend botox. He cautions me and shakes his head negatively. So a little may do you good. A lot may not.

If you're in a bad shape with pain from your scalenes you have to try something. Let's hope for the best for you. If I remember, I thought I got relief for at least 3-4 weeks. Then some lasting each time. It was worth it, money and all. ins only paid for 1 round. I paid like $400 twice.

It'll be okay.

[johannakat]

Vic- my botox always took a week or so to kick in, and a massage usually helped. I think just to work it into the muscle a little better.

My injection sites always get a little swollen and tender- just like your arm gets when you get a shot. It is one of the few times i find ice helpful (i, like you, am normally a HEAT person!!)

I am so happy it went well. Hope it starts working soon for you. Just take it easy.



Johanna