Botox injections to treat spasticity.

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had 2nd treatment Apil 12. went good. Added to first area of left arm and wrist by going farther up arm to bicep and left shouder.

Asked neuro about injecting throat as i have bulbar palsy also. he doesn't recommend for throat as would make me more susceptible for pneumonia.

now biggest problem am losing weight and feeling weak as am not able to swallow much other than mashed stuff. will see him tues, may 15 about PEG. Hopefully i will eat better
 
Okay Ladies and Gentlemen this is the official review of my Botox Injections procedure.

My appointment was actually supposed to be on Tuesday (05/08) but it got pushed back to Thursday (05/10) because my doctor was moving offices. The actual injections took less than 15 minutes. The appointment started with a physical examination. The doctor asked me to walk back and fourth in the exam room while video taping me. I then sat on the exam table and was asked to extend my legs up and down repeatedly one at a time. Both of my legs started shaking (clonus) in the upward position. I was not able to fully extend my legs in the upward position due to the tightness in my hamstrings. The doctor said the Botox injections would not help with the clonus. I was then asked to tap my toes repeatedly up and down. The doctor asked my to do this in a rythem but I was unable too. The doctor said after a few times my foot would no longer go up.

Now we get to the injections. I laid flat on my back on the exam table. I was wearing shorts so I didn't have to take off any cloths. I just rolled up my shorts. The doctor explained that she was going to inject both right and left hamstrings with a total of 6 shots (3 each). I also have a problem with my left foot turning inward when I walk so she was also going to inject the plantar muscle group in my left calf.

Now this is one thing that I was wondering about. Is the doctor just going to inject randomly into the muscle group or is it going to be more precise. The answer is that the injections are extremely precise. Let me explain. On the syringe and at the base of the needle there is a place to connect a wire that goes to an electrical impulse box kind of like the emg machine. There were seven syringes on the table. Each time she grabbed a syringe she would connect the wire to it. The box sent out an electrical impulse each time it was injected into the muscle. She then moved the needle around until my toes started to twitch. That's how she knew where to inject. The needles are very thin so there is a little discomfort but no pain.

She began with my left calf. She used an alcohol swab to clean the area. She grabbed a syringe and connected the wire. She inserted the needle into the inside part of my calf. I felt a tiny electrical current then my toe/foot started twitching. She then repeated this several times to the same area administering the medication. I forgot to mention but she placed another wire on my knee to act as the ground for the electrical current.

She then moved to my hamstrings. She had me raise my legs to where my knees were bent and where she was able to access the back of my legs. She repeated the same procedure as above. Again, a little discomfort but no pain.

All in all it was a pleasent experience. The doctor told me to continue taking the Baclofen until the Botox kicked in and come back in three months to repeat the procedure. During that time I would report my progress or lack there of and she would adjust the dosage and injection sites.

I asked the doctor about being able to excersie my legs after the procedure. The doctor encouraged me to start excersising right away because it would help activate the Botox.

As I was leaving the doctors office I noticed my legs were a little wobbly. It's been a couple of hours since I left the doctors office so theres nothing major to report at this time. I will follow up in a couple of days.
 
Thanks for the detailed report. Hope you get some relief.
 
It's wonderful that this procedure may help! Thanks for the information. Will be looking forward to your next report in a few days.
 
how and when next botox treatment on legs may 8 trxx
 
Day 7

It's been exactly one week since I had my Botox injections and it's time to update you guys on my progress. Now keep in mind that I still have another week before the full effect of the injections takes place.

The main thing that I am noticing right now is that my legs feel alot lighter. It doesn't feel like I'm dragging around 100 pound weights on each leg anymore. Also, as a result of that, my mid-section (abs/stomach, core) don't hurt as much. I guess before it took so much energy to lift and move my legs forward that I had to use my core muscles which, caused alot of pain and discomfort. My stride has also become a little longer and my balance has slightly improved. It feels like I'm walking a little smoother compared to stomping my feet around like Frankenstien.

The true test came today when I went to the gym to workout my legs. This is the first time since the injections. I normally try to do 10 minutes on the elliptical machine at about 138-148 strides per minute. Usually after about 7 minutes my legs start to hurt like crazy and I have to use the arm bars to take some of the weight of my body off of my legs. The past couple of weeks my legs have become so tight that I've had to stop after seven minutes due to the extreme pain. Well today, I went the full 10 minutes at 150-160 strides per minute and I finished really strong.

I did really bad on the reverse leg curls which works the hamstring (where I got the injections). I normally curl 80 pounds 20 times. Today I could barely do that much. I guess the injections have relaxed that muscle to the point I lost a little strength. That's okay I'm willing to deal with that.

I have an appointment with my neuro next Thursday for an evaluation on the Botox. He will also probably start taking me off the Baclofen. I will report back then with his findings and any other improvements that I have noticed.
 
I go to a ENT on 06/21/2012 to be evaluated for botox injections to the throat. I had at first declined the offer but have since decided to see if I qualify. It is supposed to get rid of the strangled sound to my voice but does nothing for the slurring. I'm kind of scared but I'm gonna push myself through it.
 
BLPhill,

I hope everything goes as smoothly for you as it's been for me. From everything I have read BoTox has been used for over 18 years and has proven to be very safe. I was very nervous through the procedure but in hindsight am glad I did it.

Just like my doctor told me it's not the magic bullet but it should make life a little easier. Good luck.
 
congrats. hope i can decrease baclofen too. my next botox early july. keep us posted
 
I went to my follow up neuro. appointment this past Thursday. The doctor and I both agreed that I have improved by about 20%. The doctor said I should still continue to improve into week 3 and after about the third set of injections (9 months) I should be at about 50% improvement. We also identified another muscle group in my legs that needs to be treated on my next Botox appointment. I am going to continue taking the Baclofen as directed until about the third set of injections. The doctor recommended staying on the Baclofen until we get a good base line on how the Botox is working.

Overall, everything has gone well and I look forward to continuing the treatment.
 
Thanks for keeping us up to date on this TxRR. It sounds really encouraging.
 
I just wanted to post an update on my progress. It has been a little over a month (May 10th) since my injections.

I have to say that I am very pleased with the results. It actually took about a month to really start feeling a difference. My doctor said it would be about two weeks but that was way off. I now notice that I walk a lot more freely and uninhibited. Today I was walking around like normal. Usually, I have to think about every step before I take it. Well, today I was walking around and not even thinking about it. I caught myself and said WOW this is truely amazing. Here I am walking around like a normal person. It felt great and to think I still have room for more improvement after a few more injections.

I would highly recommend this treatment to anybody.
 
Great news, TxRR! I'm so happy to hear that you're having good results from the injections!
 
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