Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Marina asks

Q: Botox Injections

I recently received 18 Botox injections as a migraine treatment and I'm not sure whether the neurologist administered them properly. He started in one temple and gave me most of the injections across my forehead, then to the other temple.

The day after I received them my forehead became swollen to twice its size--by the second week it was so swollen it started to crack open and bleed. My eyes are so swollen they are half shut and it is difficult to see properly. And the frequency and severity of the migraines has increased--I used to average 18 days a month--now they're every day.

If anyone has received or given Botox treatments--are they usually administered around the head and in the back of the neck and sholders--or do they have to be confined to just the forehead?

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Answers (2)

Teri Robert, Health Guide

2/26/10 2:01pm

Marina,

-:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:-•*Welcome to MyMigraineConnection!*•-:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:-

Have you reported this to the doctor who injected the Botox? If not, please go to the phone right now and call. This could be a bad reaction to the Botox.

What type of doctor administered the Botox? Administering Botox for Migraine is far different than administering it for cosmetic reasons, and doctors need to be trained on where and how to inject. I'm not saying this is the case with your doctor. I couldn't possibly know. Just want you to know that you shoudl be sure any doctor administering Migraine treatments is experienced and qualified to do so.

Botox can be injected in different sites. Where it's administered depends on the patient, the location of the worst of their pain, etc.

You can see some information on Dr. Krusz's work with Botox in Intradermal Botox for Migraine, Headache, Pain Disorders.

Please keep me posted on how you're doing?

Welcome again,

Teri

Marina

2/27/10 6:23pm

Hi Teri,

Thank you so much for your reply--It is much appreciated. Yes, I reported this to my doctor--a neurologist right away. As time goes on and I'm reading and researching more and more, I'm feeling he wasn't properly trained to administer the needles. It's been 7 weeks and the swelling is actually worse this week, and the migraines are horrendous--I'm just counting the days until all the Botox is out of my system! He told me that Botox could only be administered in the forehead and temples which I feel is not the case. Live and learn.

Marina

Teri Robert, Health Guide

2/27/10 6:53pm

Marina,

You're very welcome. The forehead and temples are certainly NOT the only places to inject Botox for Migraine. Did you look at the link I posted for you? There are some photos of Botox being administered there.

Maybe it's time to see a good Migraine specialists. Neurologists aren't necessarily NMigraine specialists. We have a listing of patient recommended Migraine and headache specialists at http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/headache-specialists.html.

I still wonder if you're having a bad reaction to the Botox. Do you have another doctor? A family doctor maybe? You might want to see someone about the problems you're having.

Keep me posted?

Teri

Marina

2/27/10 8:35pm

Teri,

Yes, I just watched all the videos in the link you sent me and I can't thank you enough. You have answered my most burning question and I'm incredibly grateful. I suspect I do have a sensitivity to the drug--but I think my reaction was so severe because the injections were all concentrated in one area rather than being spread out.

I live in Toronto, Canada, and I do see another excellent doctor, Michael Zitney, at the Toronto Headache and Migraine Clinic where I see an osteopath and receive nerve blocks every week. They help tremendously, but unfortunately since I received the Botox the nerve blocks aren't working at all. One of the reasons I suspected my neurologist was incorrect in telling me Botox could only be administered in the forehead and temples, was because the the doctor I see each week at the pain clinic had been administering injections in all the trigger points all over my head and in my neck and back.

I've experienced pretty much daily migraines for over 30 years, and Botox was about the only thing I hadn't tried--I guess now I know it's not the drug of choice for me! However, through this experience I found this website, which I didn't know about before.

I'm really stressed because the migraines are worse after the injections and the swelling is getting worse over time, instead of better. So, your replies mean the world to me, at a very difficult time. Can you tell me one more thing. Will the swelling go away eventually and will my eyesight go back to normal. It's really altered the shape of my face, and it feels like I've had a brick inserted in my forehead. I've been told it may take 3 to 6 months--is this correct--or is there always the possibility that it may cause permanent damage?

Marina

Teri Robert, Health Guide

2/28/10 12:23pm

Marina,

I'm glad I could help.

Wish I could answer your question about things returning to "normal." I'd think so, but I don't really know. Here's a thought -- How about asking Dr. Zitney? He should be able to answer the question and set your mind at ease. He might also be able to do something about the swelling and other problems. If it's a reaction to the Botox, he might know how to treat the reaction.

Now, on another note, please don't lose hope. I know how easy it is to feel as if you've tried everything out there, but there are so many medications -- over 100 of them now -- that can be used for Migraine and headache prevention that it's literally impossible. You can find a list of potential Migraine and headache preventives in Migraine preventive medications - too many options to give up!

I really can understand how you feel. At one point, I was in bed all day with the Miigraine from hell five or six days a week. I had no life. Working with a good Migraine specialist, I'm now to the point where I sometimes get up to two or three months between Migraines. Maybe that can give you some hope.

Hang in there,

Teri

Marina

2/28/10 2:34pm

Hi Teri,

Thanks so much for your words of encouragement! It means the world to me. How encouraging to hear that you've gone from five or six hellish days a week, to two to three months between migraines! I absolutely can't imagine that--although it's always been my dream. Was there one predominant thing that worked, or did you need to experiment and try different approaches? You've written a book, haven't you?

Hanging in there

Marina

Teri Robert, Health Guide

2/28/10 2:59pm

Marina,

Darlin, you are SO very welcome!

Here's my though -- All of us with this nasty disease are family, and helping each other is what family does. I need to work, and consider myself so fortunate to have found a job where I can help my Migraine family.

For me, it was a matter of finding a doctor who really knew what he was doing. One thing that made a difference was his doing a spinal tap to rule out pseudotumor cerebri. Well, he thought we'd rule it out. Turned out that I have it, and it was triggering some of my Migraines and interfering with my preventives. Are you up to a bit of reading? Yes, I did write a book, and there are a couple of chapters here on the site that you can read. One of them tells about the work Dr. Young and I did on my treatment and how we got my Migraines under control. You can read both of them from our Book and Product Reviews Section. Just look in the middle of that page for "Migraine & Headache Book Excerpts."

I'm not a doctor, but I'll help you any way I can. OK? If you haven't already subscribed to our newsletter and my SharePosts, you might like to do that. We're going to be having live chats once a month, and they'll be listed there along with other new info on the site. I think our March chat is going to be on Migraine prevention.

Teri

Marina

2/28/10 6:07pm

Hi Teri,

Again thanks for your reply. One of the hardest things about this whole Botox experience is that there doesn't seem to be anywhere I can go for support. So your e-mails are like a life line to sanity. I will definitely read your book--funny we're the same age--I'm 55 and I also published a book although not on migraines--on understanding dreams in 2005. Seems we really are family.

I tend not to be confrontational--but as time goes on I'm realizing this neurologist did not act in good faith--and probably did not have the proper training. Even when I phoned and described the symptoms he offered no apology or support or help. So I feel a responsibility to do something because I don't want this to happen to anyone else. He has a regular Botox clinic and charges really exhorbitant fees which he did not disclose beforehand. In Canada, we have a College of Physicans and Surgeons where we can report doctors who have unethical practices--I hate the idea of doing this--but feel if I don't I've been a total wimp. So I'm going to talk to him first, my next appointment is March 24, and see if he will tell me if in fact, he received any training at all. My guess is that is was just winging it. When I get the nerve blocks they are always administered in specific spots where the pain is often triggered. This neurologist who gave me the Botox simply went across the biggest wrinkle in my forehead.

So I'm really going to pray for guidance on this one. Thanks again for all your help and support. I'm extremely grateful.

Sincerely,

Marina

lfontaine

3/13/10 8:57pm

Hi Marina,

I'm so sorry you had this happen to you. If you still have swelling and other visible signs from the Botox I would have someone take pictures and document this. This should not have happened!! I have had Botox and I'm also nurse and know that this doctor did not know what he was doing. I would also call his office and ask for his credentials and maybe the BBB. Wow....hope you don't have any long term effects! It's really scary out there....sometimes you don't know who to trust. There are doctors who can do Botox without these things happening. Take Care!

Lisa

Marina

3/14/10 1:22pm

Lisa, thanks so much--I really appreciate your reply. I've actually been taking pictures myself every couple of days--I used to be a photographer so have a good camera. It was actually a neurologist who administered the Botox--he told me that you can only administer Botox in the forehead and so I trusted him and believed him, but I've since learned this is not the case.

I live in Toronto, Ontario and am seriously considering reporting him to the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons which is the governing body for all doctors in this province. They take any complaint or report quite seriously--so if nothing else they will ensure that he receives the proper training before he administers Botox again--I hope.

It's now been 2 1/2 months and the swelling has not begun to subside but I'm hoping in time it will. I"m trying to keep positive and not think about it, however it's hard because my forehead and eyes feel incredibly heavy and I'm conscious of it all the time. Thanks again for your response. I need all the support I can get.

Marina in Toronto

Q: Botox Injections

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