jchebert1979
Well-Known Member
I've posted a few times about all of my surgeries and severe chronic pain before and am about to try a new treatment. I have been interested in Botox injections for severely spasmed muscles and have been trying to find a doctor who performs the procedure for years but have not had any luck A while back I overheard a conversation about a particular doctor here in town who does this who was actually my neurologist for a time. I called his office today and got confirmation. I will have to go in for a consultation but they actually had an opening tomorrow at 9am. It is my lucky day and/or someone must have cancelled because even current patients cannot get a next day appointment to their neurologists.
Anyway, I would like to know if anyone has had this procedure or know of anyone else who has had it. It's pretty straightforward where the doctor injects Botox into the spasmed muscle which then paralyzes it to some degree thereby giving pain relief. The effects usually last anywhere from 3 to 6 months. For the deep spinal muscles where muscles are layered one on top of the other they use an EMG needle in order to verify the correct spasmed muscle is the one that they are injecting.
I am really crossing my fingers because in my last pain management appointment my doctor said that he wants to implant an intrathecal morphine pump that delivers morphine directly to the spinal cord. The outcomes of these pumps are not that great with most patients seeing some improvement in the beginning but nothing spectacular long term. This is in addition to the risks of the surgery itself and infection. It is also the end of the line in regards to pain management. In addition to all of this, I would still have the severe muscle spasms that are causing my pain and restricting movement. I am looking forward to a promising consultation tomorrow and hopefully can get the actual procedure set up later on this week or early next. It is an in office outpatient procedure so the only thing that I will have to wait for is an appointment time and the insurance to clear. Wish me luck.
Anyway, I would like to know if anyone has had this procedure or know of anyone else who has had it. It's pretty straightforward where the doctor injects Botox into the spasmed muscle which then paralyzes it to some degree thereby giving pain relief. The effects usually last anywhere from 3 to 6 months. For the deep spinal muscles where muscles are layered one on top of the other they use an EMG needle in order to verify the correct spasmed muscle is the one that they are injecting.
I am really crossing my fingers because in my last pain management appointment my doctor said that he wants to implant an intrathecal morphine pump that delivers morphine directly to the spinal cord. The outcomes of these pumps are not that great with most patients seeing some improvement in the beginning but nothing spectacular long term. This is in addition to the risks of the surgery itself and infection. It is also the end of the line in regards to pain management. In addition to all of this, I would still have the severe muscle spasms that are causing my pain and restricting movement. I am looking forward to a promising consultation tomorrow and hopefully can get the actual procedure set up later on this week or early next. It is an in office outpatient procedure so the only thing that I will have to wait for is an appointment time and the insurance to clear. Wish me luck.
