Fascinated by getting Botox for migraines? Wish to know what it’s actually like? On this tell-all sequence, I share my private expertise and all of the need-to-know particulars about this therapy.
My First Power Migraines
After I was first recognized with persistent migraine in 2018, day by day complications left me barely practical. The primary treatment I attempted, Aimovig, a CGRP inhibitor, gave me my life again. I nonetheless had complications. However the ache lessened and pale to the background.
The aid didn’t final.
Days vs. Waves of Ache
With my neurology suppliers, we speak about “headache days” in averages. However in my expertise, my complications got here in waves, not single days. I would get extreme ache extra usually for a number of weeks, adopted by weeks or months with much less ache.
My nurse practitioner talked about Botox as an possibility throughout a number of unhealthy waves. However the waves didn’t final lengthy sufficient for me to significantly contemplate it.
Deciding to Strive Botox for Migraines
Till they did. Round final December, the unhealthy waves bought worse and lasted longer. They shifted from being the exception to being the rule. That’s once I determined to strive Botox.
For greater than per week, I counted down the times until my appointment with Jose Posas, MD, at UVA Well being.
My Appointment Day Lastly Comes!
I walked into my appointment in late August with an enormous smile. I used to be so sick of coping with my migraines. I used to be excited, not nervous.
When Posas got here within the room, he had a pleasant, calm presence. That helped me keep relaxed by the entire appointment. First, he defined the process and answered my questions.
How Does Botox for Migraines Work?
Botox for migraines works partly by blocking ache alerts. It additionally retains the muscle tissue the place it’s injected from contracting, so that they’re much less stiff and delicate to ache.
You get 31 injections within the brow, again of the pinnacle, prime of the shoulders, and across the temples. This targets 7 muscle teams proven by analysis to be related to migraines, Posas explains.
Will It Change How My Face Appears to be like?
I’d seen this aspect impact talked about in a number of migraine teams on Reddit and Fb. Somebody complained it made their eyelid droop.
Posas confirms it’s a risk. He says it may increase the ends of my eyebrows. I contemplate this for a second earlier than asking, “Will it’s even?” He smiles and solutions, “Sure, I’ll make them even.”
How Lengthy until I See Aid?
Not gonna lie; the reply bummed me out. Everyone seems to be completely different, but it surely usually takes till your second, third, or fourth spherical of injections to see a giant distinction. And injections are spaced 3 months aside. A small proportion of sufferers are early responders and get aid with the primary spherical. “I’m maintaining my fingers crossed for you,” Posas says.
31 Speedy-Fireplace Injections
I lay face-up on the examination desk. “We’re beginning with 3 within the brow,” Posas says. He does these in fast succession. There’s slight sting and he tells me to breath in totally for six seconds and out for six seconds. “These are the worst, so I wish to get them out of the way in which first,” he explains.
Want Assist With Your Migraines?
The staff at UVA Well being helps me and plenty of different sufferers handle this difficult and painful situation.
I admit, I used to be shocked when he did the primary injection and instantly went in with the second and third — no pause. However truthfully? I feel it’s an excellent technique. There’s no time to get anxious; it’s over earlier than you already know it.
The three within the brow had been certainly the worst. However even these really feel like only a tiny prick. The pictures are shallow and executed with a 30-gauge needle, which is fairly small. On prime of migraine ache, these really feel like pouring a drop of water into the ocean.
What stands out probably the most about my appointment is how extremely quick it went. On my technique to the parking storage, I observed a really slight sting at among the injection websites. And thought how I would discover it extra if I didn’t have already got ache there.
The Week After Botox for Migraines
It’s been per week since my appointment, and my eyebrows nonetheless look the identical! I lastly stopped checking after a number of days.
My migraines are nonetheless in full pressure. But it surely does really feel higher realizing there’s a superb probability the Botox will assist sooner or later. Even when I’ve to attend some time. That makes it a bit simpler to deal with the ache and different signs.
