Botox

When most people think of Botox, images of celebrities getting rid of wrinkles come to mind. While this is one use of it, there are other ways it's used.

My Diaphragm Pacemaker System (DPS) has an external box that makes the system work. It connects to a port on my right side, just below my ribs, that goes to the implanted wires that cause me to breathe. This is all fine and good, until something hits the plug on my side. A frequent culprit for this action is my right arm during a muscle spasm.

The spasms are pretty well controlled through other means for the rest of my body, but my arm coming in contact with the plug can, and has, have major problems. I keep a pillow between my arm and side most of the time, but this doesn't always work. That's where Botox comes into the picture.

Botox blocks the nerve signals from getting to muscles. When used for cosmetic purposes, a few CC's are injected to relax the muscles and reduce wrinkles. In the case of controlling muscle spasms, a much larger dose is given, I had 700 CC's injected in the muscles in my right arm six weeks ago.

Using Botox for spasms is common, but it takes six weeks to reach its full potential and needs subsequent booster shots every three months. Since my treatment, I've noticed a great help in reduction of movement in my arm. The times it does vibrate it mainly goes out, not in towards the plug. I can't say I notice any wrinkles in it either.

Sometimes in the quad life you need solutions to unique problems, this is one of the solutions. Continuing to breathe with the DPS with a calmer arm is a great feeling. We'll see what comes next in the quad life.