Botox and the machine they used with electrodes


Posted by Sylvia lew ® , Feb 08,2001,07:18   Archive
Hi everyone,

I have hemifacial spasm on the whole left side of my face. Had a total of 50 units. I had my 4th experience with botox yesterday and for the first time they used this machine that showed activity of the nerves. Never saw anybody post about it. They hooked up 2 electrodes to the right side of my face. I couldn't see the screen or what was going on, but could hear if there was activity in the nerve. Before the machine, the doctor was just guessing where to inject the botox, but with this machine he injected it wherever there was activity. Sort of hard to explain the whole thing, but was wondering if anyone has had it injected based on the activity of the machine. Also, I was sad to learn that I have permanent damage near the lip (when I smile, the left side of my lip droops). He said it wasn't from the botox. Thanks for listening.




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Re: Botox and the machine they used with electrodes

Re : Botox and the machine they used with electrodes --- Sylvia lew
Posted by Shirley-Arkansas-USA ® , Feb 08,2001,20:01 Top of Thread Archive
Hi Sylvia, I think that you probably had an EMG. I can't think of what that stands for right now. I'm sure somebody will know and spell it out for us. I don't believe that it is normally used on Blepharospasm patients but more with other dystonias to see exactly what muscles are effected and which ones need to be injected with Botox. The dystonia bb or hemifacial site could probably tell you more about it. I may be thinking of something different, too, as I was under the impression that small needles were used with the EMG to locate the activity in the muscles.

How long have you had Hemifacial Spasm? Are you aware that it can be surgically corrected? At the BEB conference in Kentucky, a very impressive young doctor spoke on this and what wonderful results they were getting with the Microvascular Decompression Surgery. At least by surgeons that were doing a great number of them and not just one one or two every now and then. He really stressed that if anyone was considering this surgery that you find someone that did them all the time.
Unlike BEB and other forms of dystonia, that can only be treated, Hemifacial spasm can be cured or corrected with surgery as it is not a dystonia but a problem caused by a small arterial loop pressed against a nerve where it exits the brain stem.

Shirley in AR.

--modified by Shirley-Arkansas-USA at Fri, Feb 09, 2001, 10:38:59




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