He gave me a bi-lateral injection and said he would start with a low dose, but unfortunately I forgot to ask him specifically what the dose was. I am to call his nurse on Thursday for a "telephone evaluation" of my voice at that point. That is when he said I should start noticing the difference if the injection was effective. He did explain that the improvement is often not as dramatic in abductors.

For those of you who may be contemplating Botox, I would say it was a little more uncomfortable than going to the dentist. The discomfort for me lasted about 30 min. until the local anesthesia wore off. Dr. Bastian uses a different approach to inject the PCA muscle in AB's in that he goes directly through the cartilege. This may be more uncomfortable but I'm not sure since I have never had it another way.

The support and knowlege I have gained from others on this bb is incredible. To those of you who e-mailed me with your encouragement, it was SO MUCH appreciated! If I can be of any help to any of you please feel free to e-mail me. I will post an update when I see what my results are.

Congratulations! Also, thanks for the confirming feedback, regarding what we've posted here on this BB over the years, regarding Dr. Bastian. The "reviews" on Dr. Bastian from both his patients and those of us who have met him at symposiums are continually and consistently at the top of the spectrum. The NSDA is very fortunate to have him as a Medical Advisor to the organization.

Best of luck on the results of your first shot and....*SEE!!*...150 miles wasn't that far, right? LOL.

Let us know how you progress.

I'm so glad that you are having such good effect with the first shot! I think I can speak for all of us on the b.b. that when of our SD friends rejoices we all rejoice! I know Dr. Bastian is quiet good at getting the shots right and achieving the most “bang for the buck.” I had a unilateral shot on the 6th and it's still an effort to speak but not so much as when I was getting the bilateral shots. I started with relatively high doses but found that those amounts were way too much. Dr. B. lowered my bilateral dose down to .2 units and the bilateral amount to 1. unit. Others have mentioned that they receive 10. units! I wouldn’t be able to speak for a year. Another perfect example how different we are and how we react to Botox. Best of luck and you continue on your journey.

What I have still experienced is feeling that something is caught in my throat. Also when I eat certain things I will choke.. Does any have that still going on after a year or so? An please enlighten me about the spasms, thanks

Jean Phelps, AB/SD in Virginia.