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Posted by: EricY ® 07/17/2011, 00:09:21 |
Hi everyone - I'm new to the forums. I was diagnosed with SD about a year and a half ago and have been receiving Botox injections since then. My injections are 1.25 which are roughly 9 weeks apart. I was born/raised and currently live in Honolulu, however I receive my injections in Chicago .(Dr. Robert Bastian). I have been fortunate enough to have business trips to Chicago throughout last year and the beginning of this year. I've only had to pay for several trips out of pocket last year. However the back half of this year, I have no business trips scheduled. My next doctor's visit in August I fly out on Friday afternoon (red eye), arrive Saturday at 6am Chicago time, Doctor's appointment at 730am, return to airport at 9:00am and depart back for Honolulu at 10am arriving back Saturday afternoon. As you can imagine, these "turnaround" flights are pretty draining on the body and costly as well (Over $1k). My question is, does anyone have personal experience with a doctor they can recommend in San Francisco or LA. I checked the NSDA site but I was looking for recommendations from real SD patients. Note - There is one Doctor in Hawaii but he only injects Botox once a month, on a certain day, between a certain time. He also requires you have a minimum of 3 months between injections or he will not inject. Even with my 9 week intervals, that is pushing it and I ideally would prefer injections every 8 weeks. Flying to the West Coast is much cheaper than to Chicago. Although the entire staff at the Bastian Voice Institute have been very accommodating, understanding, and knowledgeable... it pains me to spend over $3k a year on flights and transportation. Also - Being able to hop on a plane for a 4 hour flight to LA is easier than a 9 hour flight to Chicago. With the variability of injections, sometimes I feel as if I need injections after 6 weeks vs. the 9 weeks. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Aloha,
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Posted by: vgr ® 07/17/2011, 19:24:46 |
I recently moved to LA and havent had any botox injections here in LA yet, but I have an appointment with Dr.Gerald Berke at UCLA tomorrow. There are other doctors at UCLA as well who do Botox injections, like Dr. Dinesh Chettry. Based on the postings in this forum Dr.Berke is well known for surgery, not exactly sure how his botox shots are though. As per my previous experience some of the Doctors are good (or at least better) compared to others in the sense they don't miss the vocal cord while injecting. I chose to go to Dr.Berke with the intention of having surgery with him sometime in future. I'll let you know in few days how it goes. |
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Posted by: EricY ® 07/18/2011, 13:28:48 |
Thank you! Please let me know how the appointment goes after the initial hoarseness goes away. |
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Posted by: MikenQuincy ® 07/17/2011, 20:19:49 |
Eric, I'm not sure about San Fran but Dr. Gerald Burke In LA at UCLA Medical Center can do Botox injections. |
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Posted by: rainbow ® 07/17/2011, 20:56:25 |
Good luck in your search for a doctor that is closer. I am in Louisiana and my doctor only does Botox injections once a month as well. You learn to work your schedule around it. You may need a higher dosage of Botox to lengthen the time between injections. I, too, had a short time between injections. We now inject 5 units into each true vocal cord and 5 units into each false vocal cord for a total of 20 units. I can now go between 3-4 months between injections. It's an experiment and you have to find what works best for you. |
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Posted by: EricY ® 07/18/2011, 13:34:40 |
MikenQuincy - Thank you. Rainbow - I was wondering if I should up my injections to get more time between shots. However when you have raised the amount per injection, did you notice more hoarseness and a weaker voice following the injection? Did this period last longer than before? |
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Posted by: irish ® 07/21/2011, 21:23:20 |
Dr. Berke at UCLA is great at giving injections. He goes directly into the throat from the front and injects. You're out of there in 5 minutes. Keep your current dosage until you're established with a new doctor and then you can fool around with the dosage.
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Posted by: rainbow ® 07/25/2011, 18:02:42 |
I agree with Irish. You should get with a physician who does your injections consistently. Then you can better judge if you should up your dosage. You will probably need to experiment until you find what works for you and then that will ultimately change over time as well. Everyone is different. Patience... |
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Posted by: rainbow ® 07/25/2011, 18:06:10 |
In the beginning, I did not become whispery at all, but I did become strangled within 2 months. Since increasing the dosage, I do become whispery for about a week and then slowly gain some voice back - though I've never had MY real voice return. I truly don't mind the whispery voice as some people have complained about - it's a welcome relief from a struggled voice. When I whisper, those around me whisper as well. Good luck! |
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