Hi everyone! You may remember me as the girl who posted this video of my average Monday night. WELL ya girl went and got some Botox in her throat - figured I’d add to the list of Bastian Botox logs!These logs were extremely influential in helping me pull the trigger on the procedure, so I figured my experience may be helpful to others as well!
Quick background - my gurgles seem to have gotten worse over the years. I recently had a situation where the gurgles completely stopped yet the pressure continued to build. I involuntarily (and violently) vomited air - nothing else came out. Forcing myself to gag did not work - this procedure seemed like my only real option for relief.
THE INITIAL CONSULT
Dr. Bastian came in, introduced himself, and went over my symptoms. Everything aligned with patients he had seen before. We laughed about the different terms people had for their gurgling noises - his personal favorite was “strangled whale.”
I then went into another room for a swallowing study. A small fiber-optic camera was put down my nose while I was asked to swallow blue applesauce, eat a cracker, and swallow blue water. The camera was then stuck a bit further down my throat so that I was actually swallowing it - this was uncomfortable but only lasted a few moments. The Dr. then went over the video with me and said my swallowing was “excellent” and showed me exactly where he would inject the Botox. He told me that post-procedure I should get a case of sparkling water to practice burping, starting no later than 6 weeks after I get the Botox injection.
He also mentioned that I probably fart WAY more than the average person and will be “surprised” at how dramatically it stops...interested to see if that’s the case!
I then paid my copay for the appointment.
My appointment was early in the day so I spent the rest of the day in Chicago - if you like sticking to a schedule like me, I highly recommend fitting in the Chicago Cultural Center, the Bean, these fountains with faces on them (wait there...they spit!), the Art Institute of Chicago, the Wendella architecture boat tour, Giordano’s pizza, and the Second City revue!
THE PROCEDURE
Before my procedure I was instructed to stop eating/drinking at midnight the prior day. I paid my copay at the surgical center - everything else was billed to my insurance so I’ll update with what they cover.
I was given Zantac prior to the procedure to prevent any stomach acid from coming up during. The anesthesia was administered via IV. Apparently the whole thing took about 30 min. I was then wheeled into recovery where I was given water. My throat was a bit sore (like I was on the verge of strep) and my voice was pretty scratchy. In addition, my jaw was sore, probably due to the way it was open during the procedure. I do have TMJ so that could also have been a factor.
I stayed at the surgical center for about an hour and then went to Honey Jam cafe for a soft lunch - I had oatmeal and pancakes.
I ended up flying home from Chicago that night. I was very tired but it was doable. I also have gastritis which can cause excessive burping, or in my case, gurgling. Due to the fact that my eating schedule was off that day/stress/etc. I was having an episode that lasted from 2pm - 10pm. The lady on the plane next to me definitely thought I was going to vomit. HOWEVER, on the plane I had my first “microburp”. One of my gurgles came up as air in the back of my throat which felt so odd.
When I got home I hiccuped and microburped at the same time!
DAY 1 POST-PROCEDURE
I went right back to work today! I definitely am starting to experience some slow swallow. The doctor assured me that it’s okay - the food has passed my airway at that point and I just need to take a sip of water to get it down. As someone who normally eats like Patrick in that one episode of Spongebob , I have become VERY mindful about how slowly I must eat. My throat is a bit sore still and my voice sounded strained today. My jaw hurts a little bit more than yesterday, but I haven’t felt the need to take any pain medication.
My burps are so far all unintentional. I microburped a few times while yawning and clearing my throat. I also microburped while trying to swallow water which was an extremely odd feeling, yet I didn’t choke. While out to lunch with a friend, I started microburping while talking. I’ve tried to push out burps but have so far been unsuccessful.
DAY 2
Went out to lunch with a friend- had sushi. Probably not the best idea with the slow swallow, but it's perfect for my gastritis. :) Burped a few times while talking - still not real burps, though. My voice felt less strained today.
DAYS 3-7
Slow swallow is REAL. I feel like I have to learn how to swallow again. I've choked on water a couple times because I'm still burping while swallowing. Usually slow swallow doesn't have a risk of choking since the food is below the airway (according to Dr. Bastian), but the burping while swallowing water forces it up, which causes me to choke. It doesn't really seem to be an issue with food, though. I take a sip of water with pretty much every bite, or the food just sits in the back of my throat.
I'm also still gurgling. The difference is that most times my gurgles turn into microburps at the end. I also feel like I'm gurgling more often, unless I'm just paying more attention. Could also be the gastritis. In addition, the burps don't always come out easily - putting my shoulders back and pushing seems to help.
I bought a 24-pack of Perrier to practice burping with buttt it seems my gastritis is flaring up so I'm too scared to practice until it calms down, probably at the end of the week. (Silly me could have bought ONE bottle...bought 24 haaa).
I have gum in the meantime to practice, will hopefully be trying tonight!
DAYS 8-9
I talked to Melissa at BVI for a check-in. She said that I sound like I am on track and said I should definitely practice with sparkling water. She also asked if my symptom relief is subtle, medium, or large. I said subtle as I'm still gurgling a lot, they just turn into burps. I'm definitely less uncomfortable, but don't feel normal yet. Idk though, maybe I should have said medium.
However, I'm definitely burping more. I practiced with Perrier after work and had some funny 7-second burps. I'm also having some better luck pushing burps out myself; they're sounding less strangled.
DAYS 9-14
My burps are getting stronger. They are not usually preceded by a gurgle. I am definitely having fewer burps; I think they're getting more productive. They still don't sound right (some people don't even realize I'm burping) and some of them are superrr long. Like I was joking around with one of my friends, started burping, and then started laughing, and was STILL burping. It lasted maybe 6-7 seconds, which made me laugh even more.
I also noticed that I am not bloated. Like at all. Ever. I pass gas wayyyyyyyy less than I was. I usually wear high-waisted pants to work and get relatively uncomfortable by the end of the day - no more!
I should also clarify that I am on a restricted diet for my gastritis. I was experiencing gurgling/bloating/discomfort prior to the Botox, even with the diet being "easy" to digest. I haven't seen drastic relief in my gastritis symptoms (dull stomach pain), but I will note that the last two days have felt a lot better. Really hoping these two issues can heal together.
Also, I'm visiting my gastro tomorrow morning. He was very interested to know how my procedure went - I actually had Dr. Bastian send him a report.
DAYS 15-35
So - my GI doc gave me a hi-five when I told him I could burp. :) He's so great! My stomach pain is still there at time; I'm still on meds. This week I've been pretty strict about my diet but not much difference there.
On burping - still got it, a lottt less often though. I can control them more. I don't gurgle much at all, although sometimes I have what I call a "low-burp" where it seems to come out in the back of my throat.
I practice with sparkling water still. I mostly burp after breakfast (cereal) and dinner (veggies). At this point, I would say that there has been a large change in my symptoms. Since I'm getting to the five-week mark (when the Botox will start to wear off) I'm hoping that I can continue burping!
MONTH 3!
Still burping y’all! No gurgles really - had one that turned into a burp but that’s it. I pretty much always burp after eating which I’m not sure is considered “normal” but it feels great!
MONTH 10
Still burping!
On insurance - Dr. Bastian was in-network for me - my insurance does not have any state-line restrictions. One charge of $400 is still pending, but so far my insurance has covered 100% of this procedure. I AM SO SURPRISED/HAPPY.
MONTH 23
Still burping!
Will continue to update!