Hi,

i have experienced the deep muscular injections. They are extremely painful.
I know kids who have personally experienced Botox and wishes they hadn't been
put through it. One kid in particular, a 3 1/2-4 yr. old with mild
hemi-spastic CP. If you asked this kid in front of her mother after the first
time if it was painful or not. She answered, "No." However, away from her
mother in the middle of her riding lesson, she specifically asked not to be
touched in "that spot" where the needle went. Asked again if it was
painful.... out of her mother's eyesight and earshot: The answer: " IT
ABSOLUTELY HURT A LOT!!!!!"  Ask her mother how the serial casting went: "Oh,
Absolutely no problem at all, no problem at all." Btw, none of us at the
ranch saw any improvements due to Botox injection. In fact, the kid was doing
worse weeks after .. limping far worse than before the injection. (Mom
claimed "she saw improvements" and finally admitted to her daughter being in
pain "due to extensive overstretching from PT."

Second time around: Mom didn't want to do serial casting: Reason: too much
trouble. Claimed that kid's feet were even for "2 weeks." Dad's opinion: NO
MORE BOTOX!!!!!"  The kid was scared of the needle this time.Kid is too
traumatized from it.

Third time: I don't even want to think about what is going to happen.  I have
read too many posts of the real little ones being traumatized from it. A 12
year old child is very different from a 2 - 8 year old child that has no
concept of what is being done to them and why. A 12 year old can express
their feelings and can understand a lot more things than a much younger
child. I know of another child who stuttered for months afterwards and was
scared of everything. He has been through it 3 times. His ortho agrees that
he has been through more than enough. He won't go through a medical building
without saying, "NO ONE is giving me shots today." His mother regrets putting
him through it. He won't let you put him into certain positions because that
is "the SHOT position."

There are numerous posts on the AOL CP Message board in the Test and
Treatment folder that attest to the severity of the pain and the trauma kids
have experienced because of Botox injections. I have a friend who is a
psychologist who has read those posts. Her response: "How does the FDA allow
this ???????!!!! This stuff is HORRENDOUS!!!!!" There are numerous posts on
the Harvard Neurology forum that also attests to this.

Need I say more?

Dina