Home » Living With MS » My bladder » Twenty injections within six minutes

Twenty injections within six minutes

Yup, eventually I got there

It was a year to the day since my previous Botox injections. I was back in the in Uro Neurological surgery in Queen square London for another Botox injection. By now the benefits of my previous Botox injections, sometimes known as botulinum toxin-A, had worn off. If the truth of the matter were known my bladder was starting to dominate my life again destroying my quality of life.

First of February 2018

I had received a phone call the previous afternoon telling me to be in the hospital by 3.30. The nurse was very apologetic when I arrived. She said there was a shortage of doctors who could perform this procedure but hopefully this won’t happen again. I had always suspected something like this had been the problem.

Getting ready

After checking my urine for a UTI I was ushered into a little room and told to get myself ready. After a few minutes a doctor came in and introduced himself to me. He asked me how long it took to do the Botox the previous time.

I couldn’t really remember so I said ‘Oh, about 20 minutes’.

Twenty injections within six minutes

‘You can time me’ he said. ‘From beginning to end it’ll take no more than six minutes’.

‘All right’ I said. ‘I will time you on my watch. Tell me when you are starting’.

He spent a few minutes getting the apparatus ready.

‘Are you ready?’ he asked

‘Yes’ and he began

I checked the time on my watch

Eventually it happened

It was very weird. He said the equipment was being inserted down my urethra but I couldn’t feel anything. It’s obviously very thin. Throughout the process he gave a running commentary. I knew he was looking at an x-ray machine but I don’t like injections. I shut my eyes, this is the only way I can cope. What you can’t see you don’t know.

He started giving the injections

He counted each injection. Each time the sensation was like a tickle in an area where you are not ticklish. He counted each injection, he got to 5 then 10 then 15 and then 20. Then it was over.

A couple of them gave me a slight twinge and he said they were on the side of the bladder wall, apparently a sensitive area. I could always feel something happening but it never hurt.

It’s over

He asked me ‘how long have I been?’

‘Six minutes’ I said.

‘I told you so’

As promised, 20 injections in six minutes.

Done and dusted

He said it would take at least a week maybe even two weeks before the Botox became completely effective. ‘Oh yes’ he added, ‘now you will need to go to the loo to remove the water in your bladder. There might be a tiny bit of blood but don’t worry’

10 days later

I feel as if everything is back to normal with my bladder. Now I’m back to having a healthy bladder of someone who is 20 years younger than I am right now, what an improvement to my quality of life. I’m a much happier bunny. It only needed twenty injections within six minutes, so easy, so straight forward

Caffeine is the most widely consumed drug