"Rare Complication": Woman Paralysed After Taking Botox Injections For Migraines

A woman from Texas, United States, nearly died after taking Botox injections to help her with migraines. The woman, who is in her mid-thirties, said that the injections left her partially paralysed and choking on her saliva. Alicia Hallock shared her harrowing experience on Instagram, claiming that the well-known muscle-freezing medication was first given to her to alleviate her migraines, as per a report in People Magazine.

"I ended up having a rare complication," the mother-of-three wrote on social media. She said that the complication spread to muscles and neck and caused "many issues" including " neck paralysis, droopy eyelids, blurry vision, dizziness and trouble speaking." The woman added that her neck muscles are paralysed and she cannot lift her own head. The problems became worse with dysphagia, a disorder that makes swallowing difficult and can cause choking on saliva, and botulism, a dangerous disease that destroys the nerves in the body.

"They moved me to ICU to be constantly monitored, and I've had 6 tubes shoved down my throat to get up all the mucus that's stuck in my lungs and throat," Ms Hallock said. She was also put on a feeding tube so that doctors could give her proper nutrition.

The patient kept her followers updated with her medical condition throughout her hospital stay. In one of the videos, she expressed feeling more "scared and horrified" than ever as she removed her neck brace to show how it is difficult to hold her neck by herself. "I know it's a little scary and daunting to see, and I'm sure none of you expected this to be my reality, even with what I've shared here so far. So, I apologize. But, this is where I'm currently at. And I just wanted to show you my wibbly-wobbly bobble head, and let everyone know I am fighting and I am doing okay at the moment," she added.

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Ms Hallock was discharged from the hospital after 18 days and is recovering at home. In a post last week, she wrote, "I could have died. There were many sobering moments that made me realize how lucky I was to have gotten the help when I did." The writer added that her condition could take "weeks to wear off" before being able to see, eat, drink and move normally again.

She explained, "People do have Botox complications, even experiencing some or all of the symptoms I have. However, it is extremely rare to have numerous symptoms at the severity or degree that I did. So, the hospital is doing a case study on me and this bizarre situation we've been walking through."

The woman is also suffering from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome,  a group of inherited disorders that affect connective tissues which include skin, joints and blood vessel walls, as per Mayo Clinic. It's unknown if this affected her body's reaction to the Botox shots.