During the summer I was offered the opportunity to have Botox for migraines

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with Botox, but going by the sentiment ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’, it never really crossed my mind to have it done – yet.

But something that I’ve thought long and hard about was sorting my migraines out once and for all. I’ve written about migraines being the bane of my life – I’ve suffered from migraines since puberty hit at 12 years old. Over the years they’ve become progressively worse and I’ve literally tried everything, from daith piercings and acupuncture, to preventative medicine (nortriptyline) and implants. But nothing has worked. The only period in my life when I didn’t get any migraines was when I was on chemo. Why that was I’ve no idea, but I’d opt for doses of chemo just to keep the migraine attacks at bay.

Also, the slightest thing can trigger off a migraine – from atmospheric pressure or skipping a meal to freshly cut flowers and hormonal cycles. I really was first in the queue when the powers that be were dishing out migraine punishments. And having a migraine does feel like a punishment as it’s so debilitating. I can’t tell you the number of work days I’ve missed due to the migraines and it’s so frustrating.

You can read more about my migraine rambles here (why strong smells give me migraines) and here (what not to say to a migraine sufferer)

So, the last thing I had left to try before admitting defeat was Botox. It did cross my mind that I could ‘kill two birds with one stone’ and perhaps it would get rid of the migraines AND make me look 10 years younger (we can all dream!), but alas, I was told that the mini jabs I’d be getting would be at the back of my head mainly.

To be honest, I couldn’t care less where I’d be getting the jabs – if they did the trick, then I’d be laughing – and going back for more.

Imperial Aesthetics

So, one sunny morning I set off to Harley Street in London to visit Imperial Aesthetics, who incidentally do a whole range of Botox and filler treatments – from getting rid of Glabella Lines to nose reshaping and everything in between.

The clinic was easy to find and you know when you get a good first impression of a place? Well, that’s how it felt – a good first impression. I always go with my gut instinct and my gut, apart from telling me it was in need of a sandwich soon, was also telling me that I was in safe hands.

There were a few other clues that meant that I arrived at that conclusion:

(1) I was in Harley Street – the most reputable street you can come to when it comes to cosmetic procedures

(2) The clinic itself seemed busy with a range of clientele – you know what they say about busy places….they must be good!

(3) The clinic itself was beautifully decorated; yes, I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but in this setting I did.

After I had checked in, I was told to take a seat in a nice lounge area. There were already a few people in there and this pleased me as it meant I could do some people watching. Yes, I don’t get out much, so any opportunity to pretend I’m good at deciphering people’s personalities from their mannerisms and I’m there.

People watching is highly entertaining; I had actually forgotten how many characters were in London. Firstly, a young couple came in. They stood at reception and waited to be checked in. Just by watching the girl I could tell she would be trouble. She kept shifting her weight, looked impatient and seemed to roll her eyes every few seconds.

I heard the receptionist say “sorry, the company policy is only one person in the treatment room” – and on hearing those words she kicked off big time.

“Oh for f’s sake!” I heard her say. Well, she actually said the ‘f’ word – a little too loudly which meant  that half the people in the waiting room turned to see what was going on.

“I can’t wear an f’in face mask! I have anxiety and I want my boyfriend with me in there because I’m anxious! I’m NOT going in there alone!”

Miss Gobby swore a few more times – mostly at the receptionist, who by this time I was feeling sorry for. But he handled the situation like a pro; and within a few minutes (and after a lot more swearing), she admitted defeat, but not before declaring that she was “f’in going in there by myself then.

The funny thing was, as she said this she stomped off, presumably in the direction she thought she needed to go. What made me laugh was that she didn’t have a clue where she was going and took a wrong turn, only to be told off by the receptionist. I couldn’t help but let out a loud chuckle, which I quickly had to pretend was a cough – and then I sat there thinking that was a wrong move as everyone now probably thinks I’ve got Covid.

I looked back up at the girl and watched as she clutched at her boyfriend’s hand. It reminded me of a scene from Prison Break Series 2, when T-Bag loses his hand and has to carry it around gingerly. She clearly felt sorry for herself. The receptionist then asked the boyfriend why he wasn’t wearing a mask and he replied that he has asthma so he didn’t have to wear one either. I fleetingly wondered if I could get away without wearing a mask because I had toothache and the thought of asking the receptionist this made me smile.

The next ‘character’ was some 20-something American girl wearing one of those coats that looked like it was wet. It was clearly a designer coat (which designer it was I couldn’t tell you!), and she also decided to have a pop at the receptionist.

“The doctor has your form” she was told.

“Well, can’t I just go straight into the clinic? Why do I have to sit in the waiting room? Is this not the clinic?” she demanded.

Miss America couldn’t understand why she had to wait – she wanted to walk straight into the clinic to see the doctor. She didn’t seem to grasp the idea that said doctor might have a patient in the clinic and she might be walking in on them having a procedure.

I sat there hoping the receptionist was on a decent salary; I would have told these people where to stick it by now, but he really did have the patience of a saint. When he called me to go into see Dr Hunt I gave him a sympathetic smile, put on my best posh voice and quite loudly told him:

“Thank you so much, you’ve been wonderful” – just to prove a point that there are some nice people around. It fell on deaf ears though as he’d already picked up the phone to someone – presumably to listen to another earbashing, poor sod.

The botox treatment

After my little adventure in the waiting room, I wondered what Dr Hunt would be like. Would he be an eccentric character that would take a while to work out? Would he perhaps be a little impatient – possibly a little exasperated at all these strange people he had the er…pleasure of treating?

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Dr Daniel Hunt was probably THE nicest doctor I had the pleasure of meeting. Well, apart from my lovely oncologist Dr Goldsmith, who makes you feel like she has all the time in the world for you. But seriously, I was delighted at how down to earth Dr Hunt was – and the fact that he was ready and willing to answer all my questions – all while understanding my concerns.

So here’s what I asked him – and Dr Hunt’s answers…

• Does it work straight away? (Believe it or not I had a slight headache the day I arrived!) It can do but it doesn’t tend to. The full effect of Botox kicks in after a couple of weeks.
• How long are the effects supposed to last? They can last a few months and it’s different for individuals, but the average time is 2-3 months.
• Are there any side effects? There may be some initial discomfort, swelling and bruising, but the side effects shouldn’t last long.
• How much are top ups and how often should they be done? I was interested to discover that there are actually 6 types of Botox – and of course Dr Hunt only uses the best. This didn’t come as a surprise being in Harley Street, of course. I also discovered that the jabs were £400 a pop. After thinking about this – and knowing what I know about migraines – I concluded that I’d be willing to fork out this every few months if it meant I didn’t get another migraine, but the proof would be in the pudding as they say.

I also asked Dr Hunt something that he’d never been asked before: Does he do Botox for hyperosmia? Hyperosmia is something that I think I definitely have – it’s a heightened sensitivity to smells. As VIP often jokes with me “You can smell a fart in the wind, you can”. And he’s right.

It’s a pain of course; sitting next to someone who has doused themselves in perfume or aftershave and I’m nearly passing out with the smell. I figured that if I had Botox in my nostrils, it might dull my smell and I could be like a normal person. I was sad to discover this wasn’t on the table.

After chatting a little about my medical history, it was time for the procedure – all 31 of them. That’s right, I was to receive 31 little jabs – mainly at the back of my head, at the base, down my neck and a few in my shoulders. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that I would in fact receive four little jabs just above my eye area.

The jabs didn’t hurt at all – the needle was tiny so I hardly felt it going in, which made the whole procedure quite relaxing in fact. By the time I walked out of there and was on my way to Oxford Street for some High Street shopping (well, when in London…..), my headache has actually started to wear off.

The next day, week, month…

The following day was a rather surreal day. I experienced a migraine but without the excruciating pain. What I mean by that is that I had all the other symptoms of a migraine – the lethargy, the slurred speech, unable to focus or concentrate – but I didn’t have the usual overwhelming urge to go and lie down. It actually felt like a huge revelation not to have the insane pain that I was accustomed to.

I can so deal with this I thought. This is a walk in the park compared to my usual migraines! I think I spoke too soon; just 10 days later I had another full-blown migraine. This time I did feel the pain, but no sickness. Still, I had to go and lie down. Given this was less than two weeks after I had received the Botox for migraines, I decided to reserve judgement; I remembered Dr Hunt’s words about the Botox kicking it after about two weeks…perhaps this was just a one-off and (hopefully) the last of the migraines.

Another week later and the migraine was back – and unfortunately the week after that too. I decided to give it another month – just to see if I had a delayed reaction to the treatment. But the migraines continued to come. Perhaps this was just one of those things that I was unable to control. One thing I was grateful for – which I haven’t mentioned before – was that although it seemed like the migraines had increased in frequency, the same couldn’t be said for their intensity.

In fact, I can hand on heart say that they are probably about 50% as painful as they used to be; this is a HUGE advantage of course. And even though it’s not the overall result that I was expecting from the Botox for migraine treatment, I’ll take a migraine that is less painful than usual any day.

My huge thanks to Dr Hunt from Imperial Aesthetics for allowing me the opportunity to try the treatment. My final piece of advice would be not to knock something before you’ve tried it. Botox for migraines might not have worked perfectly for me, but who’s to say it won’t for you – and if you’ve ever suffered from the migraines that I have come to endure over the years, you’ll try anything once to make them go away.

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