WASHINGTON – Similar to an increasing number of Americans, Bekki Welter receives Botox injections. Only she’ll tell you, the Botox doesn’t go where you might think.
What is commonly used among men and women to smooth wrinkles and diminish crow’s feet is becoming a more common sight in physicians’ offices and outpatient rooms across the country.
That’s because Botox is being used to soothe everything from migraines to muscle spasms. And Welter says Botox dramatically changed her life.
A Rare Disorder Leaves Unimaginable Damage
In 2009, Welter, a Northwest D.C. resident, went to a local emergency room with a terrible pain in her abdomen.
“It was so severe, I had never felt anything like it before,” says Welter, 43.
She was ultimately sent home with an incorrect diagnosis, but returned the next morning with the same complaint. When Welter eventually left the hospital, she was practically paralyzed.
“Within a 48-hour period, I went from being a completely active, healthy person, to being what they did categorize as being a quadriplegic, even though I had use of my right hand and my sort of head and neck,” she says.
The doctors were stumped. They knew something neurological was going on, but they weren’t sure what it was that was attacking Welter’s body.
“Basically there were five different sets of specialists ruling out everything you could imagine. It was almost like an episode of
