Lessons from Botox

I am not the typical kind of woman who would get botox to make my lip pout or erase a wrinkle, those are battle scars won by a life well lived and I'm keeping 'em! However, in my journey through chronic pain I have encountered botox as a treatment for pain. I had read that migraines were being successfully treated with botox injections but was rather surprised when my pain rehabilitation doctor suggested we do some injections. So this past week I went for my appointment, a vial of botox in hand -- essentially a neuro-toxin smear on the bottom of a glass vial. This stuff is worth more than gold! That little smear was $385.00 at Costco, ranging up over $500-600 at other pharmacies. Thank the Lord it was covered by my drug plan. Whew!

The doctor explained how the botox would work, what it would do and how he was going to inject it. The lengthy needles made me a little bit little-headed so I directed my thoughts to fond memories of playing on the beach when I was young, a.k.a. my happy place! He started on the back and did four injections, two into the erector muscles - the ones that hold you up - and two for the iliosacrial ligaments. "Great," I thought -- "I'm going to have a butt like Joan River's face!" Happy place, happy place... Then I rolled over to receive the more substantial needle into my psoas muscle. I didn't even know about this muscle before that day. But it is the lengthy, strong and substantial muscle that actually runs from the spine, through the pelvis and out into the front of the hip! One deep injection - HAPPPYYYY PPPLLAACCEEEE!! We have since seen this muscle is appropriately named pso-as, because it certainly contributes to that pain!

Since then I have experienced flu-like symptoms including a severe headache. They say it takes 4-7 days for the botox to work and essentially paralyze the muscle. I think it's coming. What I didn't expect is that when you deaden a major muscle in your hip flexor it makes it harder to walk and causes some pain in other areas as the body has to compensate for these muscles that are now failing to fire. I was just looking forward to these muscles coming out of their spasmatic state and providing pain relief!

It made me think of the analogy of us being the 'body of Christ.' How each part of the body is needed and works in conjunction with the others. Romans 12:4-6 says, "Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you." The passage goes on to talk about the different gifts that God has granted us - teaching, helping, leadership - and how each person's gifts are important and designed for a purpose. Ultimately, we need each other. We need to work together. Being alive and part of community is so important -- don't be a botoxed believer; paralyzed and deadened so that you don't function properly and neglect using the gifts that God has given to you. God created us to be inter-dependent - not fiercely independent or grossly over-dependent. Interdependence promotes individuality, freedom and responsibility, in the context of supportive community. If you are botoxed right now, hang in there. It wears off in about three months. Then you can reactivate and get involved. Take your rightful place in the body and bring glory to the God who created you, loves you and has gifted you!