Botox "pros" I need your help!!

[IC/IBS Hopeful]

I am going to jump right to the issue I need help with.
I had my first treatment of botox done on March 2nd 2007. My docotor did a Cysto/hydro then the botox.

The procedure worked and I went from having urge/frequency of 30 times a day and pain t0 no pain and peeing 8-12 times a day.

Now my insurance paid for everything but the botox. Because he was doing a hydro to ? IC. This is what he put down for codes. "IC" Well now that I have researched all of this and found a way to get the botox reimbused with the help of some of you ladies on this site. I need help in knowing how your doctors do the procedure to just do the botox injections. This is Why.

My doctor does not feel that Hydro's have any medical benifits. He doesn't feel it helps with the pain or urge/frequency. I read what alot of you women say and some of you do Hydros only to help with your symptoms. So because he feels hydros don't help with the IC. He will only do a cysto to inject the botox. Well my insurance will not pay for a cysto to do just botox. So now I know how to get the botox covered but the procedure is alot more money then the botox and I can't get the procedure covered.

What I need to know is what do your doctors put in your charts and as codes for the reason he is going in as a cysto to do the botox injections.
If we could come up with a reason for him going into my bladder other than for botox injections 6 months after he already did a cysto/hydro we will be golden.

Or Could some of you lead me to places I can get stuff that is written to prove to him they Hydros do help the IC. He did all his training in Cleveland Medical Center. He is really good and had done and done out of his way for me many times.

I am going on my first vacation trip at the end of September with my kids (disney) and I want to feel good for it and I want to have another treatment at the end of Aug so I will feel good. My doctor said he will do it if I can get the insurance to cover the procedure.
Please if anyone has any ideas please e-mail me.
Thank you
P.S I have already been through the botox reimebursement hotline. I need to know how to get the insurance to pay for the procedure.
Thanks

[Missy35]

Botox

I need someone's help...Is it painful having the botox treatment done? I'm going to see my bladder today and want to discuss with him about the botox injections. I have been in severe pain now for three weeks, with one trip to the hospital and no relief in sight which is a little unusual since I do have days with no pain. I take percoset for the pain which I have to double up on and it is not helping me at all, I have to do this every 4 hrs. I've had Chronic IC now for 5yrs and my doctor is doing everything possible for me, whenever I suggest a new treatment that Ive read about he goes and checks it on his computer and agrees to try it. I've been on so many different kinds of oral medications and have had several surgeries done with no relief (my first one done 5yrs ago did make my IC go away for a year but then it came back) I'm so depressed and fed up with being in so much pain, and I really don't think my husband has any idea of how much pain I go through. Has anyone out there ever been prescribed Morphine for severe pain? I want to ask my doctor to change my pain meds but don't know what I can handle since he put my percoset up to the second strength and it made me sick so now I'm back down to the lowest dose. God I'm fed up. sorry...

[deborah bush]

Hi IC/IBS Hopeful I have Botox done for my bladder and my insurance pays for the botox. I have a cysto and the botox done in the doctor office.

Deborah Bush

[IC/IBS Hopeful]

I am sorry you are having difficulties and I know how you feel. I also have a wonderful doctor who goes out of his way for me. I will not lie to you, and it is different for everyone. for me the first time I had the botox I also had a hydrodistention done. It was my first time for both. My doctor did a hydro basically to prove to me that I had IC. I didn't want to believe it, he knew but wanted to prove it to me. well the outcome of the hydro gave us alot of info. My bladder could only be stretche with me asleep to 450 cc. while I am awake I can only hold 200cc (very small bladder) normal is 1000 to 1500 cc. He also told me in his words "your bladder is a bloody mess" I have hemerages every where. then he proceded to do 33 injections of botox using 100 units of botox.

Yes, I was in extreme pain when I woke up. my doctor washed my bladder out with lidocane and pumped me with morphine to get the pain under control. After about 5 hours I was better and sent home. I had a rough 4 days after and then it began to heal. I went from peeing 30 times a day to 8to10. It lasted about 4 months like this and now the urge and pain is increasing again. but they say the more you have the longer and better you feel. I also think he will use 150units next time instead of 100 units.
I hope this info helps you. Remember it is different for everyone.

[Debgail]

abdominal botox

I really hope you are feeling better and are able to do the botox, because I think that it has a large place in treating ic pain. In my case last week was the first injections that I have had ,having mine done in the skin above the pubic line. The procedure was quick and painless and I do think it has helped me with the "constantly touching my bladder" viceral pain. I still need my oxycontin, but my pain is controlled now with the injections and the pain meds. I think docs know how to code the botox in a way to get it thru.

BTW...My skin almost a week later where I had the botox done, is still purple and black. As for me I am too worried about retention issues to have it in my bladder. However I am so happy that we have it to add to the ic arcenal!

Hope this helps someone!

[samanthajane]

I am just after some advice on botox. I am very interested in trying the botox injections. Can anyone advise me on what sought of relief you may get from the procedure. my major concern is being unable to pee afterwards because having to catherterize scares me to death but I think I need to try something different. i have been on Elmiron and pain relief meds for almost six months and although they have helped a little I am starting to think I want to go for something else and take the next step. I dont have alot of frequency but a constant pain and feeling of infection and like all of us I am feed up. my doctor wants to try installations next but this also scares me because I have read you can get worse before better and with 3 small children and a job i dont think i can afford to get any worse. Im confused on where to go next. help.

[deborah bush]

botox injections

I do Botox injection for urgency&freqency and was going 60 times a day and know I am going 6 to 7 times a day. I really never had problems with retation after having the botox done. They put the injection into the bladder wall and have 150 units done. I tried the interstim first without any luck and when I tryed the Botox I got 100% relief. I have been doing the Botox for about 3 and 4 years and I go to a doctor in Miaim, Fl to have it done. His name is Dr. Gousse. If you have any more questions you can email at [email protected]

Deborah Bush

[IC/IBS Hopeful]

I am having the botox done again. My Dr. says he has grounds to do a cysto so that the insurance will cover the cysto. I will have the botox reimbursed by the botox reimbursement hotline.
I am not sure if just having botox injections done is very painful. I have only had it done once and it was done along with a hydrodistention. I think the hydo is what caused all my pain. I will find out on Sept4 when we do just botox injections. Last time we did only 100 units. I did not have any retention. This time I am going to try to convince my Dr. to do 150 units. I feel the last time it helped me alot and loved the results but it only lasted about 4 months. I still had some spasms (not as many) but they were still there. I feel I need more units to control that. As far as the relief I had. With out it I can not wait long between voids. I feel (urge) to pee all the time. I have to ask myself is it real or is it just an urge. My bladder only holds 200cc so for me it doesn't take long to fill the bladder. If my bladder is fun I will spasm and can not wait at all because of the pain.
With the botox I didn't have the urges inbetween voids. if I felt the urge and I was in the middle of something I could actually say to may self I will finish my task that I am doing then I will go pee. I had no cramping (spasms) unless I waited way to long and my bladder was very full and at this point it was the fact that my bladder is very small not the IC. So for me and my family botox made a huge difference. I think the comments from my family & co workers made the results more real for me. they were like wow you are feeling much better aren't you? and I would be like what? they would say well you are not running to the bathroom so much any more. and I would then be like ya your right!. As far as may family I didn't have to pull the car over anymore or say hurry home I have to pee. It was more relaxing. Once it started to wear off they could tell right away. I am back to franticlly finding bathrooms or always in the one at home.
This is how the botox has impacted my life.

[deborah bush]

the Botox

samanthjane, do you have mostly urgegency&frqency or pain or all three? How long have you had IC? You have nice Day.

IC/IBS Hopeful How did you get the botox reimbursement to pay for your Botox? You have nice day.

Deborah Bush

[macsmaker]

RE: Getting botox paid for

I was able to get my botox treatment paid for by doing research on my insurance company's website and finding their position paper on it. Turns out my condition ("Incontinence due to detrusor instability and/or neurogenic bladder not responsive to anticholinergics) was covered. However, it took several letters (two initial and two appeals) and six months to them to cover it. Be prepared for them to lose your information several times. One of their tactics to get people to give up!

[Grammy]

botox for vaginal burning

Has anyone gotten relief from vaginal burning from having botox shots? I know this sounds funny but I just do no want to feel my vagina anymore as it has been a source of pain for fourteen years. I am going to see a specialist at the enc of the month and I was just wondering what to expext. I have had five surgeries so my pain is due to a lot of nerve damage and I think I should be on lyrica or neurontin or something like that. Narcotics really do not work well for me for the burning pain. Please help me if you can. I feel like I do not know where to turn next Thanks

[IC/IBS Hopeful]

I had the botox treatment 3 times. My treatments were in my bladder not my vaginal walls. So I can not say if it will help. Botox freezes the muscels, it doesn't always take away the pain. I had good results the first time with urge and frequency and it lasted 4 months. the next 2 times was not so lucky, I also got a bad side affect the 2nd time it caused me not to be able to pee on my own. I have to straight cath everytime I have to pee. It has been almost a year with this problem. so be careful. I can only tell you what happen to me. I can't tell you what it will do for you.