"How much is a human life worth?" Mine: 2,200 RON/450 USD

Anonymous Botox Dysport Side Effects Group Member – 35 years old

"How much is a human life worth?" Mine: 2,200 RON/450 USD (That's how much I paid for Botox injections... plus many thousands of dollars later, and an Iatrogenic Botulism Poisoning (IBP) diagnosis - that eroded away my life as I knew it.)

On May 7, 2024, I received 20 units of Botox, Allergan: Vistabel Lot no. C7983C2/Code:

W60039001, injections in my glabella and crow's feet areas. Within two days, I began experiencing dry eyes, sensitivities to light and a sensation akin to having sand in them. Two

ophthalmologists diagnosed me with dry eyes and poor lacrimal production, prescribing lubricating drops but insisting that the Botox could not be the cause.

I never imagined that a routine cosmetic appointment would become the dividing line between "before and after" in my life. On that day, I walked into a reputable medical clinic, sat across from a certified injector and received authentic Allergan, Vistabel Botox. Everything felt safe, professional, and standard. I had done everything “right.”

And yet, within days, my life began to unravel.

Ten days later, oedema appeared just below my left eyebrow. Both the injector and an

ophthalmologist prescribed hydrocortisone medication (Medrol) — 32 mg for six days and 16 mg for three days, but denied Botox to be the culprit. While the eyebrow oedema subsided, it left a persistent bump, like a warning sign.

Something was wrong.

Then came the UTI. Then the antibiotics. Then the fever. Then the painful swellings. Then more antibiotics. Then the ER visits. Following the culture, I started a 10-day course of oral antibiotics for the UTI.

Every day brought a new problem, a new fear, a new explanation that never quite made sense from providers. My injector cycled through possibilities that all felt random, disconnected, and increasingly desperate. None of them made sense, because I had never experienced any of these issues before Botox.

On the last day of the antibiotics, I developed a fever and painful oedemas in my intimate area, accompanied by a swollen and painful inguinal lymph node. The next day, my gynecologist diagnosed inflammation of the Bartholin gland and prescribed a second 10-day course of antibiotics, Augmentin. On the second day of Augmentin, another fever prompted a visit to the emergency room. Bloodwork revealed high inflammation markers and a C-reactive protein (CRP) level of 46. Doctors advised ruling out a gynecological emergency before considering hospital admission for a possible complicated UTI. Another gynecologist found no inflammation of the Bartholin gland, attributing my symptoms to an unknown cause, though unrelated to the UTI.

That night, I was admitted to the hospital, underwent two clear abdominal scans, and a clean

thoracic X-ray. The following morning, I began a regimen of two intravenous antibiotics: Levoquin (500 mg/day) and AmpiPlus (twice daily). Within an hour of starting AmpiPlus, blood samples showed normal markers. There was never a real infection, just poisoning.

And in that very moment, as the bloodwork stabilized, my body fell into complete chaos: severe muscle spasms, violent body jerks, exhaustion so deep it felt hollowing, insomnia that made nights unbearable. Doctors blamed stress and assured me these symptoms were not related to the medication or Botox.

Following the five-day hospital stay, I was discharged with normal bloodwork and no sign of UTI. Over the next three weeks, I developed insomnia, blurred vision, fatigue, weakness, and

persistent muscle twitches and body jerks. During this period, my muscles began to atrophy, and I experienced intermittent rashes.

Having read the black box warning for Botox and concerned about a potential systemic spread of botulinum toxin poisoning, I contacted Romania's disease control center, filed an adverse reaction report, and consulted an infectious disease professor. The professor dismissed Botox as the cause, suggesting a viral link and ordering extensive tests. All of the testing produced normal results except an initially positive Hepatitis B test, which was later negated upon repetition.

The next three months became a catalogue of symptoms; I can barely believe I lived through them. My body felt like it was shutting down in slow motion.

And through all of this, every single test came back “normal.” Over and over and over.

At 3 months post injections, I was experiencing ALL of the following symptoms:

• Severe insomnia

• Hair-loss

• Muscle twitches

• Weight loss

• Facial and eye twitches

• Muscle atrophy

• Burning sensation on skin (face, arms, legs)

• Transitory stabbing pain in my head

• Transitory numbness and tingling in my toes and fingers

• Join pain and joint swelling in my hands

• Light sensitivity and eye floaters

• Occasional rashes

• Occasional blocked ears/tinnitus

• Internal shakes

• Stomach and digestion issues

• Menstrual cycle changes

• Hormonal imbalance

• Occasional bladder discomfort/incontinence

• Dry skin irrespective of water intake

• Tiredness

• Anxiety and depression

• Sensitivity to medication

• Sensitivity to foods

At 8 months post injection, persisting symptoms were:

• Hair-loss/change of structure

• Muscle twitches/fasciculation

• Muscle atrophy

• Eye floaters

• Swollen eyelids

• Bladder discomfort

• Sensitivity to medication and supplements

Being dismissed, was perhaps the worst pain of all.

I saw specialist after specialist, each more prestigious than the last. The most renowned Infectious Disease Professor in the country, the man who led the national COVID response examined me and said:

“If this were botulism, you and I wouldn’t be talking.”

He had suggested Hepatitis E, because I had traveled to Indonesia. His colleague then showed me a video of a horse with botulism and asked whether my twitches looked similar. They did. He still dismissed me.

Another specialist finally admitted it could be Botox, but followed it with:

“Buckle up and start antidepressants. You won’t be able to handle what’s coming. There’s nothing I can do.”

The medical system wasn’t just unhelpful — it was unprepared, uninformed, and at times, downright cruel.

I’m now 18 months out from that day in May, a day I wish I could erase. I can finally say I’ve reached a balanced state of health. Not perfect. Not fully restored. But balanced. Functioning. Grateful. I’m back to working full-time, something I could not even imagine back then. I can eat. I can sleep. I can travel. I can enjoy my life again.

I’m still very careful with any medication I absolutely need to take. I’ve learned to avoid anything anticholinergic. I sometimes still get the twitches right before falling asleep, and the eye floaters appear every now and then if my diet isn’t balanced.

My hair has started growing back. I’ve been going to the gym for months now, rebuilding my muscle mass. I’ve regained my weight, and my body feels strong again. I experienced facial fat loss and facial muscle atrophy, but I’ve managed to improve both significantly through facial fitness and natural, fat-stimulating creams.

Healing was not linear. Healing was not fast. Healing was not the result of a miracle pill or a magic protocol. If I’m honest, I don’t know which supplements helped, I’ve been through so many “trial and errors," my body reacted to almost everything.

What I do know is that: time and patience healed me. And my mother… for three months, she took constant care of me: making sure I eat, watching over me as I slept, calming me through the worst moments, taking me to doctors, and staying beside me, because I couldn’t be left alone. During those months when I could not function on my own, she carried me in every way a person can be carried.

There were days when I thought I was dying. Days when part of me wanted to. But slowly, gently, my body began to return to me.

Over all those months, I have drained an immense amount of physical and mental energy, along with substantial financial resources, undergoing exhaustive medical testing, each test

again, returning normal results.

And yet, through exclusion of all other medical conditions, I was finally diagnosed. Iatrogenic Botulism Poisoning directly caused by Botox, plus wrongful administration of antibiotics for a false positive infection.

I want people to know, I still read the posts from women going through this. I recognize almost every symptom, the tremors, the internal vibrations, the weight loss, the panic, the nerve pain, the dystonia-like movements, the insomnia, the fear.

To the outside world, the symptoms simply sound like: “anxiety,"“palpitations,” or “twitching."

But anyone who has lived through iatrogenic botulism knows the truth:

These symptoms are not emotional. They are neurological. They are the body in crisis. They are life-stealing.

If you're reading this because you are searching for answers...

Know this:

You are not imagining it.  You are not weak. You are not alone.

And you will not feel like this forever.

I did everything “right.” Reputable clinic. Certified injector. Authentic product. Perfect documentation. And still, it happened to me. I share my story because, silence helps no one. Because, suffering in isolation is unbearable. And because, too many people are being told that what is happening to them “isn’t possible.”

Except that:

*This is a photo of me,18 months after Allergan brand, Botox Vistabel treatment.

It is possible. It does happen. And if you’re somewhere in the darkest part of this journey, I promise you:

The day you feel like yourself again will come. 

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