A surgeon in Vancouver is using Botox to relieve muscle pain for breast cancer patients. Botox injections are used to ease muscle pain for those who have had their breasts removed due to breast cancer surgery. In fact, some breast cancer survivors state that they have received 100 percent pain relief using Botox injections in the chest wall.Doctor Allen Babriel and his team in Vancouver in the Southwest Medical Group have been using Botox injections to relieve muscle pain in breast cancer surgery patients. Some patients who have had breast removal surgery twice have been astonished at the difference in pain levels with and without the Botox injections.
Breast cancer survivors who were to have reconstructive surgery had expanders placed in their chest walls to form the proper shape within the chest wall to perform the reconstruction at a later date. But patients have long complained about the extreme discomfort of the expanders, which is described as being like a severe muscle cramp.
In tests in his practice, Doctor Allen Gabriel tested Botox injections on 30 mastectomy patients. Fifteen of the patients were given a saline solution placebo, while 15 patients were given Botox injections. The mastectomy patients who received the Botox injections showed a huge decline in pain. They expressed that they were in much less pain than were the patients who received the saline solution placebo injections. Doctor Gabriel and his team were thrilled to find a solution to the long-standing problem of post mastectomy pain for those who were to undergo reconstructive surgery and had previously had to endure the pain of chest expanders.
Unfortunately, Botox injections are expensive. Thanks to a grant provided by the Southwest Medical group, Doctor Gabriel can provide the injections for free for breast cancer survivor reconstruction patients. The Southwest Washington Health System, who is sponsoring the Botox injection for breast cancer patients study, is providing free Botox injections for those participating.
The amount of pain and suffering that breast cancer surgery patients have to endure just because of the surgery itself is quite significant. Those preparing for reconstructive breast surgery after a mastectomy have had to go through quite a bit more pain because of the chest wall expanders used to prepare their bodies for reconstructive surgery. Dr. Allen Gabriel and his team have been gratified to discover that Botox injections can save their patients much suffering.
