Okay, so to update you, I had my Botox injection on 17 April. I also had 50 units of Dysport injected into my right tensor veli palatini using an EMG-guided needle. It's now been 12 days since the injection, so that should be enough time to reach peak effects.
By the 3rd day, I noticed a significant drop in tinnitus, which was a nice little surprise bonus. That drop in tinnitus has continued. My tinnitus fluctuates a lot in volume anyway, so it is difficult to say precisely how much by, but it has also become softer and so far more tolerable.
On the 4th day, my baseline pain was eliminated. I always have at least some pain or discomfort, even if it's very slight, but this has disappeared. My tolerance also increased a little—not loads, but noticeable.
I had three days like this, and my ear began to get more fatigued over these days, but it was still not painful. Anyway, eventually, this led to a setback, which I must admit is a bit of a nasty one. So, in hindsight, perhaps we should wait the full two weeks after Botox before even trying to increase sound exposure.
I have had no side effects, adverse reactions, or issues swallowing, which suggests I would be able to tolerate a higher dose.
However, even in those days when I was feeling better, I could still feel a muscle spasm sensation in the ear/Eustachian tube. So my feelings are that targeting the Botox through the soft palate is probably not going to be effective enough to provide sufficient relief. It's not my palate that feels tight; it's more about the area around the Eustachian tube. Botox doesn't really spread that far.
I had my follow-up appointment with the ENT today, and she seemed really happy with the results. Particularly, the drop in tinnitus seems to indicate there probably is an issue with this muscle. Therefore, she would like to get me back as soon as possible for more Botox, except this time to try injecting it trans nasally and hopefully at a higher dose.
I'm not quite there yet, but maybe I'm onto something.
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