'Beauty injections poisoned my body and left me partially paralysed'
A woman who was left with partial paralysis thought she was " slowly dying" after beauty injections "poisoned" her body and says she "learned the cost of beauty the hard way". Amanda Wolaver, 33, had been getting routine anti-wrinkle injections for 10 years with "no issues" until a top-up left her with "severe" headaches.
She went to hospital the next day after waking up "unable to move," but a CT scan revealed "nothing was wrong". Over 16 months, her symptoms worsened – she became housebound for four months and everyday tasks like showering and doing her make-up became a struggle - and an MRI revealed that she even suffered from TIA strokes.
After more than £22,000 worth of tests, a neurologist finally diagnosed Amanda with iatrogenic botulism. The rare neuromuscular disease is caused by botulinum neurotoxins – the active ingredient in Botox. Although there is no specific treatment, Amanda is "recovering slowly" and letting time detoxify her body.
Amanda, a sales director from Goodhope, Georgia, US, said: "It's almost been two years and I still don't feel normal. Never did I think this might happen to me.
"It was the worst decision I've ever made. I couldn't be the mother I wanted for my three children, Landen, 16, Braxton, 11, and Havyn, five.
"As I was essentially a vegetable, unable to move, walk and drive or do anything I love. But I'm grateful for the support of my husband, Josh, 39, who was there for me.
'I want my experience to educate others about botulinum toxins. I learned the cost of beauty the hard way."
Amanda paid around £525 to have 104 units of Dysport – a Botox alternative she had never used before – injected into her forehead, crow's feet, and eleven lines in August 2023.
"I began developing this horrible migraine and thought if I slept it off, it would go away," she said. "However, when I woke up the next day, I couldn't function or string sentences together."
Botox and Dysport are neurotoxins that block muscle contractions to rid wrinkles and both derive from botulinum toxin. Amanda visited the hospital and was told it was "nothing to do with the injections".
"They told me that it was probably just a severe migraine," she said. "But soon, my body felt like the floor was being ripped out from underneath me and that I'd collapse.
"My dizziness became so severe that I had to take Xanax to knock me out to sleep. I thought I was slowly dying."
Amanda visited doctors multiple times to find a cause and underwent a heart monitor implant and spinal tap surgeries.
"They thought I had MS at one point and an autoimmune disorder," she added. "I underwent around 10 to 15 different MRIs, CTs and multiple procedures. I felt like a lab rat."
Four months after her injections, a head and neck MR also revealed that the mum suffered from multiple TIA strokes.
"That knocked me back," she said. "To be told I had suffered from multiple small strokes in my brain made me think that this would eventually kill me."
Her joint pain left her struggling to formulate sentences. "My life was essentially ruined," Amanda said.
"I lost friends and couldn't hang out with my family, as loud noises and strong smells would trigger my dizziness. So I couldn't even cook my kids' dinner or clean the house."
But it wasn't until she discovered a forum of people who had suffered Botox poisoning that it "all came together". In March 2025, she was diagnosed with iatrogenic botulism after doctors pinned the timing and correlation of her symptoms to her Dysport injections.
"It was a bittersweet moment," she said. "But there is no cure and no promise that I will be 100 per cent back to normal."
Six months later, Amanda still suffers daily with lasting effects. She said: "I still get the occasional dizziness and I have changed my diet completely to make sure nothing bad is going in me.
"I've cut out caffeine, soda, and even had my breast implants taken out in April to allow my body to detoxify itself. I don't care about my wrinkles at all now and I'm getting more active and able to do more things with my family.
"But now I want to create more awareness about the dangers of botulinum neurotoxins. Hopefully, I can help prevent this from happening to others."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I found out on Twitter I had a brain tumour and could die – my diagnosis was hidden from me'
Former Brazilian international Leandro Castan has opened up on the brain tumour that nearly ended his life and how doctors at Italian club Roma kept him in the dark about his condition Former Roma defender Leandro Castan has revealed that the Italian club hid his life-threatening brain tumour diagnosis from him. Brazilian-born Castan, 38, played in Serie A for six seasons. The centre-back has now recounted his story on how the devastating illness reshaped his life. Shockingly, the former Brazil international, once highly rated, opened up on how he learned of his condition from Twitter, now known as X. His ordeal began during a game with Empoli, when Castan was forced to leave the pitch at half-time after falling ill. He explained to Corriere della Sera: "In those 15 minutes, my career ended." He added: "A part of me died. During the warm-up, I felt discomfort in my flexor muscle. At the end of the first half, Maicon told [former Roma manager] Rudi Garcia: 'Castan isn't well.' "I was substituted. I left the pitch, forever. When I got home, I started to feel unwell. The next morning, things got worse; my head was spinning. I thought I was going to die." Castan then went for a check up and despite his condition violently worsening, club doctors refused to enlighten him on just what was going on. He said: "Immediately. After an MRI scan, they sent me home. The club doctor was worried but didn't tell me what was wrong. I never thought I could experience something like this. The first 15 days were terrible. I couldn't stand up, I vomited a lot, I lost 20 kg. I had no strength. At first, Roma chose to hide everything. I decided to isolate myself and delete social media. But one day I looked at my phone. "An article on Twitter: 'Leandro Castan has a tumour, he could die.' Fear overwhelmed me. I still didn't know what I had. No one had told me anything. Neither the club nor the doctors. No one. 'Stay calm,' they kept telling me. Then I remembered my grandfather had died from brain cancer. I thought fate might be the same for me. "I found myself in a hospital bed with a tumour in my head. I had to learn to live again, a different life, and fight with an illness that was slowly growing inside me. I did everything to get back to my level. Everything. It wasn't possible." Castan then touched upon just how life-threatening his diagnosis was, forcing him to leave the game he loves, behind. He said that his only choice was the terrifying prospect of risky surgery. "Weeks later, they told me I had a cerebral cavernoma. I would have to say goodbye to football," he added. "Darkness invaded my mind. I was confused. When I arrived at the clinic, they explained: 'If you take a knock during a match, you could have a brain haemorrhage and die. Either you stop or you have surgery.' They would have to open my head, which is a very dangerous operation. I didn't want to do it." Realising that he wanted to continue playing, Castan agreed to have the operation. "A Roma match on TV. Watching it, something clicked inside me. I didn't want to stop playing football. The doctor suggested we meet after the Christmas holidays; I couldn't wait that long. A week later, I was in surgery. "My only concern was staying alive so as not to leave my wife and children alone. The day before surgery, I went to Trigoria (Roma's training ground) to train. Everyone called me mad, but I needed it." While the surgery was a success, Castan was stunned by just how much he had to relearn every day basics. "As soon as I woke up, I burst into tears with my wife. I wasn't dead," he said. "The following months were tough. I had to learn how to live again. My life had changed, even daily things. At first it was hard just picking up a glass from a table. Or if I looked at my feet, they wouldn't move. But the real problem wasn't daily life, it was football." Castan now looks back on the nightmarish saga with profound gratitude. "All I can say is thank you to Italy and Roma. They welcomed me and stood by me at my most difficult moment. "What the fans, Sabatini (Roma director), team-mates did for me is incredible: they gave me the best care, paid my wages and renewed my contract even without playing. And messages came from all over Italy: [Franco] Baresi, [Max] Allegri, [Alessandro] Del Piero, [Leonardo] Bonucci… they made their support felt and gave me strength. And many team-mates stood by me too: Emerson Palmieri, De Rossi, Maicon, Alisson, Radja [Nainggolan], Benatia, just to name a few." Castan has since returned to Brazil where he is now a coach, happy to be alive and emerged in the game he loves once more. "I like being on the field, smelling the grass, getting in touch with the guys," he said. "My time is not over yet. There is another life in football for Leandro Castan."
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Man, 30, put shoulder pain down to gym aches, then doctors asked where he'd like to die
Alex Able was diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer at the age of 29 and was told his treatment was 'terminated'. Not giving up hope, his family is fighting for a new treatment plan At just 29-years-old, Alex Able had his whole life ahead of him and was even looking to start a family with his wife, Elle. But just two years after the pair said 'I do' in 2021, doctors gave him a heart-shattering diagnosis, which confirmed he had one of the rarest forms of cancer in the world. Alex, now 30 and an engineer who lives in Kent with Elle, 27, and their two cats, Socks and Sage, first experienced shoulder pain in September 2023, but as an avid gym goer, didn't think much of it. The pain persisted and kept him awake at night, so Alex pushed for an MRI scan, and in November 2023, the results came back clear. It comes after a doctor's warning to people who drink even a 'single cup of tea'. READ MORE: Young man sent away from A&E 'five times' before devastating MS diagnosis The initial results came as a sigh of relief, but by May 2024, the pain had only intensified. This led to another scan and devastatingly, a large tumour was found on his shoulder and near his spinal cord. Surgeons managed to remove 90% of the mass, but 10% remained as it was too high-risk to disturb given how close it was to Alex's spine. His tumour was sent off for testing and just two weeks later, he was given a shocking diagnosis. "Our world came crashing down around us all," Alex's mother-in-law, Katie Bleach, 44, from Kent, said, who has been speaking to the media on her daughter Elle's and Alex's behalf. Alex was diagnosed with a Rhabdoid tumour - an aggressive and rare form of cancer that typically affects young children. This type or the disease is so rare that Katie said there are thought to be around 11 confirmed cases in Europe, with Alex believed to be the first case in the UK. "They [doctors] explained that Rhabdoid tumours behave like spider webs, fine strands that cling to whatever they can grab. Alex's was dangerously close to his spinal cord, attached to muscles and nerves controlling his arm movement," the distraught parent explained. Four weeks after his initial surgery, the tumour had grown back to its original size. He underwent intense radiotherapy, every day for six weeks, in an attempt to shrink the mass. "The radiotherapy caused burns and inflammation to his throat, and he struggled to eat or drink. He was losing weight rapidly, but he kept pushing through," Katie said. He then went on to have chemotherapy, and despite the odds, "started to build himself back up". At a halfway scan, small tumours appeared in his lungs, lower back, and shoulder bone, but as chemo continued by the end of December, the secondary tumours in his lung had halved in size and the patch in his lower back bone had gone. The original tumour on his shoulder "remained stable," and Alex and Elle started making plans for their future, including an exciting move from Kent to Shropshire. Alex finished chemo in March 2025 and celebrated his 30th birthday in the same month after a challenging few months. Heartbreakingly, at the end of April, Alex became unwell and experienced strange sensations in his legs and pain in his back. In just a few days, his health deteriorated, and further results revealed that the tumours in his lungs had returned. In addition, there were new growths in his lower back, which impacted his mobility, and two small lesions were in his brain. Katie shared: "Over the coming weeks, difficult decisions were made; they pulled out of their dream home, Wills were drawn up, conversations about his declining mobility and future care were had." Alex underwent radiotherapy to his brain and lower spine, and intense physiotherapy to help him walk again. Chemo also resumed, but the morning after the first of his third chemo cycle, Alex woke up and couldn't feel his legs. He had sudden paralysis from his chest down, and an MRI revealed that two new growths were found in his spine, bringing the total to seven tumours. Katie shared that before his diagnosis, Alex and Elle, who have been together since 2019 and got engaged just nine months later, "loved travelling, eating out, going on adventures, went out with friends a lot and were film buffs". She added: "Their hopes for the future were aligned; they were desperate to move to Shropshire, and both wanted to live in the countryside. They wanted a more outdoorsy life and were thinking of starting a family. Their adventures were only just beginning." On her daughter's reliance, Katie added: "She's the strongest. and the most courageous girls I know. She's been an absolute tower of strength to Alex, giving him nothing but love and encouragement with a constant belief that they're going to come through the other end." Due to the rarity of Alex's diagnosis and it not commonly being seen in adults, receiving treatment has been challenging. On July 11, Alex and his family were hit with the gut-wrenching news that his cancer was "now uncontrollable" and that his treatment was being terminated. Devastated Katie shared: "Despite what they might think is best for Alex, they aren't delivering any actual care; all they're doing is managing his symptoms." She continued: "He's comfortable and well looked after, but his condition in effect is only just getting worse." On Wednesday, 30 July, Katie said they had "the worst day in the last 18 months". She shared: "It was a horrific day. Alex was really uncomfortable; he had hardly any sleep the day before, and he woke up saying he was done. We all gathered around him thinking, he looks so ill, this is it, we've run out of time. "I think part of his feeling so low is that he's fully aware that his cancer is potentially progressing while he's been lying there. He was starting to lose hope." After Alex said he had had enough, Katie said he was offered to go home or to a hospice. "They essentially asked him where he would like to die," she added. Refusing to give up, the family have been researching alternative treatment routes outside of the NHS for the last three weeks and set up a GoFundMe page to help raise costs to cover Alex's treatment moving forward, including travel and any additional costs. After weeks of research and rejections, Katie connected with a Professor in Germany who, despite being unable to treat Alex personally, provided details of seven treatment options, all currently used in Germany's leading Rhabdoid tumour institute - the University Medical Centre, Augsburg. Professor Robin Jones of the Royal Marsden has since been in contact to say that he is willing to take on Alex's case privately. They are now waiting for further details on his transfer and what the treatment plan will look like for Alex. "Alex is absolutely over the moon, and he's raring to go again. He's always been so determined and said he's going to be the one success case and hopefully a pioneer for children with this awful disease," his mother-in-law said. "We've gone from the darkest place to now, there's some light at the end of the tunnel. We're feeling hopeful again. We will never give up on Alex because he's so determined to live."
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
'People thought I was drunk on my commute - the truth was far more sinister'
When John Starns suddenly felt unwell and had to get off his train in Sevenoaks, Kent, commuters believed he was drunk but the slump and sweats were signs of cancer Commuters thought a man who was slumped on a bench at a train station was drunk - but his state was actually the first signs of a brain tumour. Following the episode, John Starns, 63, saw his doctor ,who initially told the man had vertigo and his distressing diagnosis wasn't for a further three months. MRI scan showed the vestibular schwannoma brain mass, which was benign, and so John now must have scans every two years to monitor. John suddenly felt unwell on his commute for central London and so he got off the train at Sevenoaks, Kent, where other passengers assumed he was drunk. John, who is a freelance photographer, was slumped and sweating on a bench for two hours at the station. His experience comes after a doctor had a dire warning to people who drink even a "single cup of tea" each day. Recalling the train journey, John, who is from Sutton Valence, Kent, said today: "It felt as though I was having a panic attack. I was disorientated and it became difficult to walk. I found a bench and sat there for two hours, alone. "No one approached me, I suspect because they thought I was drunk. It was a scary process, the MRI and hearing the words brain tumour, but I will never forget the emotional release when the nurse told me my tumour was benign." The commute - the first signs of any illness - happened in February 2022. John was eventually diagnosed with the cancer later that year but the tumour is stable. He said: "So far, scans have showed my tumour as stable, and I barely suffer with any side effects. I am one of the lucky ones, but this isn't about me." John, a keen cyclist, is now passionate about fundraising and is supporting with Brain Tumour Research. He is gearing up for Cycle 274 Miles in August, a month-long fundraiser. He said: "I'm committing to this cycle challenge to raise awareness of the disease and the desperate inadequacies that currently exist in the historic underfunding of brain tumours compared to other cancers. "I cycle up to 20 miles a day, so I'll have no problems reaching the 274-mile target. My story could have ended differently. That's the reality for others. My hope is that by supporting Brain Tumour Research, more people will benefit from the advances in research."## Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: "John's story is not uncommon, brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any age. "One in three people in the UK knows someone affected by a brain tumour but Brain Tumour Research is working to change this. It's with the support of people like John who will help us drive investment towards research into brain tumours. Good luck John."
