360 – When Beauty Treatments Go Wrong: An SLP’s Warning About Cosmetic Botox Injections

Swallow Your Pride Podcast

Theresa Richard, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S

Education, Health & Fitness, Business, Careers, Medicine

4.8 • 899 Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"I go to swallow, and nothing triggers. Alarm bells are ringing in my head because, as a speech therapist, it's the scariest feeling."

What started as a routine cosmetic procedure turned into a medical nightmare for SLP Megan McCue. After just 12 units of Botox, she experienced severe swallowing difficulties, systemic complications, and a battle to be believed by medical professionals. Her story exposes the darker side of a treatment millions undergo without question.

In this eye-opening episode, learn about:

The hidden risks of botulinum toxin treatments
How Botox can affect swallowing function
Critical warning signs every medical professional should know
The importance of including Botox history in patient screenings
Latest research on systemic spread and nervous system impact

As both a patient and healthcare provider, Megan offers unique insights into this under-discussed issue, challenging common assumptions about a widely-used treatment. Whether you're a medical professional or considering Botox treatment, this episode provides crucial information about potential risks and the importance of informed consent.

Get the show notes: https://syppodcast.com/360

The post 360 – When Beauty Treatments Go Wrong: An SLP’s Warning About Cosmetic Botox Injections appeared first on Swallow Your Pride Podcast.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	On this episode of this Follow Your Pride podcast, we have Megan McHugh. She is a Home Health
0:05.2	SLP based in Sacramento, California. She specializes in providing meaningful, functional
0:10.1	therapy to patients, and particularly enjoys working with patients with dysarthria, voice disorders
0:15.6	resulting from Parkinson's disease, cognitive communication deficits, and aphasia. She is the author of Me Talks Pretty, a story of iatrogenic botulism and the ugly side
0:27.2	effect of cosmetic injections.
0:46.6	I'm your host, Teresa Richard. I'm a board certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders and founder of the MetaSLP Collective
0:51.1	and MetaSLP Education. This podcast is dedicated to delivering the latest
0:55.8	evidence-based practice to medical SLPs everywhere, while also recognizing that medical
1:00.5	SLPs everywhere are doing the best with what they've got. Whether you are a new clinician
1:05.0	seeking tangible tools for therapy or a seasoned vet stuck in a rut, my goal is simple to help you
1:10.7	advance your practice
1:11.7	without feeling overwhelmed or underappreciated. This means that together will build confidence,
1:16.9	broaden your knowledge, and reignite your passion for our field. So if you're listening,
1:21.5	I encourage you to swallow your pride and be open to new ideas because at the end of the day,
1:26.2	you and your patients deserve that kind of
1:28.2	support. Just a quick disclaimer that all statements and opinions expressed in this episode do not
1:33.2	reflect on the organizations associated with the speakers and are their own opinions solely.
1:38.1	With that, let's dive in. Hello, Megan. Hi, Teresa. So nice to meet you. Oh, thank you so much for joining me. So nice to meet you as well. I hate that we're meeting on these terms, but life is one.
1:49.6	Hey, everything happens for a reason. I'm making lemonade out of lemons. Good. I love that. I love that. Yeah. So Megan has an incredible story to share with all of us as both a patient and then also as an SLP and things that
2:01.4	SLP should know. And I love that you've taken your lemons and turned them really into
2:06.1	an educational crusade about warnings and things like that, but also, you know, what we as
2:11.2	SLPs can look out for to help patients. So before we get into all that, tell the people a little
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -34 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Theresa Richard, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Theresa Richard, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.