Episode 123: Unpacking Pretty Lies — Is Botox for You? With Guest Megan McCue

As you know, I’m an avid reader, rabbit hole deep-diver and researcher. 

I want to know the truth. Always. 

And one of my gifts is my built-in bullshit detector. My body quickly responds to and has resonance with truth and alignment, knowing when false narratives, pretty lies or fear mongering are at play.

So when I started hearing and seeing highly respected and adored natural health influencers (women who I shared many similar health values with) using it and sharing publicly to their faithful followers that it’s MORE than safe, you better believe my BS detector went off.

How can the most lethal substance on the planet be used in the same sentence as the word “safe”?

Let me be clear: It is not in alignment with me to receive any Botox, filler or plastic surgery. But that does not mean I don’t want to understand it more.

As an advocate for informed consent with a passion for serving women, it’s my job to know the risks and side effects.

Around a year ago, I added myself to numerous Botox and filler injury groups. I half-jokingly say that I did this so I never become delusional enough to think these are safe options. Promised quick fixes seldom are.

But in reality, in addition to my deep dives, I wanted to have reference for anecdotal stories of injury and recovery. I wanted to understand how injured women were being treated by the medical profession and their injectors, and what tips and reference points they had to advocate for themselves.

Bottom line, I wanted to understand the dark side of this everyday cosmetic procedure that continues to skyrocket in demand.

In one of these groups, I came across Megan McCue’s Botox injury story. I didn’t know that she was still in the thick of her recovery journey, but I did have the gut knowing that one day, Megan would be a guest on the Fiercely Awakening podcast.

And this week, the timing aligned.

Join us in this episode as Megan not only walks us through her Botox injury, but also shares great detail on the context of this wonder beauty drug.

She shares:

• The unfortunate details of what transpired the day of her injection.
• The many symptoms that she experienced that completely compromised her quality of life.
• The complexities of navigating healing and recovery from Botox injuries.
• The true history of this drug, including both medical and cosmetic uses, and why this is critical information to have for anyone contemplating trying Botox, no matter the reason.
• A reality check on just how frequent injuries — beyond cosmetic — are happening, and great details on the adverse and toxic effects.
• And natural options to consider for addressing the signs of aging and slowing down the aging process. 

Megan has three books available:

Her first book, “Me Tox Pretty: A Story of Iatrogenic Botulism and The Ugly Side of Cosmetic Injections,” includes the details of her injury experience. 

Her second book, “Notox: The Shocking Truth About Cosmetic Injections,” includes the history of Botox. 

And her third and newly released book, “Iatrogenic Botulism 101: A Guide for Doctors, Nurses, & Other Healthcare Providers,” is a deep dive on all the side effects, symptoms and healing process from Botox. 

You can find her by following these links to her website, www.meganmccue.com, and Instagram @botoxtruths.

About Megan

Megan McCue is a medical speech-language pathologist and writer. She developed iatrogenic botulism after receiving a small amount of Botox once, and has since become a passionate advocate for medical informed consent and pharmaceutical transparency. When she is not thinking